HOW BIG IS IOWA?

One of the games we love to play with our 15 month-old granddaughter Chloe is "How  big is Chloe?" It's interesting to see how she seems to understand what we are asking her and she imitates the gesture we make to show her how big she is.

Before coming to Iowa I never thought to ask the question, "How big is Iowa?" I had only been in Iowa once back in 1972 when I passed through the state on my way back to seminary after internship in Southern California, and that was just "cutting through" on my journey.

But after spending three days here and traveling from Des Moines to Council Bluffs (near Nebraska) and then from Des Moines to Iowa City (out east), I have a much better sense of how big this state really is.

But the size of the state is something that cannot be measured simply in miles or hours traveled. One of the ways to "measure" this state is to ask about the people who are living here and serving Christ through the church here.

My visits gave me a chance to meet several people who have responded to the call of God to serve in their churches as members of their Ministry Development Teams. Each person has their own gifts and personalities, but one thing they share in common is the sincere desire to offer themselves in service to God through their churches. For some that means serving as a team "member," but for others it means accepting the call to be ordained and serve as priests.

To meet the "requirements" for ordination they need to be nominated for the office and then take part in a training program that includes all the members of their future MDT. In most cases it also means that they must be willing to serve without being paid for their ministry (although that is not a "requirement"). Then, after being ordained, they take on a role, not as the clerical "boss" over the congregation, but as another member of the team.

All of these elements undoubtedly create serious anxiety in the hearts and minds of Lutheran clergy and even many lay people. All of the institutional "safeguards" built into the Lutheran system of creating pastors are virtually set aside, and what results is an order of ministry that is locally rooted y and locally grounded. The servants of the Word are raised up from local communities of believers, trained alongside members of that same community, and then authorized to preach and preside in the midst of the very same people.

Is it possible for God to work through such a system? That's a good question. To say "yes" is to assume that God has provided and will continue to provide the gifts the community needs in order to not only survive but to go forward effectively with the mission of making disciples of all nations.

And what are we saying about God, God's Church, and God's mission if we say "No" to that question? Are we wiser than God? Do we think we are better than God at the task of discerning what is in the hearts of people? And most importantly, as we look to the future of the Church, seeing the aging and the decline in the numbers of church members and the decreasing financial support church members can provide, can we honestly say that the way we did ministry in the past will turn things around?

And one more question: can we really insist that the proper calling of those who are baptized and gifted members of the Body of Christ is limited to sitting in their pews and putting their envelopes in the offering plate while their "paid pastors" take on an increasing share of responsibility for the ministry of the whole body?

How big is Iowa? How big are our hearts?