A Slight Detour: Hard Stuff in our History
We have been celebrating our church, but when we review history, there are also reminders of times that sadden us and of things that threaten the church. Here are four examples from the past. Perhaps readers can think of other hard stuff. The biblical story of God’s people also includes failures, flaws, reversals, detours, and disappointments. Thankfully, God is faithful. How can these incidents remind us that God always fulfills his purposes?
1. Personal preferences and hurts
In 1931, the pastor was R.C. Dahl, who had come to Pasadena from a church in Illinois. Dahl received an anonymous letter from a woman attending the church (not a member) criticizing his wife for being too worldly in her use of cosmetics. Dahl took this hard. He pressed from the pulpit for a public confession, and when it wasn’t forthcoming, announced that “God’s spirit had left the church.” He invited some select members to a group that would pray for the church. In 1935 he resigned to form a new church in Pasadena, and 25 members, mostly from that prayer group, left the church to join him. The close social fabric of friendship among the Swedish immigrants was torn; close friends ended up not talking with each other. Eventually, personal reconciliation happened under the leadership of the next pastor, C.J. Ledin, an older man with 40 years’ experience. When Dahl’s church folded after nine months, this time the Pasadena church was able to give their blessing to their friends from the prayer meeting when they decided to join a Swedish group on the west side of town (eventually Eagle Rock Mission Covenant Church).
This is a story of petty criticism and personal hurt. How can we do better in thinking the best of others, not the worst? How can we pursue reconciliation when there’s been a rift?
2. Differing convictions, passions, and agendas
In the 1960s the charismatic renewal movement was starting to spread, causing churches to wrestle with new ideas and practices. Father Dennis Bennett, priest at an Episcopal church in Van Nuys, was a seminal figure in the movement. Several families from Pas Cov went to his meetings and were drawn to what he spoke about: an empowering experience of the Holy Spirit subsequent to conversion, one that included speaking in tongues and exercising the gift of healing. Twenty-five or more from Pas Cov at various times attended meetings hosted by our members that focused on the gifts of the Spirit and this “second blessing.” Insisting that all Christians should have this empowerment, this group of members affected the church so much that the deacons (equivalent to today’s trustees) spent several months in 1963 preparing a more nuanced statement on the Holy Spirit as well as meeting with leaders of this group. The issue still threatened to divide the church and in fact, some people ended up leaving. However, loving and humble teaching from the pulpit on the power and gifting of the Holy Spirit, together with, over time, the gentle experience of the Holy Spirit’s gifting through people like Roland Tabell (in worship) and Chuck Kraft (through healing prayer), allowed Pas Cov to open its doors to renewal in a way that was biblically rooted, theologically nuanced, and Spirit affirming.
What are today’s issues that spark theological tension and threaten to create opposing groups? How can we hold fast to the Bible's authority in our lives and be open to our freedom in Christ about differences in interpretation and practice, while always maintaining the essentials of our faith, especially love? Who are the gentle, peace-loving, and prophetic leaders who can help us today?
3. Pastoral transitions
Pasadena Covenant has been blessed with many wonderful pastors, but they do not stay forever. The transition to a new pastor can be hard. One especially difficult transition was in the early 1970s. Arvid Carlson had pastored the church for 17 years, and then Paul Larsen for nine years when he left in 1971 for Peninsula Covenant in Redwood City. After this long period of stability, there were two years of challenge. The debacle began when the pastoral search committee had their first choice scuttled and then settled on their second choice too quickly. Coming from a smaller town in the Pacific Northwest, this new pastor found Pasadena much more urban than he and his family were comfortable with. To compound the difficulty, the congregation found his preaching insipid after the previous two decades of strong exposition. He lasted less than a year. But the damage to the community was done, and many people left the church. However, God was faithful again and this sad period in Pas Cov’s history was reversed when Mel White became the new pastor in 1974; the church grew to record attendance under his exciting preaching and worship leadership.
For better or for worse, we rely on a pastor. We expect warm pastoral care, excellent biblical preaching, and effective leadership. How should we respond when those expectations aren’t met? Walk away? Try something new? But the church is not a brand or product. The church is the people of God embarked on the mission of God. How can we better live into this identity, especially in times of disappointment with a pastor?
4. A changing city
The 1970s were a time of social change, as noted by a report from the Church Study Committee and included in the 50th anniversary brochure of Pasadena Covenant in 1972. The report referred to troubled times in the nation (changes in morality, an unpopular war, and student unrest) and declining church membership everywhere. It also described changes in Pasadena, including racial unrest, loss of tax revenue, underfinancing of public schools, more apartments vs. stand-alone houses, and white flight. The report asked a crucial question: “If our heritage tells us anything, it says that our predecessors were willing to change in order to reach out. They gave up a language and a cherished culture to reach their children and neighbors for the Lord. Can we do likewise?” This was written 50 years ago and it’s clear that Pas Cov answered this question with a yes; the church did change and continued to thrive. But each generation faces their own version of cultural and situational change.
What changes in our city, region, and nation are we experiencing now? How can the church respond to them, not with human reactions, but with confidence that God is present and working through every change?