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THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT AS A MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE CHURCH THE EPISCOPAL ADDRESS FOR THE 130TH DIOCESAN CONVENTION OF THE DIOCESE OF NEWARK FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2004 THE RIGHT REVEREND JOHN PALMER CRONEBERGER NINTH BISHOP OF NEWARK
My sisters and brothers, Greetings in the sixth year of my Ordination and Consecration as Bishop of Newark. Have you ever heard someone say, "We don't really need a Mission Statement...we have the Baptismal Covenant!" "Really!" "Really?" Could you really make the Baptismal Covenant a Mission Statement for the Diocese of Newark? O.K. For the sake of this address, let us buy the premise and say, "YES...the Baptismal Covenant is our Mission Statement." Buy the premise – B Then how are we doing? How are we living into our Mission Statement? My task this evening is to tell you what I see, what I believe to be true and what I hope will be true in days to come. I can say at the very beginning, I am excited by what I see happening, much has been accomplished, and much more is being asked of us. The Baptismal Covenant contains eight questions. The first three questions ask us if we believe in God and what we believe about God. Do we believe in God as Creator who calls us into being? Do we believe in God as Jesus the Christ who lived among us and loved us and suffered and died and rose again and restored us to a covenant relationship with God? Do we believe in God as Holy Spirit who continues to be present among us calling us into community? If these three Baptismal Covenant questions are part of our Mission Statement, then the measurement of our progress in living into our Mission Statement centers around formation. In this area, I believe we get high marks. The theology of ministry that undergirds the recent revisions to the national Title III Canons on Ministry affirms that all ministry comes from Baptism, and each baptized person is called to a particular vocation and ministry. Some of these ministries are traditionally ordered as deacons, priests, or bishops, while the majority of Christians, members of the Laos, the holy people of God, carry out ministries, both within and beyond the institutional church. In all cases, formation is seen in thee revised Canons as a life-long process. Seminarians, beware – it will never be over! Here are some of the things we have been about in this past year which are examples of our attention to formation. The Commission on Ministry has expanded its work-load this past year, adding strong subcommittees on Diaconal Formation and Lay Ministry. Matthew Piermatti retires as Chair of the Commission On Ministry at this Convention. I am grateful for his determination, energy and organizational skill in bringing these sub-committees into being, and in seeing that the very complex calendar of events has been successfully completed. I am pleased to announce to you this evening that the Rev. Pamela Bakal, rector of Grace Church in Nutley, has accepted my invitation to become the next Chair of the Commission on Ministry. The Rev. Stephanie Wethered and the Rev. Victoria McGrath will be co-chairing the discernment process, as we move from an emphasis on screening to one of discernment. Canon Paul Hunt will represent the office of the Bishop with the Commission on Ministry, making stronger connections between discernment, formation, ordination, and deployment. I look forward to working together with this leadership team to implement the revised Title III Canons on Ministry. Ms. Hattie Stone and the Rev. Herb Tinning have chaired the Diaconal Sub-committee and, working with very limited financial resources, have produced a very respectable training and formation program for as many as twenty potential deacons for the church. Tomorrow, I will install Deacon Herb Tinning as Archdeacon for Diaconal Formation. The Diaconal Sub-committee will provide continued support for the process of diaconal discernment and formation. I am especially indebted to the Rev. John Hartnett, rector of St. Elizabeth's Church, in Ridgewood, for his teaching gifts offered as part of the process of formation for those who are exploring a vocational call to the Diaconate. Ms. Mary Barrett, of Grace, Madison, is chairing the new sub-committee on Lay Ministries, with the support of Canon Carter Echols, who serves as staff liaison from the office of the Bishop. This committee will focus on the discernment, formation, and celebration of ministries of the Laos. For ordained clergy in the diocese, opportunities for formation continue to include the following: Clergy coming into the diocese or making a move within the diocese, participate in our diocesan Fresh Start program, a two-year commitment which provides opportunity to look at some of the critical ministry issues which frequently present themselves during the first two years of a new ministry relationship. Canon Paul Hunt and Mr. Brian Bussey from St. David's Church in Kinnelon, provide the leadership for this continuing formation, which currently has the largest number of participants since the program began. Also, during the course of the year, district clergy meet regularly with the Bishop or one of the Canons, for Bible study, prayer, conversation, and lunch, with opportunity later in the day for individual meetings with the Bishop of Canon. The annual Fall Clergy Conference has grown in numbers, with 125 clergy registered for our recent Fall meeting with the Rev. Eric Law. Similarly, the Spring clergy day continues to be well attended. After much discussion, in order to better coordinate formation opportunities among lay persons, the Christian Education Commission and the Youth Ministry Board merged this past year to become the Christian Formation Commission, with a primary concern for life-long Christian formation. As of last weekend, with the advent of Vocare, this diocese now has a full complement of renewal ministries to supplement the spiritual opportunities already present in our congregations and diocese – Christophany, Happening, Vocare and Cursillo – are now gathered under the umbrella of Christian Formation. With our focus on ministry shifting to mutual ministry, we week to move away from the concept of a community gathered around a minister, to a gathered community around a common ministry. One opportunity for mutual ministry formation for clergy and laity together is CDI, the Church Development Institute, with one of our own clergy, the Rev. Dr. Bevan Stanley, rector of Christ Church, Short Hills, a leading national trainer for CDI. This program provides training in leadership for ministry. Parish teams are encouraged to attend. In October, when Eric Law came to the diocese for our Clergy Conference, a separate day was held for lay leaders to have time with him as part of their continued formation, and to develop shared language between clergy and lay leaders. Add to that the John Hines Lecture Series this past year on stem-cell research, and other individual opportunities for growth and formation, and we have ample evidence of our commitment to continued formation. In May, we hosted a reception for parish wardens, where we gathered information concerning areas of concern and interest, and then, in November, a full Saturday of Wardens' training was organized and implemented by Canon Echols, Ms. Michele Wilson and other members of the diocesan staff. More than 80 wardens attended, offering much positive response, and urging us to plan at least annual Wardens' events. We are considering future training events for parish treasurers and stewardship chairs. In the meantime, I hope every congregation will send a strong contingent of clergy and lay leaders to Celebrating Creative Congregations on March 13. This year more than eighty workshops will be offered at this remarkable diocesan training day coordinated by Ms. Kitty Kawecki, Director of the Bishop Anand Resource Center. Clearly, one growing edge for us in the coming year will be to gain a sharper focus on the diaconate, and how this ordered ministry might best serve the Diocese of Newark. But the greater growing edge for us in ministry has to do with discernment. The revised canons on ministry contain a new and separate canon on discernment, calling on dioceses to develop a process for discernment for all the baptized, lay and ordained. The focus would move away from one of screening people in or out, to one of discerning vocational calls to ministry as laity or ordained, and then celebrating those ministries. Once the particular ministry has been discerned by the faith community, the process of formation for that ministry begins . . .in this construct – everybody is in – nobody is out. We are looking on this matter of discernment in different settings. Wardens, vestries, and search committees are working at improving their processes of discernment as they search for a new rector. These parish leaders are taking time to appropriately discern the kinds of skills and gifts most needed in their next rector. Mutual Ministry reviews are enabling congregations to discern gifts for ministry among clergy and laity, and some congregations are claiming a clear vision for ministry which utilizes the gifts which have been discerned by the community. The Board of Directors for Cross Roads Camp and Conference Center is also entering into a process of discernment which will seek to identify the needs and dreams for the diocese and the synod related to camping and conference facilities in order that we might make the best decisions possible for the future. Canon Hunt with Alan Bowen presented a report from the Camp Board earlier today. We need your participation as we gather data which might help us to plan realistically for the future. The Cross Roads facility offers untold possibilities for strengthening the programmatic and spiritual life of this diocese, but we will need to make some bold, intentional decisions in order for that to become a reality. Much is happening of which we can be very pleased...and much more will be asked of us as we seek to equip the saints for ministry...but for now, it is time to examine the rest of our Baptismal Covenant Mission Statement. It seems to me that many Anglicans believe that having wrestled with IF we believe, and perhaps even WHAT we believe, the church should now leave them alone! Not so, says the Covenant and Mission Statement. Rather, the Covenant proceeds as if to say, "Now that you have told us that you believe, what, pray tell, are you planning to do about it?" Questions four through eight might just help you take stock of how you are getting on with living out what you say you believe. Question Four: Will you continue in the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the Breaking of bread, and in the prayers? Commentary: Since Minneapolis and New Hampshire, it seems to me that this question might just be the most important...will you continue? Or, will you leave, go away, abandon? Why would we ever think of making an issue of sexuality to be the litmus test for staying or going? We simply need to stay...together, in order that we might have at lest a chance to listen and to be heard...threats and accusations could divide and destroy this Church we ALL claim to love. Instead, let's get on with the very hard work of staying. Will you continue in the Apostles' teaching? I need to say two things here: First, to continue in the Apostles' teaching will call upon us to engage the scriptures and our history and tradition, in order to understand as best we can what was the Apostles' teaching in the earliest days of the Church. We need to use our best scholarship for that purpose. Canon Hunt is working on plans for our Spring Clergy Day centered around issues of biblical interpretation, and the place of scripture in our Anglican mind set. Second, after re-reading the ordinal and the catechism, I am struck by the number of references to bishops and apostles: "...bishops, who carry on the apostolic work of leading, supervising, and uniting the church." "A bishop in God's holy church is called to be one with the apostles." "The ministry of a bishop is to represent Christ and his church, particularly as apostle...to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the whole church." I believe the Baptismal Covenant question, "Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship?" includes the teaching of the early apostles, but also the evolving teaching of the apostles who are called to apostolic ministry in the church today. God has spoken to God's church in and through the early apostles, and God continues to do so through the apostles of our time. Oh, yes, you might note that the comma in this question comes after fellowship, not after teaching. "Will you continue in the apostles teaching AND FELLOWSHIP? I believe the teaching from the House of Bishops is significantly influenced by the fellowship of the table conversations and the spirit in which we engage one another. We all benefit when we engage in that kind of teaching and fellowship. Continuing in the breaking of the bread and the prayers are expressions of the significant importance of the community gathering together around the table of life, being fed by the living Christ and by holding each other up in our prayers. Question Five: "Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?" Commentary: How are we living into this part of our Mission Statement? Well, there are at least two measurements we might check on. The first is about persevering...persevering in resisting evil. It's always there, this temptation to do the things we should not be doing. During the first year of my marriage, and my first year as a father with three young, newly adopted daughters, Judy, age six, came home from school each day with tears in her eyes because a boy kept bullying her and saying nasty things. I kept telling Judy, "turn the other cheek; don't play his game, or you will lose." One day, shortly thereafter, Judy came home from school with a smile on her face. I asked her what happened, and she simply replied, "Day, I ran out of cheek!" The Baptismal Covenant Mission Statement says to persevere in resisting evil, but as it continues, it does not say, "IF you fall into sin", it says, "WHENEVER you fall into sin." Hmm....seems like whoever wrote this, knew something about us! So, in checking our Mission Statement scorecard, perhaps we need to assess the times we made a particular decision or took some particular action and it proved to be wrong. Have we been able to take the path prescribed by the Covenant and experience a true sense of repentance and return to the arms of a loving, forgiving, welcoming God? One step further. How have we handled the times when we have been wronged? Have we as individuals and as communities of Faith been visibly present with open, loving, and forgiving arms? I need to tell you that I am thinking right now about Ed Heist, a long time ago friend and Baptist pastor. He told me that once a year his congregation would read a covenant out loud during worship promising to do certain things, and to refrain from certain things. Ed said that when they go to the sentence about not drinking of cursing, there was a very noticeable drop in volume, as most of the congregation skipped that part. I wonder sometimes which part of the Baptismal Covenant Mission Statement we might choose to skip if our hearts were doing the speaking – just a thought. The other side of this question, however, is from the old gospel hymn, "For a saint is just a sinner who fell down...and got up!" I am privileged to live and work and pray and play in the midst of a community of believers who from time to time have fallen down, and got up. Lives have changed, second chances offered, new every morning is the love. Question Six: "Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Commentary: Well, how does your scorecard look about now? Can it withstand Question Six, which most definitely is about the "E" word – Evangelism. Let's see now... I believe in God... I am staying, not going...I will offer and receive forgiveness...and now you want me to proclaim...word and example...Good News...Look, I thought we hired thee folks in round collars to do that stuff...and even required them to be educated. Why are you putting this on me? Well, because it is put on each of us in and through our Baptism. For some people you are the voice and presence that can connect in ways not possible for others. Most of all, it is about telling our story and how it intersects with God's story. And then please remember that the text says, "word and example." I am one of those hopeless addicts of West Wing on Wednesday nights. Last week president Bartlett was sharpening his "Episcopal" Address. (For some reason he kept referring to it as the State of the Union.) His staff took it to a shopping mall to get some reaction (I didn't do that with this address). A man being interviewed, threw his pen down, got up and left. Toby, the president's speech writer, followed him out of the mall, stopped him and asked, "What made you walk out?" The man replied angrily, "It's a waste of time!" Toby asked why, and the man replied, "Politics!" "What are you guys trying to do...target me...what is it you want? You want me to feel like I'm part of the club?" Toby: "Yeah...well, maybe" and the man's final response was: "Well, you won't do it with words...not words that are pre-tested, and reworked, sanded down, wrapped in a bow. Hey, you want to impress me...do something! Talk's cheap, pal." Will YOU proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Question Seven: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as Yourself? (AND) Question Eight: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? Commentary: Try as I might to separate them, these last two questions encourage responses that fit both questions. As a result, I will offer a combined commentary for Questions Seven and Eight. Let's face it...for some people, these are the bread and butter questions in the Baptismal Covenant. They certainly have been for me. I believe that the action taken by the Episcopal Church in Minneapolis this summer was an example of the Church acting very traditionally...receiving an issue with which we have been grappling, studying, conversing, praying for more than thirty years. When this matter of human sexuality was considered in the light of the Baptismal Covenant Mission Statement: Seeking and serving Christ in all persons; loving your neighbor; loving yourself; striving for justice among all people; respecting the dignity of every human being; the Church determined that some action needed to be taken that would uphold the Covenant. Let me be absolutely clear here. No knowledgeable Episcopalian would question where the Diocese of Newark might be regarding the election of Gene Robinson, or the issue of "Claiming the Blessing." This diocese has been on record with substantial legislation at numerous diocesan conventions. The General Convention deputation from this diocese has been public and clear about their support, as has been our Bishops, both past and present. I did speak at legislative hearings, and again on the floor of the House of Bishops in behalf of the confirmation of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson's election by the people of New Hampshire to be a bishop in the Episcopal Church and for the Diocese of New Hampshire. I also spoke at legislative hearings and on the floor of the House of Bishops in behalf of approval for the church to develop specific liturgies for the blessing of same sex unions. I have personally presided at such liturgies with joy and celebration, and there was a clear understanding on my part that God's blessing was being seriously sought, and God's blessing was given and received. I have asked our Justice Minister to gather the liturgies which I have approved and which have been used in this diocese, making them available through her office. I will not at this time choose one diocesan liturgy for approval, as I believe that at least for now, having several choices available and approved might serve our needs more effectively. However, my office will produce guidelines for the use of such liturgies before Easter. For the record, the canons presently give any priest the right to refuse to officiate at any proposed wedding. Extending that thinking, please know that I shall never ask, nor could I possible require any priest to officiate at the blessing of a same sex union. However, rites have been and will be available in this diocese to meet the pastoral needs of the Church. In the summer of 2003, in Minneapolis, the Church acted legally and appropriately in response to the call of the Baptismal Covenant, which is precisely what throws us back to Question Four in the Covenant...Will you continue? That seems to be the matter at hand. It is my hope that you will choose to continue; that whatever differences we have, our common commitment to the reign of God and the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be sufficient to keep us in community one with another. I am unashamedly a proponent of the "Big Tent" theory of the Church. It is God who loves diversity...look around this room...how could you even question that? Isn't the Tower of Babel story in part about God's choice to reveal to us a piece of God's truth, but not all of it...perhaps just enough to be aware of the diversity of God's creation. Can we not also welcome the diversity of thought and opinion, without becoming combative? Let me also be clear about this. There are people of good will and devout faith whose commitment to Jesus Christ is without question; people who have loved this church, perhaps for very long periods of time; people who are experiencing pain and separation and loss. The Baptismal Covenant Mission Statement's call to respect the dignity of every human being, includes respecting the dignity of those persons who do not agree with us..on both sides of the issues that are currently before us. Let us think very carefully and respectfully, about the things we say and the actions we take at this Convention, asking of ourselves...who will be served by our actions, and will we be respecting each other's dignity? Here in the Diocese of Newark, we have been very busy living into the Seventh and Eighth questions of the Covenant Mission Statement. Having a Justice Missioner in the person of Lyn Headley-Moore, has given us the opportunity to develop stronger connections between issues of inclusion facing people of different colors or different sexuality or people with varying physical and mental abilities. There has also been measurable growth in multi-ethnic ministries during this past year. St. Peter's Korean congregation, experienced growing pains about the same time St. Mark's Church in Teaneck, was experiencing similar happy problems. In December, St. Peter's congregation made a successful move from Teaneck to their own facility in North Bergen, which formerly served as home for Church of the Transfiguration. Meanwhile, ministry to Latino/Latina congregations is showing signs of growth in Hackensack, Dover, and Paterson. An Hispanic Ministry Task Force, requested by the 129th Convention, is formed and working well. This past year a multi-cultural service was held in District Nine, and several Bi-lingual confirmations have taken place in the diocese. Increasingly, clergy are being called to congregations because of their particular gifts for ministry, not because of color or gender or sexuality. There is a richness of diversity among the clergy of this diocese. Given the geographical make-up of this diocese, we experience a rich diversity in congregations, their color, race, gender, sexuality, and especially the contrast of urban-suburban ministries. In our urban centers, we have some successes and some challenges. The Newark Regional Ministry is showing signs of coming together in new, meaningful ways, and good initiatives in urban ministry are happening in Hoboken, Paterson, Jersey City and Hackensack. I sit on the Board of the Episcopal Urban Caucus, and look forward to this national church caucus coming to visit Newark in 2005. We are also blessed by numerous healthy Community Development Corporations. These are some of the efforts being made to take seriously the last two Baptismal Covenant Mission Statement questions. On a personal note about justice and respecting dignity of every human being, I was so proud of Governor McGreevey on the day he signed legislation enabling the state of New Jersey to be the second state in the Union to allow for stem cell research, which I believe is ultimately a questions about the dignity of human beings, and a matter of justice. Then, while I was still imagining the potential for lives to be saved or lengthened, the same Governor vetoed the death penalty study bill, and we seem to be on the brink of having our first execution the state of New jersey in over forty years. There simply is no dignity in the execution of human beings and we need to speak up and not be silent. I am grateful for the labor of love carried out by Ms. Martha Gardner, our Jubilee Officer and president of the New Jersey Council of Churches, and others who keep us informed about happenings in Trenton and Washington. We need to be more invested in making our voices heard in matters that effect the moral and ethical quality of our lives. I do want to slip in two other pieces of work in the diocese. One is the progress being made in our system of communication. Ms. Susan Robinson has very ably worked with other staff members to bring improvement to The VOICE, more information on the diocesan list serve, and progress being made with our web-site through the work of a very dedicated committee on Electronic Technology, whose work we are seeing throughout this Convention. The second is a big tip of the mitre to the members of the Diocesan Council, who, in choosing to become much more active, have claimed their rightful place under the canons, and have reorganized themselves into real working committees and are prepared to engage more fully in the life of our diocese. I would note the significant work accomplished by a council committee which is helping us focus on the many committees and commissions in the diocese, with a special thank you to the Rev. Dean Weber and Mr. John Garde, who offered vital legal advice. I salute the Council in this work, and look forward to working with you in this new partnership. The third is our continued commitment to a sound program of Stewardship. John Zinn, our Chief Financial Officer, has guided us in this area of our diocesan life for the past twenty years. This year, John and I met with district gatherings of clergy to review and strengthen our common understanding of our Stewardship principles. We also met with several parish vestries to discuss deficit budget financing, seeking to offer support and advice for future financial planning. Surrounding and supporting all that has been described are so many people, but I must name two of them: Michael Francaviglia has served this diocese faithfully for fourteen years. He brings to the table an array of gifts, including wisdom and experience, thinking outside the box skills, management skills, compassion and sensitivity, and a wonderful work ethic. This diocese is blessed by his ministry among us. Gail Deckenbach has served the Diocese of Newark in a variety of responsibilities over the past twenty-three years. What I know best is her faithfulness and loyalty, her commitment to excellence and the work we have to do...and her constant attempts to try to make me look good when I don't quite have it all together. She most assuredly is a gift to this diocese beyond the telling. To all those who labor in the 31 Mulberry Street vineyard, my thanks to you for your good work, and for your friendship. Well, that is my take on how the Baptismal Covenant becomes a Mission Statement. There is one thing left for me to do. I am well into my sixth year as your Bishop. I have listened much. In response to what I have heard, I have gathered a team of extremely capable people, together with a wide variety of resources, including some capital. In the last year we have made eleven Congregational Growth and Development Fund Grants totaling over $300,000. I have worked with others to recruit some very fine clergy, as well as to shepherd some equally fine persons through the process of ordination. I have encouraged the development and appreciation of lay ministries. I have spent considerable time meeting and talking with clergy and lay leaders. The joy and the excitement in ministry for me now, is to see congregations come alive....catch a vision and claim it. There are a significant number of congregations that come under that category, and that is absolutely wonderful. The staff person who came to us nineteen months ago after a search of two years to provide competent leadership, wisdom, and vitality in Congregational Development is Canon Carter Echols, who claims her ministry as that of the baptized, a member of the laity. When Canon Echols arrived, she jumped into the work before us with enthusiasm, and we never stopped to officially install her as Canon for Congregational Development in the Diocese of Newark At tomorrow's liturgy, we shall make real what is obviously already true, and officially "seat" Canon Echols in her appropriate position. As congregations are experiencing new lie and growth, the next challenge centers around "New life and growth and renewal, for what purpose?" Claiming the vision of being one of perhaps 130 Mission Stations in the Diocese of Newark provides a framework to begin to describe purpose as mission...mission and ministry in order to be of service to a hungry frightened world. The sadness for me is to see and know that there are congregations in this diocese that just don't seem to get it – that are stuck — that seem content to be at best, chapels of ease and comfort for very small numbers of people who seem interested in gathering for fellowship, but nothing else. It is simply not okay to be poor stewards of property; it is not okay to squander funds contributed for the work of the church's ministry; it is not okay to use all of our resources only for ourselves. To those among us who have not grasped a vision of what God is up to and calling you to undertake, I challenge you to pick up the phone...call us...come on line and discover the richness of resources available for ministry...this is a time for evangelism...this is a time for this church to grow...this is a time for us to be visible in the world...this is a time for us to grow ever more deeply into the life of a baptismal community of faith. Scripture tells us: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." My own translation is, "Where there is no vision, it's hard to have a parish." God has called us to be more...to be a parish of people caught up in God's spirit, searching for and finding the unique vision that identifies who we are, and who it is God wants us to be. I challenge each congregation in this diocese to catch the vision God has set before you...in order that we might be set on fire as we undertake the Mission to celebrate and engage in the keeping of the Covenant. Perhaps it is Isaiah who can sound the clarion call for us tonight: Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundation of the earth? Our God is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. God does not faint or grow weary God's understanding is unsearchable God gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless Even youths will faint and be weary, and young will fall exhausted But those who wait upon our God shall renew their strength They shall mount up with wings like eagles They shall run and not be weary They shall walk and not faint. My sisters and brothers, the Covenant calls us....let us mount up with wings like eagles...for our God has given us much to do...may we rejoice in the doing. ...as the man from West Wing said: "Hey, you want to impress me? Do something! Talk is cheap, Pal! |
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