Stone Soup
Recently, I was reminded of the story of Stone Soup. For those that do not know it or may need a refresher, I will give a quick summary of my favorite version of the telling of this story.
A man was traveling down a road and he became hungry. Having nothing to eat, he stopped by the nearest home and asked the family for some food. When they said they did not even have enough for themselves, he offered to them some stones so they could make stone soup. Intrigued, the family let him and they put a pot of water on for the soup. The man asked for some salt and pepper to be added to boost the flavors. The family obliged and became quite interested in the transformation. He then asked for some butter and onion powder to really boost the flavor of the stone soup. After that, he said that a few vegetables would make the soup amazing. After running to the cellar to get some carrots and potatoes, the family suggested that they get a chicken and add it as well. After the fresh chicken was prepared, the man and the family sat around the old pot-belly stove and shared stories while the soup simmered on the wood-burner. They family and their new friend enjoyed the dinner after it was cooked to perfection. Not leaving anything left, the kids practically licked the pot clean. The man knew it was time for him to depart so he fetched his stones from the pot and said his goodbyes. The family was so thankful and said that they would love to see him again.
I'll be blunt, the moral of the story is that the family did not need the stones to make the soup but instead they needed a visionary to help them see what was already right before them. The family was not ignorant or naive but they simply lacked the ability to discern how they might find a solution to their problem.
As a minister, I often feel as though I am simply just making my parishioners aware of what is already in front of them. This is true in my current setting as an interim pastor to a rural congregation. For the almost three years that I have been here, I have seen this church consider its past ministry to the community and I have watched them wrestle with the change in society that we are experiencing. In general, the vision going forward is quite similar to what they have been doing but also realizing that the changes that need to happen are entirely possible with the people and resources they already have. As the interim of this church, I simply feel as though I am the catalyst that helps the community realize that this change is possible and they have the ability to do it.
After I leave this position, my family and I will be moving back to our hometown about 45 minutes away and have felt called to start the conversation about God moving in a new way in that community. This building of relationships and time of discernment is going to be a church plant within the United Church of Christ. But what my wife and I offer through our ministry to the community is just a voice to a community that already has the ability to build on what they have, we feel that we are called to be the visionaries.
Often when we hear about church planting in the suburbs, we think of a CCM band and an auditorium. People try to put an attractional spin on what the church has been doing for centuries and it often fails. The mainline church has been in a downward spin for about 50 years and there is not any hope for that to automatically turn around. The last ditch effort by nondenominational churches and conservative denominations to just slap another layer of paint on this antiquated system is simply not the future of Christianity in America. What we need are visionaries to see what ingredients are already in our communities and to participate in what God is already doing. My wife and I are extremely humbled that God has called us to this work. We want to fully use our Spirit-given gifts for the community and we offer them as our stones to start this beautiful soup that we have envisioned for our town.
~~
Pastor Ryan
A man was traveling down a road and he became hungry. Having nothing to eat, he stopped by the nearest home and asked the family for some food. When they said they did not even have enough for themselves, he offered to them some stones so they could make stone soup. Intrigued, the family let him and they put a pot of water on for the soup. The man asked for some salt and pepper to be added to boost the flavors. The family obliged and became quite interested in the transformation. He then asked for some butter and onion powder to really boost the flavor of the stone soup. After that, he said that a few vegetables would make the soup amazing. After running to the cellar to get some carrots and potatoes, the family suggested that they get a chicken and add it as well. After the fresh chicken was prepared, the man and the family sat around the old pot-belly stove and shared stories while the soup simmered on the wood-burner. They family and their new friend enjoyed the dinner after it was cooked to perfection. Not leaving anything left, the kids practically licked the pot clean. The man knew it was time for him to depart so he fetched his stones from the pot and said his goodbyes. The family was so thankful and said that they would love to see him again.
I'll be blunt, the moral of the story is that the family did not need the stones to make the soup but instead they needed a visionary to help them see what was already right before them. The family was not ignorant or naive but they simply lacked the ability to discern how they might find a solution to their problem.
As a minister, I often feel as though I am simply just making my parishioners aware of what is already in front of them. This is true in my current setting as an interim pastor to a rural congregation. For the almost three years that I have been here, I have seen this church consider its past ministry to the community and I have watched them wrestle with the change in society that we are experiencing. In general, the vision going forward is quite similar to what they have been doing but also realizing that the changes that need to happen are entirely possible with the people and resources they already have. As the interim of this church, I simply feel as though I am the catalyst that helps the community realize that this change is possible and they have the ability to do it.
After I leave this position, my family and I will be moving back to our hometown about 45 minutes away and have felt called to start the conversation about God moving in a new way in that community. This building of relationships and time of discernment is going to be a church plant within the United Church of Christ. But what my wife and I offer through our ministry to the community is just a voice to a community that already has the ability to build on what they have, we feel that we are called to be the visionaries.
Often when we hear about church planting in the suburbs, we think of a CCM band and an auditorium. People try to put an attractional spin on what the church has been doing for centuries and it often fails. The mainline church has been in a downward spin for about 50 years and there is not any hope for that to automatically turn around. The last ditch effort by nondenominational churches and conservative denominations to just slap another layer of paint on this antiquated system is simply not the future of Christianity in America. What we need are visionaries to see what ingredients are already in our communities and to participate in what God is already doing. My wife and I are extremely humbled that God has called us to this work. We want to fully use our Spirit-given gifts for the community and we offer them as our stones to start this beautiful soup that we have envisioned for our town.
~~
Pastor Ryan
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