Several weeks ago Huw had a post on his blog about Tent Maker Clergy. I was going to comment and then it got lost in all of the other posts I was working on. So here goes.

As church attendance dwindles and the cash in the coffers gets less and less is it time for the clergy to look for other employment? We do not become clergy to make money in fact most of us know that we will be faced with a life of struggle when it comes to money. I am lucky in some ways because I am single and do not have to provide for a family and my parish has a house for me to live in. Some are not as lucky as I am. Many parishes are selling their parish house, or rectory, to save money. Many clergy prefer not to live in the parish house so they can build up equity for the future. Are we coming to a time in the church when the full-time clergy is a thing of the past? Are we coming to a time when we have one priest serving many parishes. That is the case in many Roman Catholic Diocese and many Anglican churches as well.

Here in the village we have three orthodox church, in a town of around 14,000 mind you. The combined membership is somewhere around 150 people. I am the only full-time priest here in the village. One is retired and lives on the other side of the state and the other one lives and teaches in another town about 30 minutes away. We all face the same problems of lack of people and old buildings and no money. We have tried, without success, to merge the parishes but the people do not want to hear about it.

So what do clergy do? How many parishes out there are left that can support a full-time clergy and have the clergy live above the poverty rate? Is it time for us to start to look for part-time work outside of the church to make ends meet. In my diocese for example we have to pay for our own seminary education, not the same in all orthodox diocese by the way. We have no retirement benefits, and no job security. If the folks here decide they don’t like me they could turf me out tomorrow and not only to I loose my job but my home as well.

There was a tradition in the church years back of Worker Priests. Perhaps it is time for us to get out there in the workforce, not a good time to do that either. But what does it do to the church? Can we build a church if we are not here? Can the church survive with a part-time clergy? These are questions that we need to ask, and we need to find answers too as well.

Well the response was great to the last post, 15 comments so far and the discussion continues. I would like to go out a limb, okay that is usually where I am anyway, but here I am again on this limb. What do folks think about an alternative worship experience? Let me define what I am thinking.

Sunday is the traditional day that worship takes place in Christian Churches around the globe. Some Evangelical Church have mid week services and some have Sunday evening services. Many Catholic Churches are experimenting with Sunday evening Masses and of course they have mass during the week. What would you think of offering a Divine Liturgy on Saturday night or making a Divine Liturgy available during the week for folks who can’t come on Sunday for various reasons? Some people have to work on Sundays and so they cannot make it to church but would love to come. Some younger people who like to go out on Saturday night, have trouble getting up on Sunday morning. Now I know we should not make excuses for people but why not make church more accessible to them? This would not replace the present Sunday morning Liturgy as the main liturgy of the week.

Let the comments begin!

If we start with the premise that we cannot change anything about the Liturgy in the Orthodox Church, then what else can we change to keep religion relevant in the minds and hearts of the people?

I am asking this as pastor of a parish that is loosing members left and right and has no youth in the parish save two. We have many members but most do not come to church on a regular basis. I think everyone is dealing with the same thing.

I mentioned in an earlier post the Emmanuel Orthodox Church. How is it they can attract 100’s of people to worship and the rest of us struggle to get 30 on Sunday. Is it location? Is it the music, or lack there of? Is it the preaching, or lack there of? Is it the people and the way they act when visitors come? Do our members invite people to come to church or do we like to keep things a secret?

What can we change about how we do church to change all of this? How do we make Orthodoxy more than an ethnic church and a church that is available to the masses? Let’s try and have a civil discussion about all of this. I will start by saying the language issue is dead so let us not even speak of that.

So all of the Orthodox Patriarchs, or their representatives have been meeting at the Phanar in Istanbul, Turkey. The heads of 14 Orthodox Churches were in attendance. They commented twice in their statement about the current world financial crisis. Well I guess it is a response, it is pretty lame if you ask me. I will put the two quotes below and a link to the entire document so you can read for yourself.

8. The gap between rich and poor is growing dramatically due to the financial crisis, usually the result of manic profiteering by economic factors and corrupt financial activity, which, by lacking an anthropological dimension and sensitivity, does not ultimately serve the real needs of mankind. A viable economy is that which combines efficacy with justice and social solidarity.

10. The Orthodox Church believes that technological and economic progress should not lead to the destruction of the environment and the exhaustion of natural resources. Greed to satisfy material desires leads to the impoverishment of the human soul and the environment. We must not forget that the natural riches of theearth are not only man’s property, but primarily God’s creation: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein” (Ps.23:1). We ought to remember that not only today’s generation, but also future generations are entitled to have a right to the resources of nature, which the Creator has granted us.

I often wonder in cases like this if they have the statement all drawn up before they even meet. That would seem the case here. These bishops are so out of touch with reality! It will take some time to read the statement in it’s full measure and comment on it. Here is the link to the entire document.