Easter comes in April more than 80 per cent of the time this century. This year it comes at the end of March. For me it means Lent comes quickly after Advent and the Christmas season. It seems that one is barely over and planning for the next begins. It didn’t take me too long in ministry to realize the importance of planning my vacation and study leave carefully to ensure that my breaks were well timed.

Here is my concern. I have heard too many ministers say they have neglected to take off the time to which they are entitled. They always give reasons. Some are good; but most are insufficient. It’s not the only reason for burnout but I am willing to venture that it is a major contributing factor.

Minister burnout is a major concern. Congregations that dream and pray for turnaround and renewal will be thwarted and disappointed if this happens to their ministers. Then finger pointing and blame laying aren’t far behind. The frustration of all this can lead to the kind of conflict that can damage ministries and relationships for the long term.

Instead, we need a culture of loving care for all our leadership. Congregations need to ensure that their ministers are leading balanced and healthy lives. Everybody needs to ensure that the load is not piled onto too few. Presbyteries need to take their responsibilities for pastoral care of their members more seriously. There should be accountability of ministers to their presbyteries for their time off, including ensuring proper days off.

There is more. I am not the first person to discover that ministers often have unsatisfactory spiritual lives. It is hard for many ministers to find time and energy for personal worship, prayer and Bible study when so much of their lives are spent in leading these activities for others. How ironic that spiritual leaders experience the very spiritual dryness they work so hard to help others avoid.

Let me shine light into one more corner. Our ministers experience relationship and family stress that can reach beyond what most people could understand or believe. With the emotional, spiritual and time demands, a minister can survive only when there are very intentional checks and balances. The members of his or her family can too easily be the victims of the results of someone doing their very best to do what they believe God has called them to do. They deserve all the love and care we can give them.

Let me encourage all of our clergy to find a small peer group where they can be vulnerable, transparent and held accountable for their lifestyle and choices in ministry. Let me encourage sessions to have a pastoral care committee to ensure every effort is made to support their minister. Let me encourage presbyteries to take their pastoral responsibilities seriously. Let me encourage all to ask for help when things are headed out of control. There are resources from the Centre for Clergy Care and Congregational Health at Knox College, Toronto, our denomination’s Employee Assistance Program, and the appropriate committee of your presbytery.

We at the Renewal Fellowship are committed to pray for our denomination’s ministers and congregations. We believe that prayer changes things and we encourage you to join us.

If you are reading this column, I guess the Mayans, or those who would interpret their artifacts, got it wrong. The world did not end on December 21, 2012. That leaves me with the same challenges I faced last year. Some of you may identify with me.

In our case, I believe that the Renewal Fellowship is at a major crossroads. Like many Presbyterian congregations, our members and other supporters are largely grey-haired and are either retired or soon to be. Almost every month, we experience one of our donors reducing their support or even stopping completely. Unless we can cast a vision for younger Presbyterians, it is only a matter of time for our ministry to end.

Over the last year, we have attempted to bring focus to the Fellowship so that we have a clear message and a strong understanding of what we are called to do and to be:

Our vision, passion, and hope is to experience God’s renewal of our lives, our congregations, our courts, our theological schools, and every place where Presbyterians gather.

Our mission is to bring Presbyterians together for prayer, learning, discussion, and mutual support in groups small and large and to create environments where God’s people can hear the call for renewal and respond together.

Our plan is to pray, to support existing prayer gatherings, and to encourage those not connected to a prayer group to find their own or help them to start a new one.

FOCUS: PRAYER

Our plan is to partner with others to create gatherings that provide learning, dialogue, networking and community.

FOCUS: COMMUNITY

Our plan is to encourage pastors and congregations by looking for tangible ways to support and encourage them.

FOCUS: ENCOURAGEMENT

Our plan is to dedicate everything we do to God, trusting that when like-minded individuals and congregations prayerfully seek and work for renewal, He will honour our vision, mission, and plans and bring renewal.

FOCUS: DEPENDENCE ON GOD

We believe in the doctrinal standards of the Presbyterian Church. We accept the church’s polity and respect its courts.

We will work with everybody in our denomination with respect, compassion, and shared faith.

In the past year, I have had the privilege of visiting dozens of Presbyterian churches and breaking bread or having coffee with many dozens of our ministers across Canada. When I share this vision of encouragement and service, the response is immediate and positive. I have been blessed by the trust shown to me by ministers who have been willing to share deeply and confidentially about their hopes and dreams and their fears and loneliness. Almost every one of them has thanked me and the Fellowship for this form of ministry.

I love that I serve in a “big tent” denomination. Our theological spectrum is wide, and our approaches to worship and ministry are diverse. The Fellowship exists to serve all Canadian Presbyterians while holding tight to the centrality and sufficiency of Jesus Christ and the wisdom and authority of God’s Word.

This is my favourite time of year.

I suspect I am not alone. The time leading up to Christmas is full of planning and activity in every area of my life. Family plans are huge. Plans to get together with friends are also important. Shopping becomes a bigger focus, and stores are full of seasonal goods and excited people. There is an increased pace in life.

Churches are planning and presenting special services and programs. I always look forward to seeing the loosely connected people of the congregation who show up, including students returning home from colleges and universities.

At some point, I will hear the major prophecies of Jesus read and I will read them again myself. A part of Advent for me is trying to gain the perspective of the Hebrews as they waited in hope for their coming Messiah. I think we can learn a lot about “waiting in hope” from them.

Then Christmas celebrates the birth of our Saviour. It is the world-changing event when God showed up as a baby. The hopes and dreams of the centuries were fulfilled in Him that night.

In a little book called On the Incarnation, written 1,600 years ago, Athanasius says, “He, the image of the Father, came and dwelt in our midst, in order that He might renew mankind made after Himself, and seek out His lost sheep, even as He says in the gospel: ‘I came to seek and to save that which was lost.'”

It was renewal of epic proportions. From a small town in the backwaters of the Roman Empire to a vibrant faith cascading throughout the Mediterranean World in one generation, the teachings of Jesus changed the world.

Our faith community and our corner of Christianity look back to the Reformation as the time of renewing and re-establishing our faith. It is difficult to overestimate the impact of this time on Reformed denominations around the world.

Some others look back on the Great Awakening as the renewal that had the greatest impact. Still others look to other great national revivals or movements with the same intrinsic value.

I say all this not to get a debate started on the relative significance of historical renewals but to actually turn our thinking to the future. Although I believe that rehearsing what God has done in the past is an important part of our worship and faith, I believe Advent calls us to hope and faith in what God will do in the future. Christmas isn’t just celebrating the birth of the Christ Child; it is a reminder that we live now in the truth of Easter. It is the same Jesus who brings us both the anticipation and the assurance that God is still with us and still has much to do in redeeming us and all of creation.

It is Jesus who established His church. It is Jesus who not only calls us but also equips us through the Holy Spirit to be His body. He has chosen as, imperfect as we are, to hold the treasure of the truth of God’s love as demonstrated in Jesus. The incarnation of Jesus continues through His church, and His church, therefore, is tied into the hope of the world.

It seems to me that there is a lot of transformation left for the church to experience if we are to live out this calling. While there are many beams of light reflecting the differences many communities and individuals are making, it is harder to see the overall church living out its God-given potential for hope.

The hopes and dreams of renewal are not to re-establish the great movements of the past. They are not even to reconnect with the glory days of Christendom. They will not be fulfilled by greater numbers, newer buildings, or greater influence in society and culture.

No, we hope and pray for renewal so that we can be the church Jesus calls us to be. The world needs the real hope that comes only in the redemption and justice that the reign of Christ can bring: “Thy Kingdom come.”

Luke 1:31 says, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”

This year, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we seek His reign and renewal in each and every one of us.

Renewal has a name and that name is Jesus, the Christ.

What a blessing it is to be positioned in life and in this denomination of ours to focus on renewal. I am not the only Canadian Presbyterian who is emphasizing renewal these days, but as the full-time leader of the Renewal Fellowship Within the Presbyterian Church in Canada, I get to fill my days praying for, imagining, working towards, and trusting God for renewal.

What do I mean by renewal? There is so much that we could talk about if we were sitting over a coffee with some meaningful one-on-one time. (I am grateful for all those opportunities I have enjoyed so far.)

In an attempt at brevity, I’ll look at our passion as a dimension of renewal. We know it is desperately needed when our passion for important areas has waned and is perhaps even on life support.

As Christ’s followers and aspiring disciples, we need passion for God’s Word and God’s Son. For us to have communities of Christ that are alive and well, we need to renew our passion for the things of God. When passion is missing, I believe we lose our primary reason to be people and communities after the heart of God.

Jesus taught us about God’s heart for lost people. He continued to teach, in the tradition of the law and the prophets, God’s heart for the hurt, the suffering, the marginalized, and for justice for all people. When lost people or suffering people are not part of our passion in a significant measure, renewal is called for.

We should be able to find the marks of Christian passion in our people and our congregations in various areas of our discipleship. Are we passionate about evangelism and lost people? How about worship that includes a passion for stewardship? Are we intentionally impacting our communities and world in mission? Are we reflecting the love of God in our relationships? Are we known by our love for God, each other, our communities, and even our enemies and those we fear and mistrust?

Jesus identified the issue of unity in John 17. His prayer displays the central place unity should take in our relationships in congregations and between other faith communities. If we are passionate about Him, His Word and His church, we will be passionate about unity.

As I look for evidence of God’s passion in my life and witness, I become aware of the need for renewal. You can make your own evaluation of your life, your congregation, and your denomination. I don’t doubt that many of you will find a need for renewal, if not a deep longing for it. The big question isn’t whether we need it, but rather how do we accomplish it?

The answer is: we cannot do it. Renewal is God’s activity. We are the objects of renewal, not the causes of it. This is sometimes a hard concept for me to get right. I want to make it happen. Not just in my life and not just in the congregations I visit, but in the whole enchilada. If I can’t make it happen, then what should I do to bring renewal? What can I call all of you to do?

The first priority is prayer. It isn’t necessary to talk God into the need for renewal. I believe our prayer is more to give Him permission to do the heart surgery necessary so that renewal can come. That means we need to prayerfully listen. Listen to His Word. Listen to His Spirit. Listen to others whom God is calling to bring messages of renewal.

Renewal isn’t easy. It isn’t comfortable. It isn’t intuitive. But it is life. Life that comes from living waters. Not just life eternal but life abundant.

Thy kingdom come. Renew us, we pray.

I have experienced General Assembly as a student representative, twice as a commissioner, twice as a one-day visitor and this year as part of the local arrangements committee. Each gives you a unique perspective. Each has its advantages.

Because my responsibilities included staying close to our local arrangements table for most of assembly, rather than experiencing the sederunts myself, I got more of a feel of how commissioners were responding. It seemed they began the week on somewhat of a high after the opening worship and the banquet. This continued into morning worship.

There seemed, however, lower expectations going into the weekday sederunts. I saw experienced commissioners attempting to temper first-timers’ expectations. Monday and Tuesday there were certainly mixed responses to the business conducted. Some seemed disappointed by the debate and others by some of the decisions. There was however an overall quiet expectation—a modest hope that something would yet be accomplished of a significant nature.

On Wednesday afternoon, just as the Life and Mission Agency’s report was coming to a close, Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine rose to make an additional motion. He gave a stirring and passionate preamble and then presented his motion (you can read it here). It is important to note that Ervine did not speak in criticism of the LMA and its report. Rather, he expressed a desire for there to be a radical focus shift towards congregations that are the actual life and heart of Canadian Presbyterianism.

There was an immediate response. First, there was no dissent observed to the motion. Second, there was a buzz and an energy created that has lasted beyond General Assembly. I have personally experienced widespread discussion and an almost viral spreading of the message of the preamble and motion.

Here is the problem: It is just too easy for a motion like this to have no greater life than its place in the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly (also known as “the Blue Book”). My hope and prayer is much greater than this. Could we begin an era dedicated to the encouragement and renewal of our congregations? Could our energy and resources be partially redirected to rebuilding the backbone of our denomination – the local church?

While we continue to struggle for a vision and mission statement for the Church, can we have a strategy for the turnaround needed locally? Our work outside our congregations is important. Our call in Micah 6:8 continues to inform us: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

The call, I believe, is not to criticize or regret what we have been doing, but rather to look forward, and strategize and prioritize for a vibrant future. This gives me great hope and I am not alone. One of the benefits I experience through the Renewal Fellowship is meeting and communicating with congregations, through ministers and laity across the country. I want all of you to know that it would be hard to overstate the amount of dialogue and excitement I am hearing.

I am sure that there will be a variety of ideas about what should happen next. Some will believe that nothing should be changed. That option is not possible as General Assembly has spoken. Some would call for study and report and committees and more reports.

This is a call to action. One of the first actions is to call together a national summit of congregational leaders, both ministers and laity, and to hear from them how we as the church can work together and give congregations the assistance and encouragement they identify as needed.

Let’s pray for and work for congregational revitalization and renewal all across this land. And let’s not be distracted or diverted away from this call.

It seems to me that it is always fruitful to discuss Christian leadership. I hope many of the readers of this brief article will respond as they agree or disagree with these thoughts and hopefully add insights gained from their personal experience, study, and reflection. Rather than using a bunch of words that start with the same letter, I have chosen to use ten words that rhyme with "lead" as a device to tie this discussion together and to show a limited amount of cleverness.

I am indebted to many for any valuable insights you might gain and I am fully responsible for any errors. I admit to no originality but steal from so many it is hard to remember who to give the credit. I do remember however where this thought process began. It was through the leadership of Chuck Congram and his Difference Makers conferences a decade ago. Thank you, Chuck.

Christian leaders should FEED. The sheep need feeding. Those called to lead them are called to feed them. The problem is only babies and the infirmed should be spoon-fed. The maturing and mature should learn to feed themselves. That frees the shepherds to search for lost sheep and for disciple-making. Showing the sheep where the good pastures can be found is a role of leadership.

Christian leaders should HEED. Before they set a direction to lead and before they set an agenda for the sheep, they should be deep into God's Word and listening to the Spirit's direction. For those who preach, they should be willing to respond to the call of the text before they pass the call along in a message.

Christian leaders should PLEAD. Communications on every level should be calling the faithful to greater commitment, greater response, greater holiness, greater surrender, greater obedience, greater mission. The list of areas where our people need to grow and mature is virtually endless. The status quo is not the end of the race. We all need to be exhorted to greater faithfulness.

Christian leaders should BLEED. It's a matter of relationship and really connecting to the pain and suffering of our people. We should be fully sharing both the joys and the sorrows while always taking time to explore where God is in both.

Christian leaders also NEED. They need encouragement. They need prayer. They need Sabbath. They need affirmation of their gifts and support in the areas they are not gifted.

Christian leaders should READ. The thirst for wisdom from their Bibles and from other leaders should be a mark of all leaders. There is a power to a team or group working through a great book together. Processing great ideas leads to great leadership.

Christian leaders should SPEED. Okay, this might be a bit of a stretch. I don't mean reckless or careless speeding. I mean moving with urgency. Leaders can't be stopped with fear. They need to act in faith. No matter how tempting doing nothing sometimes can be, leaders are called to action.

Christian leaders should SEED. Planting seeds that others may harvest is one of the Kingdom's principles. Investing in future leaders is one of the most important responsibilities of any leader. Making disciples requires great sacrifice and patience. It also is a source of wonderful joy.

Christian leaders should BREED. While somewhat similar to seeding, breeding is the intentional actions required to activate organic growth – passing along leadership DNA to leaders-on-the-way, granting authority equal to the responsibility we want others to take on. Risking that potential leaders might do it a different way or even may fail a few times is a necessary part of bringing new leaders to maturity.

Christian leaders should WEED. It is true that good leaders should insure that only good projects and ministries are receiving investments of time, energy and resources. That is a huge challenge in many churches as "the way we have always done it" receives way too much support as opposed to "the way we are called to move forward". But an even tougher and more important idea is weeding out "good" things to make space for "great" ones. It is an attribute of the most effective leaders that they can "see" a preferred future and focus on the key steps to make it become a reality.

And so, Christian leaders should LEAD. Romans 12:8 is a call to those who are gifted as leaders to exercise the gift. We don't do it because it is easy or because it gains us power or popularity. We do it because it is the call placed on us with the gift provided. The Kingdom is too important to not give it our best.