There hasn't been activity on this blog for quite some time, much to my personal frustration. It's not for a lack of things to write, but mainly a matter of time, or lack of it. And, I've had some technical challenges that haven't helped.
I hope to get back to more regular posting and even to finish my mini-series on diversity, but this is probably an opportune time to reflect on my new life as the Area Administrator for the Pacific Northwest Association of the Church of God, a position that began for me on November 1st.
The whole concept of an Area Administrator is somewhat strange for the Church of God. Our anti-denominational, autonomy-worshipping polity does not seem to lend itself to having leadership positions outside of the local congregation. But, increasingly over the past 127 years we have begun to see that there is a legitimate need for regional and national leadership to both assist local churches and to facilitate accountability. Not that we are completely comfortable with these developments. In fact, we haven't quite figured out how to incorporate these extra layers of structure within our theology and practice. This is revealed in the active evolution of these structures and wide diversity of their implementation across the continent. No one can even agree what the title of the regional leadership position should be, as almost every district has struggled to find its own expression. Apart from the jokes to the contrary, the one title we're not comfortable using is "Bishop".
So, what does an Area Administrator do? It really depends on the state or region. Here in our district (comprised of Washington, northern Idaho, and northeastern Oregon) we are still trying to figure that out too. Our area has had this position in place for several decades already, but we have been going through massive organizational shifts. One of my major responsibilities will be to help our district work through these issues and to discover a new vision of ministry cooperation and effectiveness.
Over the past three months my primary focus has been to make personal contact with as many pastors and congregations as possible. I am convinced that establishing a good relationship with our 48 churches and their leaders is the basis on which our future work will be based. Making these connections is especially challenging considering the vast geographic expanse of our region. I have already racked up almost 5000 miles of driving and a significant number of frequent flyer points.
Overall, I am thoroughly enjoying my new job. We have a tremendous district with many gifted people and healthy churches. We also have much work to do in strengthening our organization and some of the struggling churches that are part of our association.
Probably the biggest challenge is living without my family. My wife and sons are still in California finishing out the school year and waiting for me to determine where we will live (as I have been given the freedom to find a new office location). We keep in touch daily and make frequent visits back and forth, but life has been far from "normal".
From time to time I will provide some further reflections on my work and the role that district organizations play within the Church of God. Stay tuned.
