At the Vestry Retreat a week ago, Canon Alex Dyer (our Canon to the Ordinary, or Diocesan Executive Officer) began our time together by asking members of the Vestry to share with one another, “Why do you follow Jesus?” It’s a somewhat challenging question for some Episcopalians to answer! We’re only slightly more comfortable answering the question “Why do you go to church?” But our conversations were rich, and really set a tone for the next day-and-a-half.

The next morning, he pushed us to start asking, more broadly (with regard to the Vestry itself, as well as Good Shepherd): “What’s the ‘Why’ that stands behind what we do?” Coincidentally, it was a question that the Vestry had begun to consider at its February meeting. And its a question that will be prominent in all of our minds as we move through 2020! He introduced us to the concept of the “Golden Circle”, developed and articulated by Simon Sinek [Canon Alex used the TEDx talk found here: https://tinyurl.com/y8zq5ac8]

The challenge in the concept is to stop just doing things for the sake of doing them, but to ask the much deeper question of WHY do we do them? As one summary of the concept put it:

· WHAT — Every organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. These are the products they sell or the services they provide.

· HOW — Some organizations know HOW they do it. These are the things that make them special or set them apart from their competition.

· WHY — Very few organizations know WHY they do what they do. WHY is not about making money (or getting people into the pews). That’s a result. WHY is a purpose, cause or belief. It’s the very reason your organization exists.

For many folks—in and out of the Episcopal Church—the answer to “Why” is often “We’ve always done it that way before.” Canon Alex pointed out, however, (as I mentioned in my last Sheepskin article) that “doing things the same as before” assumes an unchanging environment. We, in the 21st century are experiencing anything but an unchanging environment. Everything seems to be in flux, and we can’t rely on the old assumptions to carry us forward.

The Vestry came away very aware that we (that is, all of us at Good Shepherd) needed to drill down in all areas of our church life to discern the “Why” that lays at the root of what we do. It’s not just a matter of “Why” Good Shepherd exists. What’s the “Why” for the Altar Guild? What’s the “Why” for our Youth and Children’s ministries? What’s the “Why” for our Outreach ministries? As the Golden Circle suggests, knowing the “Why” suggests the “How” and the “What”. But the “Why” is the reason people become engaged with a ministry, an endeavor, a brand. As Sinek points out in his TED talk, people were galvanized by Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream.” They probably wouldn’t have been so engaged if he’d said “I have a plan.”

As I mentioned above, the question of “Why?” Is one that will be prominent in many of our conversations in 2020. But, as we begin Lent, I think it’s a great question for reflection and meditation as we journey to Easter: "Why do I follow Jesus?” I think it’s also a great question to ask of one another at coffee hour, in committee meetings, while setting up for worship, before (or after) choir practice, or when serving at St. Clare’s.

Why? Let’s explore the answers!

Lenten blessings,

Fr. Gary +