Karl Westerhof

John Z, I'm just browsing through some older posts and found this comment of yours that contains the phrase, "enhance and facilitate, rather than to restrict and regulate".  If a classis could do MORE of the former, and LESS of the latter, it seems to me the balance would be much healthier.   And I do see that in classes where intentional renewal has taken place.  Thanks for the helpful words of summary!

John, I say a big THANKS for your comments!

I wonder if it's useful to make a list (I love lists), which might be sort of signs or indicators of classical health?  If I try to turn your wisdom and and challenges into a "checklist" (please forgive me) I come up with something like this:

1.  It's about the mission Dei, and the "no square inch" conviction, nothing more and nothing less.  Policies and procedures and church order always serve of that mission.  This link gets documented in reports, proposals, decisions and minutes.

2. Its focus is on the community - on serving, outreach, ministry, addressing issues together, loving the community.  The mechanics of organization are always engaged in with an eye toward how the mission Dei is carried out.  The topic is rarely about how classis works, but about how to get obedience done.

3.  It takes great care to make sure its work is built on a strong foundation of piety, reflected in the spirit of every discussion, the shape of every motion, the mood of every meeting, the culture of joyful worship, fervant prayer, humble discernment, calm trust, and thoughtful devotion that marks every session.  

4.  It will legislate little, but encourage, support, and enable much.  Minutes of classis will clearly show that the energy of classis is aimed at congregational and community health, not policies and procedures.

     As you probably know, the Classis Renewal Ministry Team has a list of indicators (they call them benchmarks) that classis can use to assess itself.  

     I'd be delighted to hear from more folks who have good thoughts about how a classis can build on its strengths and make its weaknesses irrelevant.

Wow!   BADCLASSIS sounds like something you need to take pills for.  If that fails, surgery is indicated.  Results cannot be guaranteed.   Recovery time is unknown.

Yes, I've seen some bad classical moments, and felt a few in my gut.  But mostly it's the drudgery syndrome.  Dragging through the motions, while some folks grandstand and others sit with glazed eyes.   

BUT.... things are improving.   The most recent classis meeting I attended was delightful. Restored my faith in the structure. Brothers and sisters, elders, deacons, pastors, together worshipping, celebrating, learning, praying, deciding....    enjoying each other and the work!   A treat for a jaded bureaucrat.  

In your list you've got the goats and the roosters and the lords and the slaves....   seems like an interesting mix if you had all the problem players at the same time!  A circus classicus!

Seriously, there are a LOT of stories out there of classes that have re-invented themselves, and shifted away from droning drudgery toward worship and celebration, outreach focus, fellowship and learning, prayer and encouragement.  What a setting for making the decisions that have to be made!  How in the world can we get some of those stories told so more of us can hear them and take heart?  

You've identified some signs of trouble, and I'd like to hear about some signs of health.   What makes a healthy classis?  Or, how can you tell when your classis is moving toward health?   

Do you think having a clear classical vision and a solid plan are signs of health?   Not enough? What else needs to go with those things?  What in the world does a healthy classis look like, and how do you get one?  Got a pill for that?  

I want to be infected with GOODCLASSIS, maybe even have a case of galloping GREATCLASSIS.   What a great support for  healthy leaders and healthy congregations!

Paul, I was in the North Woods watching the mosquitos carry off fawns when you posted this, and so I missed it!!  I can't believe I missed this!!!!

Your post rings all my bells: right-size, collaboration, innovation, local ownership, sustainability, creativity, network, best practices, partnerships.....

Thanks!

Tantalizing!   I want to hear MORE on HOW small groups can help us be more open, and can help us be transformed.  Your first question is the POWER question: How DO small groups help people open up to the Holy Spirit?

Elizabeth, I've just come home from a visit to Classis Atlantic NE, and I was surprised and delighted with what I experienced there.   Your post provides me the opportunity to talk about it a bit!  Thanks!  

There were SO many things to notice, and I'll be the first to admit that I was a visitor, without long exposure or inside information.  But I'm convinced that what I experienced was genuine. It just plain felt good to be there.  The mood was upbeat, and people obviously enjoyed being together.  

There were several references to how far the classis had come over the past decade or so - a reminder to me that change takes time, at least it usually does, and it took hard work on the part of many.  The question is whether the steps are in the right direction, and in this classis the steps have led to wonderful places.   There is diversity in some really interesting ways - a nice cross section of age and experience, and denominational background, and types of congregations represented.  Within this diversity, there was lots of dialog, interest in each other, encouragement, appreciation.  

The classis has a large number of "church plants" and therefore a large number of younger "planters", and the excitement of this momentum is easily felt.  This gives hope, adds to diversity of perspective, creates energy.   

Mentoring and coaching is the norm in this classis it seemed to me, and there are two Leadership Development Networks in the classis.   Bi-vocational pastoring is not uncommon, and the classis is very involved in deaconal work, deacons, and celebrates the role of deacon at classis.

I witnessed the church order being used appropriately, with appreciation, and without any ado - to further the ministry of the classis.  Church visitors were brought in by conference call, in what seemed to me to be a nice way to be stewardly while taking account of the geographical challenges faced by this classis.  

And they met in a retreat center - what an invitation to see classis in a different way, and to have a different mind set about what is happening there.

Last but not least, I note that repeatedly I heard church planters talking about the appreciation of new folks for what is biblical and Reformed.  This bodes well for the future, and it reminds us of the treasure we have in earthen vessels.  

Thanks Jolanda!  Best wishes in your next chapter!

Wrestling with the challenge of cross cultural missions is surely complicated by the reality of the "global village".  We are so easily led to think we can intervene meaningfully in almost anyone's life, just because it's so much easier to do!

I do really wrestle with this, especially after 20+ years with an agency that worked VERY hard to promote STM.  Three factors in high quality STMs are surely the dimensions of the preparation, the accompaniment, and the followup.  Some good data is beginning to be collected that suggests that the most meaningful and lasting changes happen in the lives of those who travel when the preparation is excellent, there is competent coaching accompaniment during the experience, and when returning home the STMissionary gets incorporated into a strong support group where s/he can process and integrate the experience and be helped to be accountable for sustaining the changes.

It's expensive to do it well, and surrounding the experience with every effort to make it sustainable in every way is vital.  Equally important is to pay attention to reducing the unintended negative side effects.   We often are tempted to say that helping the poor is not rocket science!   As a matter of fact it IS rocket science, and dangerous without wise counsel.

Yeah, it's real hard to be critical of STMs when you hear so many wonderful testimonies.  I'm thankful for all the ways God uses our stumbling and our weaknesses.  And he does!

And yet we wouldn't want to say that is an excuse to be sloppy about our programs.

What's important is to be realistic about how we use resources, and what unintended damage we might be doing, especially when we don't let mercy temper mercy, as Keller puts it in his book Ministries of Mercy.  His point is that it is not merciful to show mercy in ways that perpetuate dependence or harmful behavior.   

Ken, you and I know that God accomplishes his will through all kinds of bad situations, including when we ourselves screw up - he's still there working it out for good.  At the same time, he also expects us to keep on learning how to do it better.  THAT is the secret of good STM programs - are they willing to discipline themselves to keep doing it better, better stewardship, better cross cultural communication, better understanding of the cultural practices and what MY good intentions might mean in THEIR culture....  better orientation, better followup.  If there is not a rigorous process for evaluating and improving, that for me is a signal of a program to stay away from.

OK, I just gotta make two comments and then no more.  

One is that the idea of short term missions is useful when we contrast it to career missionaries, but of course there really is no such thing as an STM.  We are ALL missionaries for life if we are followers of Jesus. Every minute, every day.  Ok, got that off my chest.

Now I also want to recommend a book by David Livermore about short term missions.   He's spoken and written about this with about as much wisdom as anyone could, and he's a follower of Jesus, and he's worked with CRC agencies and is now working on another book with Dr. Kurt Verbeek of Calvin.   I highly commend him.

I'm not an online gamer at all, but I do once in a rare while check out "comments" that appear with an article or blog.    I'm often "yucked out" by what I read....    OK, I'm on this side of 60 (yrs, not mph) but still.....   some things are just over the top no matter what age you are.    SO - I found this post by Angela to be a really helpful perspective.   There IS a way to engage on the web and not be stampeded by other peoples' behavior - I mean stampeded into being like them, or stampeded off the web.   Thanks so much for this! 

There are at least three areas of discussion emerging right now that seem to have a similar pattern - young people in the CRC, deacons, and diversity.   Most of what's being said has been said before.  We may rejoice that new people are saying it, or that new people are listening, or perhaps we can take comfort from the fact that the CRC doesn't give up on these tough issues - we just keep chewing on 'em until something lets loose!

Well, as Mister B says, what is taking us so long?   On one hand I have been among those who say that change in the CRC culture and systems goes oh so slowly, and the process of building consensus for change is a long and tedious road.  Yet that's how our systems work.   Change does come - albeit slowly slowly.  Leaders who are the most persistent and tenacious will eventually see change occur.   

ON THE OTHER HAND.....  we can do better.  Our responsiveness to the Spirit's leading often seems to be far too hesitant and tentative.  We fear conflict, and division, not to mention crisis.  When the environment is really turbulent, and the denomination feels really fragile, we are the most hesitant to act in forthright obedience.  We talk a little more, study a little more, revise a little more, and pray a lot more.  But hard decisions get put off.

It's hard times for denominations.  They are aging; they are seen as clunky bureaucracies; they move slowly; they are buffeted by the tough economy; they are questioned more and more by skeptical younger generations.

So where are the bright spots in the CRC?  What's deserving of a little extra notice?   Where are we doing something fresh and frolicsome?   Are we having any fun?  I'd like to ask that question - what do you know of that gives you a bit of hope in the face of a general aura of worry and concern?    Where do you see the CRC sparkling?   Does anyone out there see a point of light in the gloom?   Who among us is having fun and finding joy and energy in something that's really working?  Where is God at work in fresh ways?   Let's talk.