This is something for us to think about.... From Rev. Michael Mike Piazza Since the beginning of this year, Virginia-Highland Church has been working on creating new vision and mission statements. After months of work, first by the congregation and then by the Vision Team, we will unveil it this Sunday. The Communication Team then will ensure our brand is congruent with the vision and work on communicating it so thoroughly that it becomes a part of the congregations DNA. They also will make sure that the community knows who we really are and who we feel called by God to become. The Implementation Team will work to ensure that everything, from staffing to space usage, from bylaws to budgeting, is congruent with who we say we are and are becoming. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with you. As I developed this reVision, I kept thinking that, if I ever had time, Id like to create a similar program for our personal lives. Perhaps it is only preachers, but, through the years, I have had many occasions to reinvent myself, learn new skills, integrate new information, and even new values, into my daily life. Just last week I had a conversation with a denominational leader who wanted a stamp saying simply RIP to tattoo the forehead of about half of their clergy. In this case it wouldnt mean rest in peace; it would mean Retired in Place. This person went on to talk about the depressing number of pastors they know who are just trying to make it safely to retirement. They arent learning new things, taking any chances, or challenging the system of decline. I dont think it is just pastors, and I dont think only churches need a reVision process for their lives. In fact, in a world that is changing so much and so rapidly, if we are not consistently and persistently reinventing ourselves, we have retired in place. When we do that, someone might as well chisel our tombstones and pronounce our eulogy, because we are just waiting around and taking us space until someone can say over our bodies, Rest in peace. Blessings, Rev. Michael Piazza The Center for Progressive Renewal..
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 12:28:30 +0000
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