Stability

During my annual address to the parish earlier this month, I talked about parish life and St. Paul’s new mission statement from the perspective of the three vows of Benedictine monasticism: stability, obedience and conversion of life. Over the course of Lent, I will focus on each of the vows and then on our mission and core values.

Let’s start with stability. This vow is central to the lives of monks and nuns in the Benedictine tradition who commit to remaining in one place and community for their entire lives. Since they cannot leave without breaking their vow, they must learn to live, work and pray in healthy and holy ways and hold mutual responsibility for the well-being of the community.

How might we apply the vow of stability to the vast majority of Christians who do not live in monastic communities but participate in local churches? In the late 1980s, the Rev. Robert Gallagher, an Episcopal priest, created a series of models to help congregations deepen their life of faith. One of these models, Benedictine Promise and Parish Development, illustrates how the three monastic vows can shape a congregation.

He describes the vow of stability for a congregation in this way. People choose to participate in a church because they find God in the relationships and patterns of that particular congregation’s life. Therefore, they focus on creating healthy and holy relationships which strengthen the community. This includes the speedy incorporation of new people as well as teaching members how to restore relationships when tensions and divisions inevitably arise. Believing that members of the congregation have been called by Jesus to live, pray, and work together, parish culture is intentionally centered in worship and prayer which equips people to deepen faith and live a Christian life. The vow of stability further requires parishioners to be accountable to and for each other. Therefore, parish leaders must create structures and processes that encourage mutual responsibility for the common life of the community. 

If we apply the vow of stability and Gallagher’s model to St. Paul’s, we might describe our parish this way. We understand St. Paul’s to be “our church” not “my church.” We find spiritual fulfillment by focusing on the needs of the whole community. This means we seek to deepen relationships by sharing in each other’s lives, delighting in each blessing and holding space for every sorrow. For this to happen, we commit to showing up in order to be present with our siblings in Christ in worship, formation, fellowship, and ministry. We seek to meet and connect with those we do not know, and we invite and welcome new people with an open, inclusive, and loving spirit. We commit to working through our differences, recognizing that each of us is an important part of the Body of Christ in this place and at this time.

All of which leads to a shared responsibility for the life and vitality of St. Paul’s. Let’s save that for next week when I reflect on the second Benedictine vow of obedience.