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Seminarians on their way to record a presentation passed by a man slumped in a doorway, who groaned as they walked past. Some stopped to see if they could help. Others did not. Called back for a second appointment, they were requested to prepare a short presentation on a given topic and told they would be going to a room in another building where their presentation would be recorded. Half were asked to prepare a short lesson on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The others were asked to prepare a presentation on types of jobs most suited to seminarians. After allowing time to prepare, they were given directions to where they would record their presentation. Some were told, “You’d better hurry. We’re running behind schedule and they are waiting for you.” Others were told “They are ready for you now.” Still others were told, “They won’t be ready for you quite yet, but you might as well head over there now.” On their way to another building to record their talk, they passed by the man in the doorway who appeared to be in some distress. This individual, unknown to them, was part of the experiment. The only factor that made an appreciable difference in seminarians’ willingness to stop and offer help was the time factor. Those who believed they had extra time were far more likely to help than any others. Seminarians rehearsing sermons in their heads about the Good Samaritan were no more likely to help than those preparing to talk about jobs, nor were “social justice advocates” more likely than “orthodox believers.” Those results, I suppose, are not that surprising. I’m guessing that’s what most of you would have predicted. Still, it ought to give us pause as we think about the task of transforming lives. If it is true that people’s actions are sometimes are more influenced by factors other than what they have been taught or what they believe, then it is important to give attention to those factors. This is, I admit, disconcerting. It is of great comfort to me to know that the work of transformation is ultimately God’s work and that he has bound himself to the means of grace, the Word and Sacraments. To be concerned about “environmental factors” in addition to the tasks of preaching and teaching sounds vaguely heretical. Yet, most of us, if we reflect on our experience, have encountered limits to the power of words. Whether it is called “system dynamics,” “culture,” “heritage,” “mass media” or simply “anxiety” we know that there are forces at play that seem to have an impact upon people greater than the impact of mere preaching or teaching. I am not one of those who would conclude from this that preaching and teaching are unimportant or that one can control or influence the work of the Holy Spirit by utilizing situational factors to manipulate. But it does seem important to think about external factors which may be impeding the hearing of God’s Word, and it does seem advisable to give thought to ways to create congregational cultures where listening and discernment are the primary values. It is sobering to realize that by doing less we might actually accomplish more, In Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House, Mrs. Jellyby, a woman devoted to mission work in among the natives of “Borrioboola-Gha,” seems totally oblivious of the needs of her family. At one point, as she eagerly describes her mission projects to her guests, one of her many children falls down the steps of her flat. Her guests count as they hear the child’s head bounce on each step on the way down, but Mrs. Jellyby continues talking, blissfully unaware. It is as if, one of her guests observes afterwards, she couldn’t see anything closer than Africa. This is typical Dickens’ character exaggeration, but underscores how busyness, even when associated with noble projects, can be blinding. What if, instead of competing with a culture of busyness, congregations provided an alternative? What if instead of doing more they did less? What if worship services, instead of having more standing and singing, had more silence and kneeling? What if instead of conducting talent and gift surveys to get people more involved, congregations provided more prayer and Bible Study resources for individuals and families to do on their own? My guess is offerings and attendance might sag. However, there might also be fewer people in pain being ignored. And, at least as I read the Word, that would be a God-pleasing outcome.  My book In Jars of Clay is now available for sale at www.injarsofclay.com. Offering reflections on the personal, pastoral, and spiritual needs of ministry it includes, many of the articles that appeared originally in Fireflies. All proceeds from the sale of the book, which lists at $11.95, will go to Partners in Caring at Lutheran Family Services to further support the work of caring for those who serve in ministry.
In Christ's Service, Roger Kruger This e-mail newsletter is an endeavor of Partners in Caring, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc. I envision it as a way to share ideas, resources, and conversation about the joys and struggles of ministry. I welcome your input. Feel free to pass it on to friends.
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The Good Seminarian
but that may be the case. As the Princeton experiment demonstrated, today’s culture of busyness is one of the most challenging obstacles to spiritual growth. Nobody that I know of is worrying that they will run out of things to do before the day is over. Most days end with neither a Pass nor Fail grade but with an Incomplete. Everyone agrees that caring is a good idea, but most, consciously or otherwise, don’t think they have the time for it. Despite this, most congregations I know try to compete with the other frenetic demands of society by providing even more busyness, more committees to serve on, more Bible Studies to participate in, more organizations to belong to. Often this leads to apparent success: more people join; more people are active; more people are busier than ever. Whether or not that leads to producing more people willing to help when unexpectedly encountering “a neighbor” in need is seldom asked.
You may have seen newspaper articles about the recently completed study on religion in America conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life that demonstrated the extremely fluid nature of religious affiliation. The fastest growing segment are those who believe “nothing in particular” (12.1% of the population). Yet, the survey also showed that a significant number of adults (4%), who say that as children they had not particular religious affiliation, have since identified with a religious group. Food for thought: according to the survey, 1.4% of Americans claim affiliation with the LCMS (compare that to 1.6% who are atheists) and 2.0 % claim affiliation with the ELCA (compare that to 2.4% who are agnostic).