As Amy and I sit on the couch watching TV, we often have the decision of what show do we want to watch together.  This isn’t because we disagree with what we want to watch, it’s because the walls are so thin at our Condo, we can hear our neighbors TV.  So we can listen to conflicting TV shows, or we can just watch what they are watching.  
My first question when I moved in was whether or not the walls were built to “Code” or not.  I thought there was no way that the walls could be that thin and meet building code requirements.  And yet, they do, the builder did actually meet the minimum “Code” requirements.

If you attended the Safe Sanctuary training recently, you heard me talk about this idea of “Building to Code.”  As I do side projects for families, they often tell me that they want to make sure that I meet “Code” requirements while doing the project for them.  I usually retort that they want me to build past building code requirements.  I explain that “Code” is the bare minimum, not the goal.

At Safe Sanctuaries Training, I likened this idea to our Safe Sanctuary policy.  Our policies are not our “goals”, but our minimum.  We should not be content with having two unrelated adults in a class room, but should strive to have one adult for every child in the class.  Our minimum requirement is to keep children, youth and volunteers safe, but our Goal should be to strive for excellence in our church. 

It is funny how many different areas of our Christian lives this “Code” analogy plays out.  
Many of us just strive to “meet code” when it comes to our quiet time and devotion time with God.  We want to do just enough to get the task done, but not enough to really be transformed by God’s word and calling on our lives.

Many of us just strive to “meet code” when it comes to tithing to the church.  Instead of seeing 10% as a minimum, we make it our goal.  We look at the budget listed in the bulletin and want to help make sure we meet budget, but often do not give beyond that.

This “Code” analogy can be played out with so many different areas:
Worship attendance
Sunday school attendance
Service and mission work
Volunteering our time in the church.

I can tell you by looking at Amy and my house…just building to Code should not be our goal.  Yes, the house meets safety requirements, but it doesn’t make it the nicest place to live.  We are often having to "deal" with the fact that the builder just got by with the minimum requirements.  Meeting "Code" doesn't necessarily mean that we live in the best house.  

I hope as a church, we do more than just the minimum.  I hope that meeting “Code” is not our goal.

What areas of your life are you simply striving to “Meet Code”?   

By Dan Hester
Leadership is a big buzzword in church circles these days. Seminaries have degree programs in leadership. Annual Conferences sponsor leadership training. Consultant gurus say that leadership is critical to church growth. This is a good discussion. I've received some good leadership training provided for me since graduating seminary. But the increase of the study of leadership has revealed several different camps of what good leadership looks like, and questions of what makes Christian leadership distinct from leading a bank, a public school, or a small business. 

I was excited to come across a succinct statement of Christian leadership that resonates with my own views as they have developed over the years. I offer it here to reveal my own thoughts, as a discussion starter, and as a devotional as I came across this passage in the book I'm currently reading devotionally. The book is called The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century. Written by Joan Chittister, the book provides modern reflection on a 1,500 year-old guide to Christian community in monasteries. She writes:

"Benedict's leaders are to birth souls of steel and light; they are to lead the group but not drive it; they are to live the life they lead; they are to love indiscriminately; they are to favor the good, not to favor the favorites; they are to call the community to the height and depth and breadth of the spiritual life; they are to remember and rejoice in their own weaknesses in order to deal tenderly with the weaknesses of others; they are to attend more to the spiritual than to the physical aspects of community life; and, finally, they are to save their own souls in the process, to be human beings themselves, to grow in life themselves." (p. 50-51)

That paragraph sums up much of what I try to do as a pastor. Any thoughts? 

By Dan Hester

Thanks for checking out the new web site. We created it to address multiple ideas. One aspect of the old site was that contributing to the site was cumbersome. This site will make it easier for staff and other contributors to edit content and tailor their pages to what is currently happening. 

Another reason for the change is current thinking about how web sites function for churches. Typically a web site is a church's front door. People who might visit us generally check the web site before they step foot on the property. So I hope you will find that our site is geared toward guests and not members. 

We're trying to keep the site relatively simple. Due to gearing the site towards visitors, we're not trying to provide complete information. Do more than six people really want to know that the study group for changing bathroom fixtures is meeting on Thursday? Hundreds of buttons and switches and options on a site may be good for CNN, but it can be overwhelming and confusing for someone who just wants to know a little about who we are. 

Hopefully this site will always be a work in progress. Let me now proclaim that the site is now and ever shall be imperfect. Nonetheless, the staff is excited about the possibilities it holds, the issues it addresses, and the conversations it can start. Check back often. Give us your feedback whether you are a guest or a member, and keep St. Andrew's UMC in your prayers.