Bruce, MBCC and This Moderator Thing

January 23, 2008

Dear my MBCC Family,

I hope this post finds you doing well.

As you may have heard and/or read, I have recently been endorsed by the Steering Committee of MBCC and the local area of churches to stand for moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  For some of you this means little as you are still getting to know who MBCC is let alone the denomination with which we are affiliated.  And yet for others, this is a big deal in the life of my ministry and the church.  In many ways, depending on one's perspective, it is can be seen as insignificant, momentous and everything in between, much like life I suppose, an adventure of calling and faith.

Still, I want folks to know what this is all about, so let me address a few questions that you may have . . .

What is the Moderator?
The Presbytery Church (USA) is roughly made up of 2.3 million members in the US.  The Moderator presides over deliberations at the General Assembly, a bi-annual national gathering of the denomination.  This year it will be held in San Jose, CA beginning June 21, 2008 at the San Jose Convention Center.  For the following two years the Moderator acts as a kind of spokesperson and emissary for the PC(USA).  This is largely a symbolic position with little policy influence, but is able to help determine some of the focus over the next year. 

Why Bruce, why now?
Over the past year or so I have been in conversation with friends and colleagues throughout our denomination about the state and future of the PC(USA).  We are under no delusions that we have THE answers, but we do believe that there are some conversations that must be had at all levels of the church in order for the denomination to move into whatever it will be next.  And while real change will only come from congregations and grassroots movements, opportunities for meaningful interactions need to be created at the national level of our church.  For a myriad of reasons, my name has floated to the top of some lists as one to step up and into the role of Moderator and help to create some space for these conversations to be had.  Much of that has to do with the type of community we are creating here at MBCC, one vision of what church may look like in the future.  For more information about why, see [WHY BRUCE]. 

What COULD this mean for MBCC?
Should I be elected, there will be a great impact on MBCC.  What it does NOT mean however is that I will leave my position as pastor at MBCC.  My primary calling in ministry is to the local church in general and MBCC in particular.  I LOVE serving with this quirky and faith group known as MBCC.  This is where I am nurtured in my faith, my children are learning about God and we have so much more to do to impact the one another and The City. 
Over the past six months the Steering Committee has been intentional about shifting our leadership model top be more shared.  This was not done in response to my future, but because we have grown and need to adjust to that growth.  If we are to continue to grow AND be healthy, I need to be at the center of fewer and fewer aspects of the church.  Not only is this important for my own ministry but for the long term health and sustainability of MBCC.  Practically, if should become moderator, I will be traveling about 33% of the time.  I will preach about the same number of times, but unlike my current practice, when other folks preach, I will most likely not be present.  We will also receive a small stipend from the denomination to cover any administrative duties that need to be covered.  In terms of pastoral care, I will still interact online from where I am traveling and will plan on a regular monthly schedule to meet with folks face-to-face as needed.  In short, I will still be primarily responsible for pastoral leadership here at MBCC, but this fits in well with some shifts in structure that we have intended to make all along.

What if I want to know more?
If you have more questions, want to talk or are interested in helping out you can always drop me a note or schedule some time to have coffee.  In the mean time If you would like to track developments and find out more about this adventure there are some options.

• Join the Facebook Group
• Subscribe to the new launched Moderator Blog
• Become a Facebook "Fan"
• Donate or Get involved in the Campaign [MORE INFO]
• Blog about why you think this is a good idea, or add some Blog Bling to your Blog
• Mark your calendar for Election Night - June 21, 7:00 at the San Jose Convention Center and hang out with thousands of Presbyterians as we elect the next Moderator.

Over the next few months I will be on road about once a month meeting people throughout the denomination in the hopes to listen to the church and give them an idea about what my moderator term would look and feel like.  This is an incredibly humbling and exciting time for me, my family and I hope the church, so please let me know if you have any questions and/or want to talk more about any of this.

Take care,
Bruce, the pastor.
[eMail me]