Doing Parish Development during the Virus: Power from the center pervades the whole
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 6:07PM 
Power from the center pervades the whole[i]
In “Light the Dark Streets”, Kilmer Myers wrote, “One of the main tasks of the parish priest is to train the militant core of his parishioners in such a way that they understand as fully as possible the true nature of a Christian parish.” He understood the importance of that core group. There need to be people of Apostolic faith at the center of each parish.
During a time of anxiety and disorientation, such as we face now, it’s essential that parish leaders apply Myers’ insight. Those most given to prayer, humility and sacrifice need to be helped to play their special role in parish life. And that is exceedingly difficult to do when the normal practices and rhythms of the parish are so disrupted.
There are two models most commonly used to describe the relationship between this “core” and the whole body of the parish church. The oldest is Martin Thornton’s Remnant Theory. The second is my Shape of the Parish model.
[The] models are “critical mass models” in that they assume a healthy organization needs enough weight in the center to be effective. Jesus seems to operate out of the same kind of understanding of how human communities work. While the Gospels describe the 5,000 that were fed, and while the 70 were sent out into the world, the disciples were a group of 12. And at the center of the 12, there was Peter and John. As Thornton says, “He restricts nine-tenths of his ministry to twelve Hebrews because it is the only way to redeem all…”[ii]
For Thornton the real work of the parish priest is to know enough ascetical theology to be an effective coach to the “faithful Remnant” as they develop their prayer lives. It is to participate in “a working partnership between two souls.” In teaching parishioners to pray, Thornton’s approach is that of a coach showing a batter where to put her hands on the bat, and how to position her feet at the plate, in hopes of actually hitting the ball and doing so regularly and well. It’s not about exhorting parishioners to pray, or telling them the history of prayer. It’s also not focused on those who have little or no interest in prayer—as we mention above, Thornton’s claim was that the priest should attend almost entirely to the Remnant, supporting and developing their prayer lives, and that this Remnant would serve as the parish’s heartbeat. A steady, regular heartbeat, both energizing and grounding the parish. “This palpitating heart pumps the blood of life to all the body as leaven leavens the lump or salt savours the whole.”[iii]
Gallagher describes the Apostolic as, “People with a relatively disciplined, mature, full spiritual life; flexibility with self and others; an experimental and exploratory stance; competent and committed Christians.” Gallagher presumes living by the Rule of the Church in the phrases “disciplined, mature, full spiritual life,” and “competent and committed Christians.”
The Shape of the Parish model suggests a pastoral strategy: attend to all rings, nurture the overall shape, but tilt the parish’s climate, tone, and resources toward the center. In all of this, the assumption is that we accept everyone where they are and invite them to go deeper. Ideally, the parish organizes itself in such a way that leaders establish processes, structures, and climate that facilitate the development of a healthy Shape.
Here are PDFs of the models.
Remnant Theory - an image Remnant Hypothesis Shape of the Parish
The prayer of the Apostolic—those at the center—streams outward, flowing through the parish, touching members in seen and unseen ways.
In a healthy parish, members are caught up in the stream—some swim regularly in the currents, some stand near the banks, others find stepping stones that permit them to approach the depths from a safe distance. But the stream is where members are drawn and where attention is focused in the search for refreshment.
Health also requires attention to the Apostolic so they may fulfill their vocation within the Body. The parish must provide ways to develop the competence of the Apostolic for living in the ancient pattern as adapted for modern life. The parish must focus on improving their ability to become and stay spiritually healthy, which means creating specific and integrated means of building competence in spiritual practice.
What the parish offers to equip the Apostolic will also feed some others who may be ready to go deeper. The “power from the center” therefore flows through and from the core into the rest of the Body.
The Apostolic in a time of plague
The initial response of most parish clergy in helping the parish cope with the virus will be what they always do. Their attention will focus on the Sacramental or Incarnational rings of the parish. And that group certainly needs the pastoral devotion of their priest. However,that is also to say, we will neglect the Apostolic core of the parish.
Why do we do that and how might we change our behavior?
In my experience there are several interdependent forces in play that cause clergy to either forget or disregard the Apostolic:
1. We don’t have a reality based pastoral theology about the actual dynamics of the parish church. For many clergy that means that, on the one hand, we don’t understand the multiplier effect of the Apostolic if we partner with them, and on the other, we fantasize about the perfect parish in which everyone is Apostolic.
2. We think something along the lines of “the mature Christians can take care of themselves; they don’t need my attention.”
3. We are inclined to focus our care on the majority of parishioners. That seems responsible in a democratic sense. It's also politically smart.
4. We are caught up in our own clericalism.
5. This insight came from Michelle Heyne, OA, Presiding Sister of the Order of the Ascension, “Priests are encouraged in so many ways to see themselves as program directors, albeit a specially religious one. The disparity between the priest and the outer rings is pretty obvious and that feels safer. It’s familiar territory and it receives conventional approval. When dealing with the Apostolic, the playing field is more level than when pastoring the tentative or immature. The Apostolic require a deeper well, a deeper pull on the priest’s resources. The Apostolic are more likely to serve as a mirror reflecting the priest’s own doubts, failings, hopes and yearnings. That’s scarier territory.”
Two actions
1. Ask the Apostolic to be who they are and do what they do
This is the most important “to-do” of this article. Parish clergy need to ask the Apostolic to “stay-in-role.” They are given to prayer—tell them how important it is that they continue in prayer and thank them for that good work. Remind them that they pray on behalf of the whole parish. When they say the Office at the kitchen table they are saying it on behalf of all those unable or unwilling. To use Thornton’s thinking – they are the team on the field.
One-by-one call them on the phone. You are their pastor, so certainly ask how they are doing—health, inner life, and such. Then tell them how important it is that they continue in prayer for the sake of the parish. How what they do is of great service to the whole parish.
Many clergy are already inclined to overfunction. During this time, we may also be uncertain and confused about how to be a priest when there is no gathered community. Our anxiety may drive us to unfruitful behaviors as pastors and leaders. We may find ourselves copying what others are doing without the prayer and thought needed to consider what fits this particular parish. The Apostolic share the spiritual center with you. It’s not the vestry, or the busiest, but the Remnant that are your partners in this specific work. You will lighten your load and empower others for ministry, by staying connected to the spiritual core of the parish.
The parish priest needs to ask the apostolic to play their role in this time of fear and separation. To pray on behalf of the whole parish. To pray on behalf of those who don’t know how to pray, those whose hearts are hardened, and those who can’t pray.
Invite the Apostolic to dig deep and find God's work there. To trust the Paraclete who stands with us and supports us. I was listening to a doctor at an LA hospital being interviewed on NewsHour. He said something like this, "As you know the people that do this work are compassionate. Not just the doctors and nurses but the people that clean the rooms, the clerks, and the food deliverers. They are compassionate. Now they are showing courage."
That choked me up. Circumstances call out of us virtues otherwise hidden. The Promise taken by those associated with the Order of the Ascension notes the place of "circumstances" in the spiritual life. We assume that our stability, obedience and conversion allow those circumstances to show the Presence in our life; in this case the courage of God.
Invite the Remnant into their love and compassion, their courage and persistence, their stability and obedience. In the sacred mystery of the Body of Christ theirs is to serve all humanity and creation.
2. Support them
It’s a disorienting time. The routines the Apostolic have woven into their daily life are interdependent with the communal, face-to-face, life of the parish. Some of those at the prayerful center will find themselves a bit uncertain. And that uncertainty will be magnified if the parish has been negligent, or incompetent, in the formation of the Apostolic.
So, a few ideas on how parish clergy can support the Apostolic.
1) Reflecting on our spiritual practice
Reflect with individuals and groups of the Apostolic on their inner life and spiritual practice in this time of the coronavirus.
Conor Alexander, a priest of the Order of the Ascension, has engaged others in that community around the idea of interviewing people about their spiritual life. Over the past 25 years or so, people who have participated in a Church Development Institute have interviewed several parishioners on the pressures they face in life and how they renew themselves emotionally, physically and spiritually. The process is also part of the OA novitiate. Fr. Conor’s plan is to use the interview process with people who are in a variety of places in the spiritual journey. That will include special attention to the Apostolic. Others may decide to focus on the Apostolic or those Progressing toward an Apostolic faith and practice.
PDF -- modified version of Interview questions
Explore with each person what do they find most fruitful – in “normal” times and now. Encourage them to consider increasing that. For example, if they have had a practice of doing Evening Prayer with a friend once a week ask them if increasing the frequency of that might be useful. Note: the interviewing process is designed to provide an opportunity for people to talk about their spiritual life without either judgement or “help.”
However it is that you engage the Apostolic about their spiritual life during the virus, consider differences in personality. Those familiar with the MBTI might use that as a framework as they raise questions and offer counsel. For example, it’s likely that introverts will be more drawn to doing Morning Prayer if a written format is provided, maybe including a brief reflection for that day and suggested intercessions for a few parishioners, and they can do it on their own and a time that fits them, yet know that they are sharing the practice with others in the parish. And it may be likely that extroverts will be more easily nurtured by either a live streaming format or a Zoom gathering for Morning Prayer. Of course, at times the whole thing reverses and what a person needs most is the opposite of what would seem to be a fit for their personality. I found doing Morning Prayer, on Zoom, with Michelle Heyne last Sunday just right. That doesn’t mean I’d want to use Zoom every day with a group of ten. Pay attention to personality differences.
Some will struggle with any focus on the Apostolic because they fear a critical reaction from others. Two thoughts. First, you need to draw on the courage to do what is spiritually most effective rather than most politically acceptable. Second, consider the criteria you are using for focusing on the Apostolic. For example, what is it that defines the Apostolic? One thing would be that they live by Rule. So, they have a rule of life. You could say, “I’m inviting several people to meet with me on Zoom, or have a conversation by email or phone, who have a defined rule of life.” You might define it further. Assuming as a pastor that you know who has a rule of life, and among that group which ones base that on the Rule of the Church, especially the threefold-rule-of-prayer, you invite them to be in conversation with you (and the others). You might offer another set of conversations for people who may want to explore creating a rule of life given their sense that they need to have more stability and prayerfulness at this time. [More on threefold rule of prayer]. You find a way to allow the Apostolic to be connected and to receive direction.
There are themes that may be especially helpful to open up—Benedict’s guidance regarding keeping death before your eyes and the practice of stability, also Charles Williams’ thinking about substitution. Exposing the whole parish to such thinking might open new pathways for some members. But it is especially the Apostolic that can benefit from reflection, conversation, and guidance around the themes.
2) Resource the Apostolic for a connection with one of the church’s religious orders.
Most of the church’s religious orders have associates. Those of Apostolic and Progressing faith may especially find it helpful to be related to an order. It’s a way to ground and broaden their spiritual life and at the same time be supportive of those communities.
Religious Communities (an overview) Becoming an associate of a religious order
3) Provide a way to engage the Apostolic around their fears and struggles
The Apostolic are not immune from distress. They will experience the same anxieties about their health and the well-being of those they love. During the phone calls and on-line gatherings, pastors can listen for that sense of unease. Follow up emails and calls to invite the person to share their burden may prove useful.
4) Connect the Apostolic with resources for reflection
Parish clergy and diocesan bishops can play an especially useful role by identifying, narrowing down and offering practical ascetical and pastoral resources.
At the moment we are overwhelmed with information on the coronavirus. In the early stages of this crisis some clergy have taken on the role of providing information on medical and legal issues. We also have had to address matters of practice within our own communal life. What has been lost in some cases is the ascetical guidance needed to stay grounded in faith.
Clergy don’t need to be the communicators regarding the virus. Let government and health authorities do that. Certainly, provide links to the best of what is being offered. But, what we can make available that no one else will make available, is spiritual guidance. Pragmatic Apostolic truth is needed, not sentimentality or cynicism.
I’ve looked at a few diocesan webpages on the virus. I liked what Maine did. There was a page on a variety of resources, including a page on worship opportunities. The occasional messages from the Bishop didn’t take on the task of repeating or highlighting items. Make the information available while avoiding increasing communal anxiety by overdoing it.
You can narrow down the sources for people. Think five or six items rather than 20. For example, I like Governor Cuomo’s daily briefing. Here’s today’s. He’s received a lot of affirmation for the clarity and tone of the briefing.
I’ve been impressed by the efforts of Bishop Peter Eaton. He has offered a daily reflection. It’s been solid theological and ascetical work.
On the Feast of the Annunciation Bishop Peter wrote about his experience arranging for his yearly physical. It included this --
So I rang the practice, and the administrator asked me if I was sick, because if I was sick, she said emphatically at least twice, they did not want to see me. I assured her that I was well, and that I would be in on Monday morning. “Well,” she added, before we hung up, “if you get sick over the weekend, we don’t want to see you.”
“I understand,” I replied, bemused.
“We don’t want to see you if you are sick.” Those are hard words to hear from one’s physician. Isn’t that exactly when a doctor should want to see a patient? It is a bit like a priest saying to a penitent, “If you have committed a sin, I don’t want to see you.” OK, but…
This was another indication to me of how upended the world is in this crisis. There is so little of the familiar and the regular for us to count on, even from those on whom we have counted before now. And that is the principle danger of this situation, isn’t it? This is all so unprecedented that nothing is sure, and this is what is driving the fear, the anxiety, the hording, the market, and, I daresay, the bad behaviour of those who are refusing to abide by directives from government, the health authorities, religious leadership, and so on. It can feel like all bets are off.
But in fact not all bets are off. At Evening Prayer this evening we begin to observe the feast of the Annunciation, the feast that commemorates the breaking into the chaos of our world of the peace and rightness of heaven. Here is the hint of Christmas: the truth is that the Word comes among us on this feast, well before Christmas, hidden for now within the Mother of God, but truly present nonetheless. Just as unseen as the virus, but a friend, not an enemy; and bringing salvation, not destruction; comfort, not anxiety; joy, not despair; life, not death.
Prayer and spiritual reflection and guidance first – then all the rest. The health and government authorities will not do our job for us. We need to stay in role. And that role can be both focused on spiritual life and broadly informative about the facts around the crisis.
For the Feast of the Annunciation
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
rag+
NOTE: Most of the material in italics comes from the draft of an upcoming book, A Pastoral Theology of the Parish Church, by Michelle Heyne, OA and Robert Gallagher, OA. I’m using it to explore one of the primary dynamics of the parish church—to use Martin Thornton’s words, “power from the center pervades the whole.” It’s a description of how things work. The dynamic isn’t just about a spiritual reality limited to religious systems but is a truth shared with all human systems. When those at the center of a group’s life are healthy it is likely that the whole organization will share in that health.
Postings on the inner life and the virus
You know, and they know, that they are offering their lives
God's not indifferent to our pain
Becoming an Associate of a Religious Order
Spiritual vitality and authenticity
Faith to perceive: In your great compassion
Turn everything that happens to account
Postings on Parish Development during the Virus
Power from the center pervades the whole
To everything there is a season
Faith to perceive: Remaining inseparable
[i] In Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation Martin Thornton presented his understanding of the parish church as the Body of Christ, “the complete Body in microcosm,” and his Remnant Concept, “in which power from the center pervades the whole.” The holiness and love of a Remnant at the center of parish life is for Thornton what makes a parish a true parish.
[ii] Thornton, Martin. Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation, p 49
[iii] Thornton, Martin. Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation, p 28