November 19, 2006 Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

There were ten delegates to the Moravian synod of 1741,six men and four women—chosen by the lot to represent the whole church. Their most important task at that synod was to replace Leonard Dober as Chief Elder for the Moravian church. Brother Dober, a potter by trade, asked to be relieved of his duties because his health was failing, and the responsibilities were too demanding. The delegates had weeks of discussions, prayer, and putting to the lot the name several individuals for Chief Elder—but each time the lot's answer was no. Not this man. Not that man. Finally the delegates put this question to the lot: Do you Our savior and Lord, wish to assume the responsibility of Chief Elder?

This decision has had far-reaching and long-lasting effects on our church because it established a form of government where denominational authority is invested in committees, boards and conferences of elected people rather than in individual persons. In a sense you could conclude our Moravian form of government predates our American democracy. While other denominations clung to their pope or Bishop of Canterbury, or some other top guy, the Moravian church gives very limited authority to individuals or even particular committees or boards. That's one reason some folks get so frustrated with the action or inaction of the PEC, our Provincial Elders' Conference. These folks do not understand what the PEC can and cannot do under our form of government with Jesus Christ as the Chief Elder. Our elders and trustees are meeting this afternoon for some board training about how we are organized as a world wide unity, as a province, and as a congregation. Who is responsible for what, how do all the peaces fit together?

But what I'm focusing on this morning is: how does the reality that Jesus Christ is Our Chief Elder affect the decision-making process for calling a new pastor? How do we discern the will of Jesus Christ in the call process? How do we distinguish the voice of Jesus Christ from the voice of “reason” or “common sense” or “meeting my needs” or “avoiding conflict”—not the will of the Chief Elder is necessarily in conflict with these voices—only they are different voices we are tempted to pay more attention to and heed.

Now the word discern comes from the Latin word discerne meaning “to sift, to sort out, separate.” Spiritual discernment is the sorting out, the separating of Jesus Christ's voice from all the other voices speaking to us about a particular decision.

Bishop Art Freeman, the retired New Testament professor at our Moravian seminary lists 5 guiding principles gleaned from the narratives and the letters of the New Testament that tell us how as a church we are to discern the will of God.

Recognize it's the Holy Spirit who makes discernment possible. All we can control is our degree of openness to the process, our openness to discerning the will of the Chief Elder. If we do not give the Holy Spirit room and time to work, then discernment is a non starter. Or said another way, if we don't have an agenda, then God's agenda has a chance of being heard by us.
So prayer, silence and waiting surround and permeate the discernment process. Here prayer is a dialogue with God—not merely a request for solutions and answers. Not merely a verbal prayer to open and close the meetings of the call process.
We must place ourselves within our Christian tradition, “recognizing Jesus as Lord and listening, reading what he taught.”
An environment of spiritual discernment is evident by love and other fruits of the Holy Spirit; patience, kindness, gentleness, bearing with one another.
Discernment is not an individual exercise, but is done in community. There is only one voice, but many ears are needed to hear it. Discernment in community is critical because every person has biases, limited understanding, and ability to perceive and grasp the situation. Remember on world wide communion Sunday when I stood down there and asked you to imagine I represented the fullness of God as revealed in Jesus Christ? Each of you had a slightly different and partial view of me. No one could see all of me. The same is true in discerning who Christ is caling to be First Moravian's next pastor.

So how does the Moravian church go about discerning the will of our Chief Elder in a pastor call process?

As with our Triune God, there are three entities who are necessary and integral to the call process: the congregation's joint board, the provincial elders' conference and the called pastor along with his or her family. Like the Godhead, all three Moravian entities in the call process must work together harmoniously and mutually. None is more important than another. Each part of our “Moravian trinity” has a specific and a different focus in discerning Jesus' will as to who the congregation's next pastor is, and only when all three discernments match, in agreement, will a congregation then have a new pastor.

Although each group is focusing on discerning the same answer to the same question: who should become the next settled pastor at First Moravian Greensboro? Each community of discerners has a different role and a different focus in their discernment.

The congregation's joint board's role and focus is to first learn and then come to agreement on the congregation's pastoral needs, and submit that information to the PEC. Your joint board is in the process of looking at all the response from our three congregational gatherings, and other data so they can give an accurate snapshot of the congregation and be clear on the characteristics and leadership qualities needed in the next called pastor.

The PEC's focus is not limited to what pastors may be the best match with First Moravian, but their focus also includes the welfare of congregations where ministers currently serve, the life-long professional development of individual pastors, and the needs of other Moravian congregations in the call process. All of these competing needs and realities enter the PEC's discernment process when offering candidate names to the joint board.

Once the PEC presents candidate profiles to the joint board, the joint board must try to discern which, if any of these candidates our Chief elder wants to come to First Moravian.

Finally when the joint board issues a call to a pastor, he or she must also discern: Is it God's will for me and my family at this particular time, to leave Congregation X and go to First Moravian Greensboro? What impact will leaving location X and going to First Moravian have on my children? My spouse? Please note, this is a different question than pastors serving in say Baptist, or Methodist or Presbyterian, or really any other denomination have. Pastors serving in those denominations are either told where to go-- and go, or they let it be known they are interested in applying to be the pastor of XYZ Baptist or Presbyterian congregation. In other words, they are looking to make a pastoral change! In the Moravian call process, the called pastor is very frequently not looking to make a move. Hence, it's normal for both the PEC and the Joint Board to call pastors who discern: No, I think God wants me to stay where I am right now. There is still work for me to do here. Or such a move is not in the best interests of my spouse and children. Turn downs are the norm.

As a congregation, your role in the call process is to pray. To pray today and everyday that each group, the joint board, the PEC and the pastor candidates are open to discerning the will of the Savior. And that with their many ears, they may hear his one voice. As we prepare our hearts to be present with our Chief elder in Holy Communion, let us pledge ourselves to be open to his leadership in the pastor call process, and to welcome whoever comes, as the chosen shepherd.