A Vision Revealed

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IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FIFTH YEAR AT ST. JOHN'S, the Vestry asked me to develop and articulate my vision for the parish, an undertaking that has finally come to fruition over much time, reflection, and prayer. I am excited to finally share my vision with you in the VOICE.

First, though, it might be helpful to talk about what a vision statement is. I’ve taken my cue from congregational developer Aubrey Malphurs, who writes that a vision is “a clear and challenging picture of the future of a ministry as you believe that it can and must be.” According to this model, a vision statement is a narrative rather than a couple of sentences, and it is pictorial, describing a state of affairs one wants to see in the future.

St. John’s DNA

Before looking forward, it is important to look back to the vision of our founders. What did they believe God was calling St. John’s to be? Fr. Theodore McCrae articulated this in a letter written to those who called him to be the parish’s first rector. Here is an excerpt from that letter, dated August 12, 1946.

First, and always foremost, [the parish’s work] must be devotional. The prime purpose of the Church is the worship of God. It is only by constantly returning, day after day, week after week to our Lord’s altar for strength, inspiration and wisdom that we can hope to forward His work in this world.

The second emphasis should be educational. Our confused and troubled world is crying out for churchmen whose lives are solidly founded on the fullness of the Catholic Faith, who know what that faith is and why they have committed their lives to it.

The third emphasis will be missionary. There are thousands of unchurched people, desperately in need of our Lord and His church, whether they know it or not. They are our responsibility. It must be the unwearying, cooperative effort of priest and people to meet this responsibility with devotion, zeal and intelligence under God’s direction.

“Devotional…educational…missionary.” I believe I was called to St. John’s in 2006 because my ideals of “worship, discipleship, and mission”—synonyms of the words Fr. McCrae used—were part of the congregation’s DNA from the beginning.

From Past to Present

Worship

Since 1946, Fr. McCrae’s priority on devotion has remained central to St. John’s. Worshipers moved out of the “Chicken Coop” (their nickname for the crude, temporary building where they once met) and into the architectural wonder conceived by the renown O’Neil Ford. From the parish’s art and appointments, to the vestments, to the organ acquired from the Julliard School, St. John’s has put the glory of God as its prime purpose: a costly priority, worthy of the best we can offer. To the present, a daily Eucharist is at the heart of our commitment to worship God for God’s sake, and most of our parishioners would cite their approach to the altar (each Sunday or throughout the week) as their main source of “strength, inspiration, and wisdom.”

Discipleship

Especially under our third rector, the Rev’d J. Robert Maceo, St. John’s grew in discipleship. Through his masterful preaching and thoughtful teaching, the parish was built up in numbers and spiritual maturity. An elegant Parish Hall began to facilitate the kind of education that challenged churchmen to think and act like Christian disciples. Presently, our Christian Education program sees well over a hundred souls each Sunday, equipping old and young alike through a variety of class offerings.

Mission

St. John’s Episcopal School got its start in 1953 to serve the educational needs of parish families. It quickly expanded to become a ministry that serves population far beyond the church community, presently with 500 students strong. Likewise, parishioners have established and strengthened a number of neighborhood causes—the White Rock Center of Hope and Habitat for Humanity, to name but two—reaching out to those in our community who are in the greatest need.

Going Forward

How do I see the future of St. John’s? In asking myself this question, I have been challenged to think beyond the general and toward the specific. Yes, it must be about “worship, discipleship, and mission,” these three purposes for which we exist. And yet, I’ve had to ask more particular questions:

• Worship for whom?
• Discipleship for whom?
• Mission to whom?

• These are the questions that have guided my discernment over the past months, through much prayer, reflection, and conversations with parishioners. And here is the picture of St. John’s that comes to mind.

• Worship for whom?

I see a church to which people will come eagerly on a Sunday morning because they are driven by a desire to glorify God. They come to St. John’s not for entertainment, but because of a Christ-focused liturgy that is offered with excellence. They are there every week, with open ears and open hearts, ready to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Evangelical preaching

People will come to St. John’s to hear the Gospel made clear. In America’s marketplace of ideas and ideologies, we proclaim Jesus Christ—that in his holy life, his atoning death, and his mighty resurrection, believers have peace with God, the salvation of their souls, and the kind of life that is thoroughly worth living. Because of our Evangelical (Gospel) commitment, people will come in anticipation of a sermon that is Biblical, intelligent, challenging, and which teaches them to put the Christian faith into practice.

Catholic worship

Within a troubling Episcopal Church context in which liturgical innovations are the norm, worshipers at St. John’s will come to connect with Catholic Christianity through a historic Prayer Book liturgy. Our worship is rooted in Church tradition, ceremony, and theology, and when worshipers enter into this ancient offering of praise, they find that God meets them in the present.

Anglican sensibilities

As recipients of a particularly rich musical heritage, the congregation will express their love for Christ as they sing the best of Christian hymnody. The music at St. John’s will be excellent. Beauty will abound. The choirs are led by an organist-choirmaster who is an accomplished musician, who is moreover compelled by a desire to glorify God and minister to his people.

Head and heart together

In the same spirit, parishioners will take part in our worship not as “connoisseurs of fine liturgy” but as worshipers who experience the goodness, beauty, and truth of God as they receive his life at the altar. This means that many members, youth and adult, are involved in making our liturgy happen: serving as Ushers, Lectors, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Subdeacons, Acolytes, and members of the Altar Guild.

Liturgical outreach

I see a St. John’s that is increasingly receptive to members of the St. John’s School community. Students, families, and faculty will be drawn to our third Sunday liturgy. Created with the school’s Rite II worship culture in mind, this service will still embody our values of liturgical beauty and Biblical truth. As the School is a primary outreach of the parish, the church increasingly strives to see school families come to Christ, grow in Christ, and offer their gifts in ministry at St. John’s.

Discipleship for whom?

I see a future in which St. John’s Christian Education program—for all ages and through all the stages of life—draws people to the parish. Newcomers soon sense that the congregation is like a large, caring family, where most members attend Sunday school and where ever member is growing as a disciple of Jesus.

Scripture is central

People will come to St. John’s because of our commitment to the timeless wisdom, counsel, and authority of Holy Scripture, the basis for all of our Christian Education.

Making Catholic Christians

Our approach to the Bible and the Christian faith is not sectarian. Rather than trends, fads, and denominational emphases, St. John’s will draw folks who want to understand Scripture and theology in a way that is comprehensive and in concert with the Church throughout the ages, guided by the Catholic principle of commending that which has been “believed in all places, at all times, and by all the faithful.” (St. Vincent of Lérins , c. 450 ad)

Our minds matter

Our Anglican heritage teaches us that God has made us to think, and St. John’s is a place where people will learn to think theologically and wrestle through the questions of our wider culture. Through our Christian Education classes, some will understand the integrity of the Christian Faith for the first time and will come to believe the Gospel. Others will be strengthened in their ability to give an answer for the hope they have in Christ.

Discipleship as a way of life

Because the learning that happens at St. John’s is not simply cerebral, we will draw people to our parish who desire to live their Christianity. They will embrace discipleship as a holistic endeavor, learning Christ in order to become more Christ-like themselves. This means that as members grow in knowledge, they also will grow in a prayerful relationship with Jesus, and more and more they put their faith into practice by serving the congregation and spending their lives for others in the wider world.

A commitment to our children

St. John’s holistic commitment to education means a particular emphasis on the Christian formation of young people and affirming their place in the larger life of the parish. I see a future where families are drawn to St. John’s because they know it is a supportive community in which they can raise their kids to know and love and serve the Lord. Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and other educational ministries form children in Biblical learning and a well-reasoned faith, so that they can assess and evaluate the competing worldviews they will encounter as they grow to maturity. EYE and EYC are ministries that strengthen Christian friendships and strengthen our young people in a personal, Biblical, Catholic, Christ-centered faith.

A Christian environment at St. John’s School

Parishioners will enroll their children at St. John’s Episcopal School because of its holistic mission of “training the mind, strengthening the character, and enriching the spirit of each student in a Christian environment.” In the wider world of Episcopal education where Christian distinctions are downplayed in favor of religious pluralism, St. John’s Episcopal School—while always open and accessible to Christians and non-Christians alike—commends, with integrity and with respect to all, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the inherent goodness of a life rooted in the Gospel.

Mission to whom?

I see a future in which St. John’s is known for a thriving lay ministry. The clergy and staff of the parish will empower lay men and women to serve, and educational resources will be devoted to help members know their gifts and how they fit into “life, worship, and governance of the Church.”

Every member a minister

At St. John’s, every person, old and young, is involved in a parish ministry. Newcomers will be quickly identified and connected to a worship, discipleship, or outreach ministry that fits with their God-given gifts. Seasoned members of the parish will serve with joy and avoid burn-out, since ministry leadership rotates with the kind of frequency that provides times of respite and recharging for those who serve faithfully over the years.

A Great Staff

At St. John’s, everyone who oversees a ministry or committee will be considered “staff,” from the head usher, to the chair of the evangelism committee, to the sponsors of the EYC. The entire “Great Staff” will meet with the Rector quarterly for clear communication, to go deeper in Christian formation, and for leadership development. In this way, all who are looked to as leaders are invested in the parish’s mission, growing in discipleship, and encouraging one another as servant leaders.

Ministry communities

St. John’s caring community feels like a large family. Part of people’s draw to the parish will be the way in which our various ministries function like a “small group.” From the choir, to the sandwich-making ministry, to Men’s Camping community, ministry heads will know the individuals in their ministries. Lives will be shared with one another. Ministry members will serve one another, intercede for one another, and hold one another accountable. In this way, parishioners will know they are loved and appreciated, even as they serve the church’s mission.

Our mission within

I see a future where laymen and laywomen are integrated into the way we minister within the church, providing pastoral care. The laity will assist the clergy in visiting the sick and bringing Holy Communion to the homebound. Lay members will pray for healing, listen to the hurting, and council and encourage one another with the Gospel. Engaged couples will be thoroughly prepared for the demands of Holy Matrimony. Older members of the congregation will be honored and served by the younger.

Our mission to the community

St. John’s Episcopal School will continue to be the primary outreach of the church, touching the lives of many children and families who would not otherwise visit the parish on a Sunday morning. While all who attend receive a superior education, they will also hear the Gospel of Christ and see the Gospel lived out in a caring community. Some students will come to a personal faith during their years at St. John’s. For others, good seeds will be planted that will only see growth later in life. In every case, the parish is always inviting the school community to worship with us, attend Youth Group, or join in a fellowship opportunity. And more and more, these families will come.

Our experience God’s will also send us into the wider civic arena, taking part in ministries that show forth the mercy of Christ to those who are poor in spirit: supporting the Genesis Women’s shelter, giving aid at the Austin Street Centre, serving on a Kairos prison ministry team, to name but a few. Members of the parish will also be eager in inviting their friends to church, and telling the Good News to their unchurched friends and family, using their own words.

To the ends of the earth

Finally, the parish has a heart for the world. We send missionaries out, youth and adult, to places of need in the United States and around the world. Part of this is our commitment to the Anglican Communion, especially in the Two-Thirds Word, and the renewal of Anglicanism in North America. To this end, I see a parish that is ready to partner with those within the Episcopal Church as well as those who have departed, believing we have a common future, one with another. With so much that is uncertain, we will raise up leaders, both in the clerical and lay orders, who will “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” so that in and through the tough decisions required in the days ahead—for the Diocese of Dallas, for the member churches of the Anglican Communion, and for our own parish—we will strive to see a united, Biblical, orthodox, global, Catholic Communion of Churches become a reality in our world.

Summary

To sum up, then: What is my vision for the future of St. John’s? Who is the parish for?

Worship for…

St. John’s will be a church that, more and more, draws people who love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who find their connection to God in Catholic liturgy with Evangelical preaching, who through our beautiful Anglican heritage bring their heads and hearts and gifts to the liturgy, and who see the potential of reaching the unchurched in our worship setting.

Discipleship for…

St. John’s will be a church that, more and more, grows disciples through an emphasis on Scriptural authority in a Catholic context, where young people will learn and embrace the Christian faith, where seekers are encouraged to think through their questions, and where all find their fulfillment in a Christ-like life.

Mission to…

St. John’s will be a church that, more and more, ministers far and wide, in word and deed, with the Gospel: within the parish through ministry communities and lay pastoral care, at St. John’s Episcopal School, in outreach ministries of mercy, in missions at home and abroad, in contending for orthodox, global Anglicanism. All of this is motivated by the cross of Jesus Christ, the grace of God the Father, and the power of the Holy Spirit—equipping each member for the work of the body.

That is the future I see. That is the kind of future I’m excited about pursuing and will labor to be a part of.

I hope it is a vision that at the both resonates with you and challenges you. And I hope it is a future you want to be a part of as well.

Yours always in Christ,