Page 43 - Presbyterian Connection

presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2023
A Review of
When Church Stops Working
idea what to do next.”
Many of us wished that Root
would just put it into a simple book that spoon-feeds weary servants of the Institutional Church with the “Ten Things to Turn It All Around” or the “Nine Lives of the Resur- rected Church.” Instead, we have When Church Stops Working— have I mentioned that it isn’t that kind of book?
If you are like me you will find yourself at the halfway point, de- claring in exasperation—or liter- ally writing in the margin—“So we are halfway through, and the answer to the question of how we address the decline of today’s church is to...WAIT?! That’s it?!”
As if they are sitting beside me as I read, the authors brilliantly address my feeling in the very next section as they write: “You might be thinking, these are nice theological ideas, but they seem disconnected from the decisions we need to make for our congre-
gation. We can’t wait.” AMAZING! Yes. We are a people obsessed with being busy—with doing and not simply being. It was a mes- sage that I didn’t know I needed to hear. I can honestly say that as I set about to read the book, I was wrapped up in a million dif- ferent ideas that would have kept me busier than ever to respond as best as I could to the crisis that we face in today’s church.
When Church Stops Work- ing stopped me in my tracks. It convinced me and I trust that it will convince you too if you per- severe and fight against the siren call of this “life hack” world we live in. It became the inspiration for a monthly conversation space hosted by The Abbey (theabbey. ca) called: “We Need to Listen.”
Thanks to Root and Bertrand, I’ve moved away from dying busily and living actively as I seek to trust in and be attentive to what God might be up to in this secular age.
By the Rev. John Borthwick, minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Guelph, Ont., and the lead of The Abbey (theabbey.ca), a virtual ministry that seeks to “tend to those who nurture spiritual things.” John will begin in the role of Director of Lifelong Learning at Knox College on August 1.
When Church Stops Working:
A Future for Your Congregation beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation
Written by Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertrand
Brazos Press, May 2023
Do you remember those fun illus- tration-riddled books put out by Lyle E. Schaller in the late 1980s? I’m looking at one right now: 44 Ways to Expand the Financial Base of Your Congregation. Let me be clear when I say, When Church Stops Working is not that kind of book.
Coming on the heels of Dr. An- drew Root’s Ministry in a Secular Age series, this brief collaboration with our PCC’s own Dr. Bertrand seeks to be more accessible to church leaders and members who may not have the time, energy or cognitive attentiveness to navi-
Connection
BOOK REVIEW
gate Root’s 1,400 pages of sage reimagining or the near thousand- page tome of philosopher Charles Taylor’s The Secular Age.
Having expended just that over the years as each new work in the series was released, I can ad- mit—as do the authors—that the consistent feedback from Root’s readers, including myself, was, “I can see me and my reality in what you are describing, but I have no
PROFILES
PRESBYTERIAN
43
Pauline Brown.
Pauline Brown with Evelyn Murdoch.
After a long and rich life of 97 years, a faithful ministry as a nurse in rural India and a brief ill- ness, Dr. Pauline Brown died in her adopted and beloved home- town of Jobat, India, on the morn- ing of Saturday, April 1.
Pauline was a devoted public health and missionary nurse. As a young girl, Pauline dreamed of working in India. While serving as a nurse in the navy in the 1950s, Pauline met a former missionary to India, which intensified her sense of call to work overseas. The Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) appointed the 25-year-old Pauline for a four-month posting. A few months became a 55-year- long ministry working with the Bhil people under the Church of North India. Her focus was always on
health care and education in the region of Bhopal. In 2001, Paul- ine received the Order of Canada for her dedicated service, and the church recognized her ministry with the degree of Doctor of Di- vinity (honoris causa).
Pauline lived by grace. She un- derstood that God’s graciousness filled her every waking moment. She was a natural preacher who lived out her faith in word and deed, never missing an opportu- nity to proclaim God’s grace. Her capacities to build community, to lead in times of trouble and to find good news in every mo- ment meant that she transformed people and situations. Her wit, humour and honesty ensured that she was a trustworthy and enter- taining companion on every jour- ney. Pauline cannot be described with mere words—she was a force of nature, always encour- aging, always a blessing, always participating in the transformative activity of God. To receive her blessing was to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you were loved.
Pauline retired in Jobat, India, where she was hailed as a beloved and respected elder and wise community leader. She warmly welcomed visitors from around the world into her charming, laughter-filled, book-lined home.
Pauline was buried near her beloved community in the cem- etery outside the front door of her home. The large banner that wel- comed visitors to her home read:
She is radiant like the
rising sun;
Her beauty lights up the world. She wears sun and moon
as her jewels.
Her eyes are like fish and lotus and darting deer.
Her face is fragrant like champaka.
Her hair like incense.
She has capacities, she is active, she is aware, she is fearless, and she is free.
Professional portrait of Pauline Brown taken for the WMS in the 1960s.
Remembering Pauline Brown
Pauline Brown teaching women in Barwani, India, sometime between the 1950s and 1970s.
Pauline Brown with students in the 1960s.
All photos provided courtesy
of the Presbyterian Church Archives.