Each semester the unique configuration of courses and students facilitates the discovery of new concepts or images. This semester my students and I have reflected upon the need to match belief and practice. We’ve struggled with ways of verbalizing our thoughts. For much of the semester we’ve wandered around the periphery of a new concept. We often defaulted to the phrase “you got to walk the talk.” That is certainly true in one’s life. Yet we were seeking a concept to help frame how we might match belief and practice. Finally (as the semester is beginning to wind down!), we stumbled onto the concept of internal coherence in the practice of ministry.
For my students working on projects in church administration this new concept helps them see how the church budget must match the localized church’s understanding of the missio dei in their corner of the world. For my students exploring a philosophy and method of youth ministry it seems to mean detailed attention to purposeful connections between the localized church’s missio dei and the activities and spiritual practices employed in the youth ministry program. For my work pastorally it has come to demand deep reflection upon our confessed commitments and our current lived expressions of faith. Doing theological work has become demanding for us this semester!
Recently I received the gift of internal coherence in my life. Let me offer a background confession first! I have a tendency to become cynical. With a tinge of cynicism, I approached our District Pastor and Spouse’s retreat with little expectation. My experience leads me to believe that most retreats are “retreats” in name only. Too often clergy “retreats” are CEUs (continuing education units). Too often clergy are instructed on more efficient ministry practices . . . while they’re “retreating.” In those experiences the retreat lacks internal coherence. Thus, I came prepared to be frustrated. I wanted (perhaps, needed) retreat. I expected to encounter dissonance between the language of retreat and the business we’d accomplish.
When my wife and I arrived we were greeted warmly by friends and given a small bag. Following our registration at the front desk we settled into our room. Reclining on the bed I examined the retreat brochure to determine which sessions I would skip. To my surprise I found the retreat them to be “clergy health.” Immediately I opened the gift bag to inspect the goodies. I was searching for internal coherence! I found fruit, water, health bars, and some small chocolate pieces instead of the customary chips and candy. “Impressive,” I thought.
The schedule for the remainder of the first evening included a shared meal and a worship service. I began to retreat as I shared table fellowship with my colleagues in the dining room and around the Eucharistic Table. “Impressive,” I thought as I retired for the evening.
Following a late breakfast we gathered for another session. During this time our District Superintendent addressed the issue of clergy health. His reflections were personal and poignant. He encouraged us to think holistically about our health. He explored the intellectual life of the pastor. He asked if we received an annual physical and if we had been taking care of our bodies. He confronted us about the need for Sabbath-keeping and the nurturing of our familial relationships. Following his direct assault on our current practices he invited us to share our “confessions” with one another and to pray together, seeking to nurture accountability for the coming weeks and months. “Impressive,” I thought as I prepared for a leisurely afternoon with my wife.
(For me, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about clergy health. A number of pieces on clergy physical health have crossed my desk. The statistics are alarming. Consider these frightening statistics of one sample of Nazarene clergy and their spouses: 73% were overweight, 31% were diabetic, and only 3% ate a nutritious diet regularly. The retreat’s theme was critical.)
Dinner brought us together for a time of public accountability. After giving consideration to our health earlier in the day, each of us was forced to walk the long line of a buffet table. Talk about fear and trembling! “They should have served us only healthy options,” I fumed internally!
Upon reflection I realized the genius of this public accountability. If any of us desire to establish patterns of health, each one must exercise self-control. With that discovery in hand I prepared for the long-anticipated evening session. “Is this when internal coherence would fall by the wayside?,” I wondered.
That evening we gathered in the Kahuna Laguna, a 40,000 square-foot water wonderland! It wasn’t necessarily a pretty site. Many of us hadn’t exercised in years and had eaten too many desserts. Nevertheless, we laughed and played. We relaxed and retreated. We took one small step together to becoming a healthier clergy.
The remainder of the retreat remained internally coherent as we explored the importance of the retreat’s theme. In fact, we left knowing both in our heads and in our bodies how a healthy clergy lives. I experienced the gift of an internally coherent ministry. I left with a stronger commitment to being a healthy pastor.
As I returned to my pastoral responsibilities in the classroom and at the church my attention began to focus upon internal coherence and what it might mean for us. Do we say “keep Sabbath” and put people on a treadmill of activity? Do we say “love your neighbor” and keep ourselves so occupied that we never meet our neighbors? The list of questions could go on. The uniqueness of this semester has invited me and my students to give consideration to internal coherence in ministry. What might an internally coherent ministry look like in your corner of the world?
