Let’s begin with our denominational bonds and our relations with other denominational churches. I’m Presbyterian but, regardless of the denomination of which you are a part, you know that we have all suffered strains in our relationships within our denomination and among our denominations. A simple action that any church leader could take would be to have a lunch of humor. Invite several clergy to have lunch together. This could either be within your denomination or an ecumenical group of clergy. Each type of group has both its advantages and challenges. Whatever you choose, make sure that there is theological diversity among the group.
The size of the group could vary but I would suggest that a group of twenty or less would be a good beginning. When it is that size of group, all can participate and the mechanics are not too difficult. For the sake of ease of hearing and privacy, I would suggest that you have the gathering in a comfortable church building and ask for some volunteer cooks in that congregation to prepare your meal. That would surely be a gracious act that most congregations could accomplish if the group was of reasonable size.
Find someone who is good at telling jokes to open the meeting with some good humorous stories. Having informed the guests ahead of time to bring some good humorous stories, now invite each participant to share their best religious joke.
For the second round, invite them to share a humorous story that they have experienced in their own ministry. The leader should have a set of his or her jokes and stories, but the objective is to get as many clergy as possible to contribute.
For the third round, after they are in a humorous mood, remind the participants of Jesus’ experience related above about gnats and camels. Invite the participants to name some of the “gnats” and some of the “camels” that are part of their ministry. What are the things that people get overly serious about that in the larger scheme of things are not that important? What are some of the important things that sometimes can get overlooked?
Food and laughter can be healing contributors to any community. If a judicatory were able to arrange several of these lunches across their denomination, it would build better relationships that would help when the more difficult issues arise. The same could be true for ecumenical gatherings within a given community.
