Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Book Review

The Gifts of Serving in a Small Town Church

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A Book Review of Brad Roth’s Flyover Church

by Steve McCloskey, Pastor, Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship

© 2024 Menno Media

I grew up in the Washington DC Metropolitan area and as an adult served in urban and suburban churches in places that included: Philadelphia, PA, Columbus, OH, and somewhere in New Jersey that was so busy and hectic that I didn’t have time to learn the name. I now find myself to be a pastor serving at a slower pace, in a small church, in a small town, in the second-least populated state of the country, Vermont. 

Reading author and pastor Brad Roth’s book Flyover Church: How Jesus’ Ministry in Rural Places Is Good News Everywhere has helped illuminate the experience of rural ministry. The book’s title calls attention to the miles of land in North America (between the airports of major cities) that has been called “flyover country”.  

The phrase suggests that these places (and the people who inhabit them) are looked over, looked down upon, and in between the airports and important places—the cities and population hubs. 

The beautiful hills of Vermont are not the same landscape as the plains of Kansas, but I related to the rhythms of small-town pastoring that Roth describes in Chapter 2, particularly his description of being in the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that Jesus is shaped, formed, and prepared for ministry. It is in the wilderness that solitude is found. The wilderness can also be a place of loneliness and temptation, due to the remoteness of these regions (Roth calls it “the abyss”).  

Roth notes that many pastors (rural, urban, and suburban) hold the mindset that “real ministry” takes place in large churches, in populated areas connected to power and influence. Indeed, real ministry does take place in those places, but not only in those places. We in rural congregations need the reminder that real ministry is taking place in our small towns too–and that we offer gifts to the Body of Christ that may not be possible in the large cities.  

We may not see immediate impact in large numbers of souls; but numbers aren’t what ministry is all about; the Good Shepherd leaves behind the 99 sheep to find the one out in the wilderness. And in interacting with that one sheep, in that remote place, the shepherd is in a place of influence. Every person matters to Jesus—and small towns and small churches might be able to see that more clearly in a community where everyone knows each other’s name. 

It is in rural places that farms are possible, and large quantities of crops and livestock feed most of the world. Jesus modeled finding spiritual sustenance in rural places, too. In small, slow, quiet congregations in farm and mountain communities, deep relationships are possible in ways to which fast-paced metropolitan life doesn’t easily lend itself. Rural places can feed us—body, soul, and spirit. 

It is in rural places that the early Christian monastics (the desert fathers and mothers) chose to pursue the contemplative life. It is in “flyover country” that humility can be cultivated and matured; we receive less of the often-distracting social reinforcement found in cities, and instead, we encounter ourselves and the Spirit of God in solitude. 

As I read Roth’s phrase “Where Am I?” in Chapter 1, I found myself called to the gift of being fully here, present to where I am, in the moment. As I read on, I began circling almost every use of the word “here” in the book, noticing how much being “here” is implicit in the call to ministry, wherever we are. 

The quietness of rural life presents an opportunity to attune to the present moment and place where we find ourselves. There is less traffic, noise, and distraction. We are rooted somewhere that can be a refuge and sanctuary from the hurried pace of noise-polluted places. We, in the rural places, in “flyover churches,” can offer retreat to those in the urban areas when their souls need respite. 

Roth draws on personal experiences that include the Pike Place market in Seattle to reading J.D. Vance’s best-selling Hillbilly Elegy to make sense of himself as a pastor in his Kansas context. But he draws even more from the Gospel according to Mark, highlighting Jesus’ ministry in the Galilean agrarian hillsides and wilderness as one resonates with rural life.  

Flyover Church offers a relatable, thoughtful read for anyone interested in the flourishing of churches—urban, suburban, or rural. Even in “flyover country”, we are called into the Good News of the kingdom of God, and the recognition that, wherever we are, God is here.  

Steve McCloskey

Steve McCloskey (M. Div, MPA) serves as the Pastor of Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship in Vermont. Steve is a volunteer firefighter, recurring columnist for the Vermont Standard, a recovering sinner and disciple of Jesus, and father of Jacob and Silas. Steve enjoys hiking, praying, and exploring the hills of New England and occasionally playing Nintendo Switch with his kids and their friends.

Humility as a Way of Life

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BOOK REVIEW

by Danilo Sanchez

Editor’s Note: Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards will be the 2024 Mosaic Conference Assembly worship preacher and will spend time with Mosaic leaders throughout the weekend. The following is a review of his most recent book.  

I was intrigued when the theme of humility was announced as the focal point for Mosaic’s 2024 Conference Assembly. In this difficult time of division and polarization, where healthy dialogue is rare, humility is greatly needed.  

At the Mennonite Church USA Convention in 2023, Moderator Jon Carlson named our tendencies toward certainty and what happens when we talk with someone who we believe is fundamentally wrong. We get stuck and we draw lines. Humility invites us to consider that we could be wrong and invites us into curiosity about the person with whom we disagree. 

In Rev. Dr. Edwards’ book Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character, he describes humility as a way of life. We must embody it and make it part of our character. Biblical humility has a trajectory that begins with submission to God and moves toward embodiment in all areas of life.  

Humility Illuminated

As I read the first chapter of the book, the word ‘yieldedness’ or gelassenheit, from our Anabaptist tradition, came to my mind. It is an open surrendering that is both spiritual and physically embodied. We yield to Christ and to the community of faith. It includes admitting that we don’t have all the answers, and it may include surrendering our voice or will to the larger faith community as the way of Christ is discerned together.  

This posture and way of life takes practice, perhaps a lifetime. Dr. Edwards names repentance and fear of the Lord as part of humility and yielding to God; a reminder that we serve an awe-some and holy God. 

In Chapter 5, Dr. Edwards describes leadership as shepherding. Drawing from the life of Jesus, he makes many biblical connections between humility and all that shepherding entails. Jesus is the good shepherd who leads, guides, and cares for us when we are weak. 1 Peter 5 reminds us that leaders do not lord their power over others but humbly demonstrate love. In a culture that can be focused on power and fame, this scripture is an important reminder of how we are called to wield our power and influence. 

Dr. Edwards describes how leaders are called to foster mutuality and a sense of unity. As leaders we can become self-reliant or self-assured in our knowledge and experience. Humble leadership invites us to be vulnerable, admit to our church members that we struggle, and allow ourselves to be prayed rather than only praying for others.  

There is much for us to learn about humility from Dr. Edwards in his latest book. I look forward to the ways that Dr. Edwards will enrich and bless our community during the November 2, 2024, Mosaic Conference Assembly.  

Danilo Sanchez

Danilo Sanchez is the Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation for Mosaic Conference. Danilo Sanchez lives in Allentown with his wife Mary and two daughters. He is a pastor at Ripple and leads in the areas of leadership development, discipleship, and teaching.

Inspiring Books on Spiritual Reading and Commitment 

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“What an astonishing thing a book is,” writes Carl Sagan, who captures my love and appreciation for books quite well. “It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”   

Here are two of the magic-working, shackle-breaking, people-binding books that I’ve been reading lately: 

Eugene Peterson’s Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading  

I recently read this as part of the Mosaic Institute class I’m teaching called “Formed By Scripture.” In this rich and beautifully written book, Peterson argues that the way we read the Bible is as important as that we read it. Do we read the Bible for information about God and salvation, for principles and “truths” that we can use to live better? Or do we read it in order to listen to God and respond in prayer and obedience?   

In typical Peterson-style, Eat This Book is written with warmth and wisdom, offering readers greatly needed, down-to-earth counsel on reading the Scriptures on their own terms, as God’s revelation. He discusses the nature of language, the practice of lectio divina, the role of translations, and how to engage in the formative, life-changing art of spiritual reading.   

This book is the fruit of decades of reading, pondering, conversing about, praying over, and living the biblical story. If you are going to read a book about how to read “The Book,” it’s hard to do better than this one. 

David Brooks’s The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life  

Every so often you meet people who radiate joy, who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape.   

They get out of school, start a career, and begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view…unsatisfying. They realize, “This wasn’t my mountain after all.” There’s a different, better mountain out there for them to pursue. And so, they embark on a new journey.   

On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment, this time to the things with lasting value.   

In The Second Mountain, Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: (1) to a spouse and family, (2) to a vocation, (3) to a faith, and (4) to a community. He argues that our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments.  

I resonated with the book’s central premise and found its discussion on the four commitments that make a meaningful life to be thought-provoking and reflection-generating. This is a book worth pondering.  

Disarmingly Effective 

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Book Review of: Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael “MJ” Sharp 

© 2022 Menno Media

The first words of the tribute to Michael “MJ” Sharp are disarming, “There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” The brutal death, likely assassination, of MJ Sharp at age 34 while working for the United Nations Group of Experts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), urging rebels to lay down their weapons, is also disarming, in many ways.  

In the book, Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael “MJ” Sharp, Marshall King gets to the heart of the disarming mission that cost Sharp and his colleague, Zaida Catalán, their lives on March 12, 2017. At the outset, King wrote, “I never felt that I would be the one to unravel this international murder mystery, and I did not attempt it in this book.”  Instead, King wants to help the reader understand why Sharp felt called to be in, “the country that remains one of the world’s poorest and most dangerous places to live.”  

The reader is taken on a journey through Sharp’s life: raised in a Mennonite home in Indiana with Mennonite pacifist values and ethics grounded in the Sermon on the Mount. Sharp attended Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and was a good student and athlete. However, sprinkled in this traditional Mennonite upbringing was a flare for flashy cars and over-the-top pranks, an attraction for cards and gambling, and a restlessness with the safe and traditional. A professor and advisor at EMU said that Sharp, “thrived on risks.”  

King guides us as Sharp comes of age with friends and girlfriends, travels and adventures, times of exuberance and depression, always following a thread of peacemaking – daring, disarming peacemaking. Sharp did peacemaking stints in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine. Eventually, Sharp accepts the invitation of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representatives, Suzanne and Tim Lind, to teach nonviolent ways of peacemaking.

This invitation leads Sharp to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he will serve, learn, and die. King provides a bit of Congolese history and his own pessimistic understanding of the DRC and situation in which Sharp operated, with layers of violence, corruption, and distrust among groups. In contrast, King presents Sharp’s optimistic approach to engaging combatants, government officials, rebel leaders, with his working belief, “You can always listen.”  

Sharp’s approach included: arriving on a motorcycle, not in a motorcade; speaking French along with self-taught Swahili, not just English; respecting each person with whom he talks – listening to them; speaking up and speaking out when he saw injustice and unjust treatment. Sharp proved to be disarmingly effective. King follows Sharp’s successes in the DRC that will lead him deeper into conversations and investigations, eventually deeper into the bush for his final walk.  

MJ’s family and friends also have their part the book. An account of John and Michele Sharp, MJ’s parents, seeking answers about MJ and Zaida from officials as high up as UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is poignant. Others recalled how they marveled at MJ’s combination of wit and intellect, humor, and humility.

At the end, King cannot help himself as he probes the “What happened?” question, including a chapter with information gathered and disinformation circulated about Sharp’s last mission. Who can meet this young man – so concerned with justice and just treatment of others – and not want to “seek justice” for his and Zaida’s deaths?                  

King invites full engagement with Sharp who ended up in one of the world’s challenging places to make peace. King also invites us to consider our place in the world of peacemaking and to find our place to be peacemakers today.

Marshall V. King, author, will be preaching at Salford Mennonite Church (Harleysville, PA) on Sunday, June 19, at 9:30am.  

Join Marshall V. King, author, at a book signing and presentation on Sunday, June 19, from 2-3:30pm at Mennonite Heritage Center.   

Imagine … Conflict as a Gift

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The Space Between Us: Conversations about Transforming Conflict by Betty Pries (Herald Press, 2021)

Image… a church board, a work team, or a congregation engaged in difficult conversations, who disagrees yet does it with respect and intentional listening, and calls conflict “a gift.” Imagine … where conflict is a gift, there is an opportunity to understand ourselves better, to discover empathy for others, to build deeper and more meaningful relationships. Imagine … conflict that leads us toward developing healthier relationships and communities.

Differences exist. Don’t we know it! As a people of peace. with curiosity and acknowledgment of our differences, we hope to build respectful relationships. Of course, it is not easy. Difficult topics, especially those that involve our beliefs, practices, accountability, and policies, are not easy to maneuver. It is challenging to believe that I am one with those whom I continue to fundamentally disagree.

In his book, Daily Meditations, Richard Rohr writes,

“There are three things in life of which we can be assured: The first is that we are beloved. Regardless of what we have done in our lives or what has been done to us, this truth remains: We are beloved. We are worthy. Second, suffering will come. Life does what life does. In one fashion or another suffering will be thrust on us. This includes the suffering of conflict. And finally, third, when we are in our time of suffering a hand will reach toward us to pull us back to life. That hand may be a community, a friend, a stranger in line at the grocery store…”

I believe a book, such as The Space Between Us, can also be a hand that will pull us back to life.

In The Space Between Us: Conversations about Transforming Conflict, author Betty Pries, a mediator and facilitator, guides readers toward seeing conflict as an opportunity for personal growth, deeper self-knowledge, and a way to build resilience. Rooted in the conviction that conflict can strengthen our relationships and deepen our self-knowledge, Pries offers practical skills rooted in Christian practices of mindfulness, connecting with our most authentic selves and deep listening, to uncover new possibilities for engaging conflict and casts a vision for a more joy-filled future.

As we transform conflict, the space between us is transformed just as the space between us is healed.

Imagine … a book that gently guides, leads with helpful examples, and gives practical suggestions. A book to read, keep on your shelf, share with your church board, and reread. A free online study guide by Karen Cornies is also available through Herald Press and might allow for your entire congregation to read the book together. I personally give the book a 5-star recommendation.

On Being Community in the Time of a Plague

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I’ve been doing some ongoing reading to help root my leadership and response as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.  N.T. Wright is a widely respected, Anglican theologian from the United Kingdom.  This summer, I picked up his short response to the pandemic from last year, entitled, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath (Zondervan, 2020).  Initially, I listened to the audio version on my drive to MennoCon this summer in July, but I also bought a hard copy for further investigation.  

N. T. Wright is a helpful guide in this time.  The short book began through a provocation from Time magazine for a response to the pandemic.  At only 76 pages, it’s a quick read, and at only five hours, a quick listen as well.  

Wright is not an easily moved character.  He’s deeply rooted in both the history of the church and Biblical narrative.  I appreciate his steadiness in the face of conspiracy, polarity, and emotion.  Wright reminds us that pandemics and plagues happen.  They are part of our human story and experience. He invites us to both intentional lament and response that takes the time seriously, to extend the witness of Christ.   

In the past, the church has responded to plague and pandemic with care for the most vulnerable.  This is the consistent invitation of Jesus toward those of us who follow in the Way.  This is not a disconnect.  The church’s history of care is retold in the book.   

Book Cover © Copyright 2021 by HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Wright also suggests that much of the Western healthcare concept began within the care of the church.  This is important to remember when we consider our faithful response.  The church collectively, and Christians individually, are invited to be part of the healing of the world in physical, spiritual, psychological and social realms.  Wright urges us to not cede this space of healing to institutions outside of the church itself in the day of state-sponsored healthcare like in the UK, or in our context of large, corporate, non-profit and for-profit structures.  The church is about healing, and caring for the most vulnerable. 

“The call to Jesus’ followers, then, as they confront their own doubts and those of the world through tears and from behind locked doors, is to be sign-producers for God’s kingdom.” -N.T. Wright, God and the Pandemic, pg. 64. 

A second observation of caution is the possibility of increased privatization of religious practice through our move to online worshipping communities.  While some of this critique may be generational (Wright is 72 years old), I find resonance in his invitation to maintain a faithful, real-time presence. The virtual world is a realm where the proclamation of Christ is necessary too.  Contemporary technology allows us to extend into more spaces and places than we could have imagined, even pre-pandemic.  At the same time, there’s something sacred in the real time gathering of faithful people face-to-face.  This is a both/and – not an either/or – for our future. 

Wright gives us a helpful charge and grounding with this book.  Though already dated, as it was published in 2020 and the pandemic has persisted beyond what the writer had gauged, I appreciate the reflection that Wright offers and the space it helps hold open for the church to respond in ways that extend the faithful witness of Christ into a tumultuous time. 

This will not be the last pandemic in the human story. We clearly are not yet through this variation of plague and pandemonium.  The challenge remains for us to continue in faith, hope, and love in the way of Christ, empowered by the Spirit to extend peace in our worship and witness, in our healing and steadiness in times of trial and turmoil.   

A study guide accompanies Wright’s book, to use with small groups or your congregation. 

How Will You Measure ‘Success’ as a Pastor?

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How will you measure “success” as a pastor? This question was posed to me by Jim Lapp in my pastoral credentialing interview sixteen years ago.  It was a poignant, thought-provoking question – one that I’ve continued to reflect on numerous times since then.

In reading James Lapp’s recent memoir, Remember Who You Are: Reflections on Identity, Leadership, and Faith, this question, again, bubbled to the surface for me.  Lapp’s story gives testimony to several ingredients of “success” in life, as well as pastoral ministry, including:

Remember Who You Are: Reflections on Identity, Leadership, and Faith
  • Taking “Long-View” of Christian Faith – Lapp looks back in reflecting on the numerous influences that have helped to shape his Christian faith, and sense of call to pastoral ministry – including his family-of-origin, church community, schools, and life experiences.  Lapp also looks forward in expressing his hope that faith in Christ continues to shape and guide future generations.
  • Wisdom – The depth of Lapp’s wisdom and insight is evident throughout the book in the way he offers keen reflections on marriage, pastoral ministry and identity, leadership, conflict, change, grief, etc.  I particularly appreciated his chapter, “Saving the Mennonite Church” – wise words for us, today!

  • Humility – While Lapp has held various significant roles in the Mennonite Church, he describes these leadership positions in a spirit of humility.   I also appreciate his humility in his willingness to honestly admit mistakes and name regrets.  He devotes three chapters under the title, “Faux Pas.”  Lapp’s humility is evident, as well, in how he highlights ways that his faith has grown and evolved over the years.  In the chapter, “Theological Trajectories,” he helpfully articulates eight themes where he’s experienced movement in his faith perspectives. 
  • Humor – While this would not be the first word I’d use to describe Lapp, the book gives witness to his sense of humor, and “playful spirit.”  From childhood pranks (e.g. rubbing alcohol in a water pistol with matches), to disguising as an FBI officer in a phone call with his father, to “overlaps,” to his “flattop rebellion” .. there are lots of entertaining stories in this book!
  • Gratitude – There is an authentic spirit of gratitude to God for the gift of life and all that life offers throughout the book.  In fact, many of the chapters end with prayers highlighting the words, “Thanks be to God for…”
  • Passion for Justice – Lapp articulates this passion in a number of areas, generously giving credit to ways that his family members have helped to fuel these passions in him.
  • Well-Rounded Life – I learned of the vast-array of interests Lapp has, including: cooking and baking, traveling (e.g. a fascinating trip around the world), walking faithfully and briskly every day, biking, singing, and paragliding with his granddaughter when Lapp turned 70!  
  • Love God/Love Others – Undergirding the broad sweep of this book is Lapp’s deep love for God, his family, friends, the church, and God’s creation.  I found the chapters, “A Tribute to Nancy,” and “Falling in Love Again!” to be particularly heartfelt and moving.

I am grateful to Jim Lapp for sharing the gift of these engaging, humorous, honest, and insightful reflections – giving testimony, in a spirit of grace and humility, to what “success” truly looks like in pastoral ministry and life!

Editor’s Note: To purchase a copy of Lapp’s memoir, Remember Who You Are, send a check (payable to Jim Lapp) for $18 ($15 plus $3 for mailing) with your mailing address to Jim Lapp, 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Orders or questions can be directed to Mim Book at miriamfbook@gmail.com.