was closed by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina on Sunday, November 9, 2008 just short of her seventh birthday (in the midst of the 2008-2009 recession), dispersing 200+ souls. This domain is now privately owned and is maintained as witness to the wonderful work the Holy Spirit offered the greater Church through the life and witness of the people known as Beloved.
Believe this simple truth: God loves you, no matter who you are. No matter how you have lived your life. No matter your age. No strings attached. At Church of the Beloved, we believe in God's transforming love and we believe God's Spirit working through us can give life meaning and purpose. Our greatest desire is that you experience how much God loves you and wants to be a part of your life.
11.23.09 Church Planting Central
Thomas Brackett
Program Officer for Church Planting and Redevelopment for the Episcopal Church
Shhhh! “You there - can we talk?”
In the spirit of Joan Rivers’ infamous question, I’d like to bring up one of those topics that really is an “untouchable.” It’s been bugging me for a while and I need to share it with you, thoughtful reader. Over the last four weeks, I have visited with seven people who each, in their own respective context, started a new ministry for the Episcopal Church. (For those of you who do not know, the Episcopal Church is not known in religious circles as a denomination given to starting new churches. The founding fathers of the denomination were there when organized religion found purchase in the New World and that seems to be good enough for must of them . . . oops, I mean “us” – I am one too!) Each of these seven “Church Planters” told a similar tale; they had given the new “start” their best effort and . . . it failed. That is, the new ministry failed. I mean, the very ministry into which they had poured their heart and soul was either closed or discontinued or dismantled, for a variety of reasons. In our Tribe, when that happens, it usually means that the dossier on the new ministry is closed and very few people ever have access to the post mortem reports. We just stop talking about it, as if it never really happened. If an insider like me calls the appropriate regional headquarters to ask about what happened, it’s the usual disclaimer – something about the will of God and the wisdom of the leaders and “matters that cannot be discussed at this time.” (That’s almost an exact quote from a recent call I made.)
Can we talk, here? I mean, just you and me? No blame; no shame? Let me start the conversation (right now it’s a monologue but I hope you’ll join in, right?). Here are the facts: three out of four of our finest entrepreneurial leaders in charge of a failed “start” eventually leave the Episcopal Church, after leaving the ministry. Do you understand the significance of that well-documented statistic? It means that, while we say we want to learn from our failures, we don’t quite know what to do with the very person who needs to lead the inquiry! It means that, while we love it when industry leaders advise us to “fail early and fail often” to discover what works, we’re still a little scared when it comes to shamelessly and blamelessly working through our own failures in order to discover what works. It also means that, while we get awfully passionate about recycling tuna cans and paper towel rolls, we don’t know how to “recycle” our own best leaders. We let them wander off stage to fend for themselves without even thinking to ask, “How can we help you find your next post in our church?” or, “How do we learn from this venture so that we do better the next time?”
Let me wrap this up by naming my hopes. I long for the day when we pay more for leaders who are courageous enough to put their careers on the line for something that might fail! I long for the day when we REALLY believe that we have as much to learn from failure as we do from (apparent) success. Finally, I long for the day when we judge the level of our courage by the number of failures we’ve experienced lately. Between now and then, are you ready to fail – in order to learn?
07.09.09 Sabbatical Day 67
Posted in Karpos Kalos
Becky Robbins-Penniman
Episcopal Priest serving Lamb of God Church, a federated Lutheran and Episcopal congregation in Fort Myers, FL
“Where, then, is the authority?” This is Phyllis Tickle’s Big Question for TWINE* She postulates that the sources of authority have been different for the various eras and expressions of the Church. According to Phyllis, as a consequence of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century, those who left the Roman Catholic church traded a human pope for a paper one: the Bible. That didn’t mean that there was no more pope, or that what the pope had to say wasn’t important; it just meant that the pope was no longer the primary source of authority for those who embraced the change. Phyllis says that what seems to be happening in the 21st Century is another shift – this one away from the “paper pope.” When the familiar structures of authority are being called into question, the temptation is to clamp down and reassert the legitimacy of that which has worked in the past. As a result, just as with the prior epochal change, the questioning of authority happening today is causing tremendous anxiety, anger, and backlash. But the structures would not be being called into question if they were working really well! In fact, the change is already happening right in front of our eyes, as people try to find new and more appropriate structures and authority for these times.
This is a very important consideration in something as carefully structured as a hierarchical church, and both the Lutheran and Episcopal churches are – to varying degrees - hierarchical. In these churches, what is the role and function of authority of those in positions of authority? What are the preferred attitudes and motivations? Is it to make sure as little as possible changes? Or could it be something else?
Now, why am I thinking about such weighty matters early on a Thursday morning in Charlotte, North Carolina? Because I’ve been listening to the story of a faith community called Church of the Beloved (CoB) founded by Derek and Clifford King Harbin. These energetic, creative and faithful pastors planted and nurtured one of the first emergent congregations in the Episcopal Church, beginning nearly 10 years ago. But CoB has ceased to be, and in my opinion it is because the hierarchy had no idea how to be the kind of authority that was able to nurture an innovative, mold-breaking endeavor. Essentially, the old-style authority, in the name of “accountability” and control, kept picking the young plant out of the ground to check how its roots were doing, instead of, in the name of “trust”, protecting it and leaving it to do its deep work.
Just what is the role of authority? When I was raising my children, once they got out of the highly vulnerable toddler stage, I used my authority to give them a safe space to figure out the world for themselves, not to tell them what to do every step of the way. I was there to fend off the forces that sought to harm them, but I did not try to prevent them from making mistakes, from trying things I never tried, or even from getting hurt. I was there to kiss the bruises and discuss the consequences, to wash off the dirt and advocate for their dreams. Mostly, I trusted them as they developed into unique people created in God’s image, not in mine. As a result, my adult children do not look like I do, think like I do, or live like I do. They are also very, very different from each other. But both of them are self-giving, interesting people who are showing me a thing or two about a life worth living, and now I am also learning from them, and they learn from each other.
If a simple woman from Ohio can do this with a couple of children growing up in this changing world, could not the Church do this with people with some new ideas on how to create authentic Christian community among those very same kids?
12.30.08 anglimergent
Karen Ward
Founding (Lutheran) Pastor serving Church of the Apostles, Seattle, WA
More hope "for a tree cut down"--
Church of the Beloved (Charlotte) closes
The Episcopal congregation, Church of the Beloved in Charlotte, has been closed, just short of being seven years old. This closure is sad for Episcopal Church USA emergence. My hat is off to Clifford King and Derek Harbin, the pioneering planters of Beloved, Charlotte. They are to be commended for the great blessing Beloved has been to TEC. Their story needs to be told, as so much learning can be had from their experience.
The mission I serve, Church of the Apostles, Seattle is also just seven years old. Beloved, Charlotte started just before us, and I heard about them and they inspired me that a 'new kind of Episcopal church' was possible.
I often spoke of Beloved, and as one of our COTA sons (Ryan Marsh) felt the calling to plant a church, which COTA affirmed in him, he named it Church of the Beloved inspired by the Charlotte Episcopal group. Beloved, Seattle is now a two year old ELCA mission.
Anglimergence in TEC can learn much from the listening to 'the stories of the two Beloveds,' as we seek to nurture and plant more missions like this and not have them close down premature or have those which such emergent dreams unable to find pathways into TEC to incubate them.
Beloved in Seattle has a new CD called 'Hope for a Tree Cut Down.' Dear friends from Beloved, Episcopal in Charlotte, many of us see this same hope born from your amazing witness and service as your members enrich your diocese ongoing and enrich all of us with the wisdom that your seven year old story of Anglimergence holds.
Derek and Clifford King Harbin are presently serving at St. Andrew Episcopal Church as they each await new calls. This wonderful community, that worships Sunday mornings at 10:30am, is located at 1303 North 12th Street in Bessemer City...only 30 minutes from Charlotte! You are invited to explore a spiritual relationship with God among this wonderful community of faith!
To contact Clifford King Harbin click here.
To contact Fr. Derek Harbin click here.
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