The Vision
[AKA "David's Dream"]
Easter 2015 at Atria Maplewood Place Senior Living
Dear friend in Christ Jesus,
For many years now, I have been pondering the story of Eldad and Medad from the 11th chapter of the Book of Numbers. While there are many interpretations of the story, whether by Jewish scholars or Christian scholars, what keeps striking me is a comparison of those "called" in the so-called normal fashion versus those "called" another way.
I see in the elders called out to the tent of meeting the many, many folks who received their call from God into the ministry within the larger bodies—the so-called mainline churches. And I see in Eldad and Medad the unique vocation of the so-called "worker priests" who do not spend their days attached to the tent but rather in ministry among the people. I do not compare those attached to the tent with those among the people in any way that implies that one is better than the other, rather I see each call as God's way of ministering to a unique population.
There are many people for whom the so-called "big church" way of doing church works and—thanks be to God, there are churches on almost every street corner [at least here in New England] where folks who enjoy the big church way can find a possible church home.
But, in the modern age, there are also many folks who, for a large variety of reasons, no longer feel that they are being fed spiritually via the big church model. Some sociologists refer to these folks as the "unaffiliated." Some of these folks rather have opted to call themselves "spiritual but not religious." Whatever you or I call them, or they call themselves, they are a population of folks seeking to follow God but doing so “like sheep without a shepherd”—like sheep who DO NOT WANT a shepherd. Ministering to these folks requires more than the Big Church invitation "come to church." Most of these folk will not enter a church, do not want to enter a church, and often have very bad memories of the last time they entered a church. So the invitation falls on deaf ears and the ones extending the invitation either get frustrated beyond belief or write these folks off as “not worthy of our attention.”
But, this does not mean that these folks do not want God in their lives and are not open to some kind of non-traditional ministry. And this is where I feel the worker priest movement catches a glimpse of the call to minister that was grasped by Eldad and Medad. While many of us do not feel that we have been called in the traditional way, we do nevertheless feel that we have been called. Many of us have spent our time in the tent of meeting—the Big Church—but we have realized that that isn't the place we are called to serve. We have also spent our time working in the world—and have found that that is where we feel the most at home in ministry. But, this discerning of where we will best serve isn’t instantaneous—often it takes years before we finally get it.
My own story illustrates this. When I was growing up I just assumed that what I was sensing as a call from God was to be a priest in the Roman Catholic Church—the church of my youth. When that didn’t work out—but the sense of call remained—I assumed I would follow the call in a different kind of Catholic Church, just not Roman. But, I believed in my heart of hearts that it would still resemble the church of my youth—a parish with a church, a rectory, perhaps a school and convent. I was convinced that God would fulfill this desire of my heart. With apologies to the writers behind A Field of Dreams I was convinced that if I built it they would come.
The funny thing is there are those for whom it has worked—and, I believe it has worked because that IS their call. But, I am equally convinced that that ISN’T my call. I struggled for many years trying to reinvent the tent; but “they did not come” in the numbers I expected. It has taken many years for me to realize that my call—and the call of others like me—is not to reinvent the big church wheel. Rather, we are on the cusp of something else.
I now realize that my call/our call is to bring "the tent" to the people rather than waiting for the people to come out to the tent. Part of this is the realization that some who desperately want to go out to the tent can no longer do so; and, no provisions are being made by the tent people to go out and transport those who want to attend things and then bring them back home.
For many years now, I have been pondering the story of Eldad and Medad from the 11th chapter of the Book of Numbers. While there are many interpretations of the story, whether by Jewish scholars or Christian scholars, what keeps striking me is a comparison of those "called" in the so-called normal fashion versus those "called" another way.
I see in the elders called out to the tent of meeting the many, many folks who received their call from God into the ministry within the larger bodies—the so-called mainline churches. And I see in Eldad and Medad the unique vocation of the so-called "worker priests" who do not spend their days attached to the tent but rather in ministry among the people. I do not compare those attached to the tent with those among the people in any way that implies that one is better than the other, rather I see each call as God's way of ministering to a unique population.
There are many people for whom the so-called "big church" way of doing church works and—thanks be to God, there are churches on almost every street corner [at least here in New England] where folks who enjoy the big church way can find a possible church home.
But, in the modern age, there are also many folks who, for a large variety of reasons, no longer feel that they are being fed spiritually via the big church model. Some sociologists refer to these folks as the "unaffiliated." Some of these folks rather have opted to call themselves "spiritual but not religious." Whatever you or I call them, or they call themselves, they are a population of folks seeking to follow God but doing so “like sheep without a shepherd”—like sheep who DO NOT WANT a shepherd. Ministering to these folks requires more than the Big Church invitation "come to church." Most of these folk will not enter a church, do not want to enter a church, and often have very bad memories of the last time they entered a church. So the invitation falls on deaf ears and the ones extending the invitation either get frustrated beyond belief or write these folks off as “not worthy of our attention.”
But, this does not mean that these folks do not want God in their lives and are not open to some kind of non-traditional ministry. And this is where I feel the worker priest movement catches a glimpse of the call to minister that was grasped by Eldad and Medad. While many of us do not feel that we have been called in the traditional way, we do nevertheless feel that we have been called. Many of us have spent our time in the tent of meeting—the Big Church—but we have realized that that isn't the place we are called to serve. We have also spent our time working in the world—and have found that that is where we feel the most at home in ministry. But, this discerning of where we will best serve isn’t instantaneous—often it takes years before we finally get it.
My own story illustrates this. When I was growing up I just assumed that what I was sensing as a call from God was to be a priest in the Roman Catholic Church—the church of my youth. When that didn’t work out—but the sense of call remained—I assumed I would follow the call in a different kind of Catholic Church, just not Roman. But, I believed in my heart of hearts that it would still resemble the church of my youth—a parish with a church, a rectory, perhaps a school and convent. I was convinced that God would fulfill this desire of my heart. With apologies to the writers behind A Field of Dreams I was convinced that if I built it they would come.
The funny thing is there are those for whom it has worked—and, I believe it has worked because that IS their call. But, I am equally convinced that that ISN’T my call. I struggled for many years trying to reinvent the tent; but “they did not come” in the numbers I expected. It has taken many years for me to realize that my call—and the call of others like me—is not to reinvent the big church wheel. Rather, we are on the cusp of something else.
I now realize that my call/our call is to bring "the tent" to the people rather than waiting for the people to come out to the tent. Part of this is the realization that some who desperately want to go out to the tent can no longer do so; and, no provisions are being made by the tent people to go out and transport those who want to attend things and then bring them back home.
Palm Sunday 2016 at Atria Maplewood Place Senior Living
My experience is that we need to bring “the tent” to where the people are. This was confirmed for me when our local ministry in the Boston area began bringing worship to a local senior living center. After years and years of frustration trying to follow the big church model, our ministry took off when we left our comfort zone and brought “the tent” to those who could no longer get there on their own. And they loved it and we loved it.
Now at 70 years old, this bishop needs help to carry on the vision that God has given to replicate this type of ministry at other senior living centers as well as in the many, many other places God's Forgotten People live and work. Please pray about this; maybe God has a vision for you to care for these folks.
Now at 70 years old, this bishop needs help to carry on the vision that God has given to replicate this type of ministry at other senior living centers as well as in the many, many other places God's Forgotten People live and work. Please pray about this; maybe God has a vision for you to care for these folks.
Respectfully,
Rev. David Dismas, MDiv, STM
founder, The Eldad and Medad Project
Rev. David Dismas, MDiv, STM
founder, The Eldad and Medad Project