Newsletter Thoughts May 24, 2025

Dear Friends,

In reading some of my Systems Academy notes this week, I came across this quote and laughed:

“Just because you bought a piano doesn’t mean you know how to play it.” Kathy Wiseman

Of course! She was referring to the propensity for us (humans) to learn just a little bit of a concept and then think we are experts. I’m sure you’ve experienced the “expertise” of a friend or family member who, with the help of “Dr. Google” knows everything there is to know about, well, anything.

I am often guilty of this, especially when it comes to aches and pains. When my doctor told me I needed surgery my first reaction was to tell him I’d have to think about it. Thinking about for me meant googling the issue. In this case everything I found confirmed what he said, so I called back to schedule the surgery. Even confirming this does not mean I am a doctor and know better than a doctor.

“Just because you bought a piano doesn’t mean you know how to play it.”

Another way this quote may describe us (humans) is that we are sometime hesitant to try things that we don’t know. In this sense, the piano is in the corner. I don’t know how to play it. So, I’ll just look at it. Never thinking about the availability of lessons and practice.

This week a document was issued by the ELCA about renewal of the church. It came from a task force that took a deep dive into the state of our church. I have not yet had a chance to review the document, but their first recommendation was all over social media this week.

Develop and provide widespread evangelism training for rostered leaders and ELCA members in a way that is natural for and fits ELCA theology and culture.

Evangelism. What does evangelism look like for us? Do we know how to do it? Is evangelism a word who’s meaning has changed so much that we shy away from it?

Maybe.

And maybe that is why this is the first recommendation. At its heart, evangelism, is simply sharing the good news. The world certainly needs the good news of God’s love.

I think that our newly discerned vision and mission are inherently about evangelism. But that still doesn’t mean we know exactly what to do. We can learn, and we can practice, and share our experiences, and learn some more. It all sounds like an adventure!

Happy Weekend,

Pastor Nancy