A Lack of Excitement

The parson found himself in a trendy coffee shoppe. It wasn't a place he usually hung out. The parson felt convinced he knew the value of a cup of coffee and paying this much for one was a slap in the face of that knowledge. But, the parson had also convinced himself that in his eternal striving to be relevant, in tune with the younger generations, modern, and frankly hip (Oh gracious, is the use of the word 'hip' probably is an indicator he's not 'hip'?).

So he'd settled himself down in a comfortable chair along with the other half dozen pastors from his area. They were reflective of a broad spectrum of theology, age, and approach.

“So,” Ron Parham began, “what do you guys think of this Vital Congregations push by the bishops?

“I don't really know,” responded Elliot Trent. “It looks good on the surface, but don't you think it's just another way to generate the input of numbers?”

“That's the whole problem,” Sally Williams replied. “We are so obsessed on numbers. The parson calls it 'how much and how many'. That's all they want reported.

'You call it that, Parson?” asked Ron.

'I'm guilty,” the parson confessed.

“You know, I then to think none of us should get too excited about any new programs that come down. I hate to sound like a pessimist but the church is just stuck where it is. Don't you agree, Parson.”

“I think you might be right,” the parson said. “We do, too often, seem to be stuck.”

Jeff Bates, the youngest of the folks in the conversation, asked, “Why is that, Parson. Why is it so hard to get excited about this?”

The parson thought a moment then replied, “You know, Jeff, maybe it's because it's just difficult to get excited about an institution. And that's what we are now, an institution. But there was a time, long ago, when we were not an institution but a movement.”