Scott’s Column: Opportunities & Challenges Mar 13, 2025 | News What opportunities and challenges do I see for First Central in the years ahead? A few of you have asked me that question over the last month, so I thought I’d put my thoughts in writing. The most obvious one is to build on what’s going so well currently with our ministries for children and young families, especially as the oldest cohort of elementary school kids moves into their youth group years. Second is to more fully embody our 2017 long range plan. We’ve almost completed the work of getting the physical, digital, and financial infrastructure in place to carry out more fully the missions and ministries we envisioned then. In particular, we talked about orienting ourselves more as a community center. The Covid-19 pandemic, of course, disrupted our plans. We spent much of the last five years more focused inward, addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of the congregation, cultivating a closer, caring community, where people could belong and find resources to help make sense of their lives. That work has paid off. But now a turn to a more intentionally outward focus is needed, prioritizing outreach, service, advocacy, and missions, and utilizing the church’s assets on behalf of the community. As my former boss Mike Piazza advises, “In a healthy church the mission is externally focused.” Given the challenging political landscape, the contest over Christianity in the public square between traditional believers and the new Christian Nationalism, and the attacks on vulnerable communities, the church must become better organized, networked, and involved in activism and advocacy. And not just let the Senior Minister do that work for the church. There was a period in the Teens when our building was occupied every night of the week by some community group. That building use has never recovered from the pandemic and the loss of free parking. But you do need to think creatively about how to open up the building for more public use. This means overcoming “ownership.” A well used building is going to get scuffed, things are going to break, there will be inconveniences. But all of that means we are being good stewards and effectively and faithfully making use of what we have. The building is not truly ours but is God’s to use in mission to the community. Because of the rising costs of building maintenance and construction, I believe First Central has reached the point where you must find community partners to share the space with. We’ve made some efforts towards this end, but nothing has ever come to fruition. The congregation should prioritize as leaders the entrepreneurial and innovative thinkers with strong ties in the community who can help to make this happen. First Central could also benefit from some of the faith-based entrepreneurial work that’s being done by various organizations. Consider Invested Faith, for example, which works with churches to “fund the work of faith-rooted social entrepreneurs building businesses that are changing unjust systems.” And there are folks within the denomination who will consult with congregations on building effective community partnerships. These are new horizons in ministry that I’ve not been trained in, but that younger cohorts of ministers have often received some training in. Maybe you’ll prioritize finding a pastor with such skills? In our long range plan we identified environmental practices as one of the main priorities. We have made some efforts to be more sustainable (our new boiler, for instance, is FAR more efficient than the previous one). But we have yet to fully live into this value. With the changing climate and the increased frequency of natural disasters in our region, you need to not just work on sustainability but also the tools of resilience to see the church through these changes. Plus the pastoral work of helping congregants to develop the skills and tools they need in their lives. I’ve set the stage for this by my oft-repeated teaching and preaching on the importance of the church being a place to hold our spiritual and humane values through whatever the polycrisis brings. It is also probably time for a new long range plan once you have a new settled minister. You’ll need to think strategically about: The changing demographics of the neighborhood How transportation will affect the church–issues of parking, the streetcar, other modes by which people attend Our ever-changing digital environment, including artificial intelligence The impacts of climate change that I mentioned above And the overall cultural trends that are affecting American churches, including confronting the new Christian Nationalism As I’ve written before: We will need to remain open and nimble, ready and willing (and eager even) to change, adapt, and try new things. We will need the courage and the wisdom to discern what is best, and then be ready to change those ideas and plans more quickly than we have in the past. Which also means sacrificing some sacred cows. As Jim Newby and Mark Minear write in their excellent book I’ve now cited many times, Finding Yourself in Chaos, “The deadening crust of tradition and emphasis upon correct process and procedure need to give way to the fresh winds of God’s transforming spirit.” If First Central has an abiding stumbling-block to effective 21st century ministry it is the idolization of “process.” Processes can be important tools to achieving a goal, but aren’t the only tool, and can get in the way of faithful and effective action, which requires wisdom and discernment to know how to balance. You need leaders with those traits. Back in 2020 we were preparing for a Council and leader’s retreat that was going to use Mike Piazza’s book Fishing in a Shallow Sea: Church Strategies in the 21st Century. We set that aside when the lockdowns started. Recently I returned to that book as I was preparing to facilitate a council retreat for Countryside Community Church. I realized that there is still much of value in the book that First Central should now take time to consider and think through. Particularly his advice on congregational leadership and decision-making. You might even consider having Mike back here to lead a workshop like he did a decade ago. I wrote a couple of months ago about leadership development in congregations, and how we must now do it differently and with greater intentionality. Effective and faithful leadership of churches is not something just anyone is capable of. To be a good lay leader in this era takes more training and skill-building than we’ve traditionally done. So that too becomes one of the challenges and opportunities ahead. Fortunately the national setting of the church has placed an emphasis on providing webinars and training on a variety of topics and skills. So, these are the opportunities and challenges I see facing First Central (and most churches) in the decade ahead. I’ll be praying that you identify the pastor who will best lead you, and that you as a congregation are willing to adapt and change and grow as needed to carry out the ministries God will call you to.
