Thoughts from Synod Assembly

Last weekend I attended the St. Paul Area Synod (SPAS) Assembly. How many pastors and laypeople were there? How much coffee was consumed? How many oddball-you-had-to-be-there running jokes did the new Bishop of the E.L.C.A. Elizabeth Eaton create? The answer: a ton.  I had never been to the Assembly, but church nerd that I am, I was excited, because our task was to elect a new bishop of the SPAS.

And elect one we did—Pastor Patricia Lull--from a fine crop of candidates.

Huzzah! But keep reading!

The SPAS is one big tangled web of connections. For me, having been raised in the church, it’s been a comforting support system, and gives me a unique perspective, that there is something beyond my physical church (which is the size of a small town and sometimes just as intimidating to outsiders), a something that spans multiple communities that joins together to make social and spiritual change. I guess I didn’t stop to think how many people I knew within this community, and the diverse ways in which I met them. One of the candidates for bishop I’ve known since I wore Barney pajamas, and another was a fellow traveler in Tanzania in 2009. Colleagues of my mom (Synod Layperson Extraordinaire) who may have met me a couple times over a span of a ten years would stop and ask how I’ve been, former youth directors and pastors…even the woman who assisted at my baptism was there. Even a banjo player I had met once when I was playing mandolin for my friend’s baby’s baptism in December was there!  As a college student who had to build a new community from scratch three years ago—which provided it’s own set of anxieties—this welcome was something I forgot could happen.

But it’s always a funny feeling being in the Youth/Young Adult category at events like these. The E.L.C.A. defines Y/YA as ages 15 to 30. And the main theme that the Church World Orchestra has been playing for years is the Elegy to the Departed Youth Voice. And as a young adult who has always been involved in the church, not because I needed to fill up my resume with activities for my college applications, but because it was important to me, my family, and how we live out our faith, this tune gets boring and whiny. So I had my reservations about the keynote speaker, who was touching on those same themes. But played a different tune! He told us wryly, “It’s not your fault.” (Which gave me a "Good Will Hunting" flashback)  The point he made was that while most people in this global squabble cite the lower church attendance rates of Y/YA to something wrong that they—the parents—did, it more importantly has to do with a radical shift in our culture.

We are a consumer culture now. Giving isn’t as important as taking these days. It’s disturbing to me how many now want to go to church and be entertained, because something as deeply meaningful, brain-busting, and perplexing as Christianity is not something you can package to please everyone. Once we recognize this cultural shift, then we can forge ahead on a clearer path towards more balanced representation in our communities.

 Forget entertainment. I want to go to church and feel useful. That’s what many people my age want in their church. So I was cautiously optimistic when hearing from the seven bishop candidates that not only do they want to actively invest in the future of the SPAS through the Young Folks, but also invite us to share our gifts and voices.  When you put a token teenager on a committee or project, but don’t let them offer their perspective or skills, that is how we squash sustainability, creativity, and trust in one fell swoop. That is how you breed cynicism and indifference, and the stereotype of us Young Folk that is abounding. So, put us in, coach. Let us be useful.