Regenerative Ministry

Sustainability is step one, but how is God calling us even further into co-creative ministry?

This article appeared in the May 8th edition of the All Saints Parishioner

Inside some national and state parks there are signs saying: “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” The implication of this message rings clearly, as it calls visitors to leave no trace of their presence in the park. This dutiful practice of stewardship stands out as noble, but what if we went a step further—not only in parks, but throughout the whole earth?

This past week the clergy and clergy spouses in the Diocese of Alabama gathered for our annual Clergy Conference at Camp McDowell. Unlike many times when work colleagues gather together with the intention of conducting business, this time serves as a respite. It is meant for rest and relaxation for clergy and their families who have just finished the wonderful but exhausting seasons of Lent and Holy Week. Even if this time is a laidback combination of a family reunion and a parish retreat, it does not mean that these days at camp do not produce something profound for the clergy to share with their parishes. In truth, during the days at camp last week a theme emerged that takes the aforementioned practice of sustainability to another level. Namely, God is calling us in the Church to go beyond leaving things the way we found them, so that we can move into producing regenerative ministries.

What does regenerative mean? Good question! Regeneration has to do with being renewed, restored, and even spiritually reborn. As St. Paul so eloquently put it in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor. 5:17). Being made new stands out as the goal of our life with Christ! The Rev. Corey Jones, former Youth Minister at All Saints and new Executive Director of Camp McDowell spoke about how the camp staff is focusing on not simply sustaining or maintaining the programs and the facilities in place, but also leaving everything better than how they found it. As Camp McDowell’s tagline is “The way the world could be,” this mission of regeneration serves as a call for us at All Saints, in our diocese, and out in the world to pursue.

What would it look like if we went beyond sustaining and maintaining God’s work? How might we leave All Saints, the Church, and the world better than we found it? What is God’s dream for regenerative ministry among us?  

Last week as I continued to let this theme and these questions percolate in my soul, it seemed like everything at Clergy Conference pointed towards growth and rebirth. Perhaps it was simply because we were all in an Easter mood, but I suspect the Holy Spirit was at work. Bishop Kee challenged the clergy to think creatively about the diocesan ministries in which we share, as we boldly take ownership of things we may not always think of as “churchy” (see: Sawyerville Day Camp, Episcopal Place’s Gumbo Gala, or the Environmental Center at Camp McDowell). The Rev. Candice Frazier, head of the diocesan Standing Committee, spoke regarding the upcoming bishop’s election (stay tuned for communications from the diocese about that process). Clergy conversations about the next Bishop of Alabama invoked hope for what good ministries we might improve upon and what struggling areas we might allow God to regenerate with us. Most profoundly the Rev. Donna Mote, a guest speaker who serves as a chaplain at the Atlanta International Airport, as an adjunct faculty member at Sewanee’s School of Theology, and as the Missioner for Engagement and Innovation in the Diocese of Atlanta challenged our clergy to take the Church out into the world. 

Particularly in conversations with the Rev. Mote, I heard clergy being hopeful about how we might take the gifts we have been given in the Church to those who might be reluctant to walk through our front doors on Sunday mornings. As we sat in rocking chairs on the front porch of a lodge in Parsley Commons, my wife Kim asked the Rev. Mote what this going out into the world might actually look like in real life. After a moment of thinking, the Rev. Mote responded by sharing a dream she has had for many years. With two sons who grew up playing soccer games on Sunday mornings, she struggled with how her family could get to church in between matches. A Catholic teammate had gone to church on the Saturday night after that day’s games concluded, but this was not an option for her Episcopalian family. Eventually an idea emerged. What if the Eucharist came to the soccer fields instead of the soccer families coming to the Church? It was an interesting concept and one that stimulated our conversation for the better part of the evening.

God is calling us to be creative with how we reach out to those who may not already know the transformational love of God. Maybe regenerative, restorative, resurrection-focused ministry does not look like soccer field communion services, maybe it is a “Theology on Tap” meeting in a Birmingham brewery, small groups meeting in each other’s homes, or a parents’ bible study during a playdate at Homewood Park. Maybe it is something that we cannot yet fathom in this moment. All Saints already has so many renewing ministries in place. And while none of these new ideas should discount or diminish what God is currently doing among us, God is always calling us to dream up new ways to share the overwhelmingly good news of Christ’s redeeming love.

What is something restorative that you can do for yourself and can take out into the community? How can we best utilize the Spirit’s regenerative presence among us? Where are we to meet Christ out in the world making things even better than we found them?