A friend of Dave and mine who belongs to our Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Redwood City, CA heard that we were planning a listening tour to Racine, Wisconsin. She said, “Oh, my uncle is a retiring Evangelical Minister there. Would you like to speak with him?” We said, “Absolutely!” And thus began an enthusiastic exchange of emails and phone calls with Pastor Jerry.
His first email included the following: “I would love to spend lots of time with them and this worthy project they are undertaking. Feel free to have them contact me. Hopefully I can help, answer questions, point them or introduce them to some people here in the very diverse city of Racine. I so agree that we need so much more listening and understanding in this very diverse country of ours.
Another email from Jerry included: “Again, let me say how great this listening tour idea is. I am delighted to help out and be a part of it.”
As the weeks narrowed to our departure, Jerry managed to arrange eight meetings for us with a variety of people in Racine that represented a cross section of occupations, ethnicities, and political and (to a degree) religious outlooks. And all of this on top of planning and leading a mission trip to Bolivia for ten days in September. By August 30th Dave and I agreed, if nothing else came through, Jerry’s arrangements would assure the success of our Listening Tour -- we would certainly learn a lot.
By the time we met Pastor Jerry and his wife Jane on a Saturday afternoon in their ranch house living room, we were exceedingly grateful and eager to begin our conversation. In all we met Jerry and Jane this afternoon, had dinner (see Blog Breaking Bread with Jane and Pastor Jerry), went to Grace Church together on Sunday, Jerry joined us for three conversations on Tuesday and we sat together in our RV for a 60 minute bonus theological conversation where we tried to clear up a few topics that had come up in the previous conversations.
His first email included the following: “I would love to spend lots of time with them and this worthy project they are undertaking. Feel free to have them contact me. Hopefully I can help, answer questions, point them or introduce them to some people here in the very diverse city of Racine. I so agree that we need so much more listening and understanding in this very diverse country of ours.
Another email from Jerry included: “Again, let me say how great this listening tour idea is. I am delighted to help out and be a part of it.”
As the weeks narrowed to our departure, Jerry managed to arrange eight meetings for us with a variety of people in Racine that represented a cross section of occupations, ethnicities, and political and (to a degree) religious outlooks. And all of this on top of planning and leading a mission trip to Bolivia for ten days in September. By August 30th Dave and I agreed, if nothing else came through, Jerry’s arrangements would assure the success of our Listening Tour -- we would certainly learn a lot.
By the time we met Pastor Jerry and his wife Jane on a Saturday afternoon in their ranch house living room, we were exceedingly grateful and eager to begin our conversation. In all we met Jerry and Jane this afternoon, had dinner (see Blog Breaking Bread with Jane and Pastor Jerry), went to Grace Church together on Sunday, Jerry joined us for three conversations on Tuesday and we sat together in our RV for a 60 minute bonus theological conversation where we tried to clear up a few topics that had come up in the previous conversations.
Jerry’s Early Life
Jerry was born and grew up in Panama. His grandmother was “fairly dark, Indian” and came from southern Panama. His grandfather was born in Costa Rica, was “very white, educated, European.” He moved to Panama to start local schools. They met, married and Jerry’s mother was born in 1927. His grandparents lived through the US building of the canal.
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| Hometown, Panama City, Panama |
Jerry’s father was raised in rural east Texas. He arrived in Panama with the Air Force during WWII. “He met my mom at a USO dance,” Jerry recalls. He left the service but continued to work for the Canal and they chose to stay in Panama because of the quality of life and “hardship” tropical bonus on top of standard government salaries. Not long after they were married Jerry’s father took his bride to “Jim Crow-era rural east Texas.” Jerry relates that, “My dad’s dad and his sister were just brutal toward my mom. “‘Why’d you do that for?’” Jerry imitates them asking. “My mom was a real trooper” is a comment Jerry repeats several times during the afternoon.
Jerry was born in 1946, oldest of four siblings. He recalled, “I was the one most immersed in the culture.” A live-in maid “who was part of the family,” his mom and the “celebrating all of the traditions with [my mom’s] family” resulted in Jerry being bilingual and bicultural. The canal zone in the 50’s and 60’s was very comfortable. Jerry recalls it being a surprise when he visited the south and moved to Kentucky in the mid 60’s for college to experience segregation. “The best ball player on our little league team was African American. And many of the service men had married Hispanic gals.” Jerry explains, “The canal zone was a unique animal. Own hospital, court system, a little America. An idyllic life. My mom’s family was just cross the border, literally a street. I was back and forth in Panama all of the time.”
Church and a Vocational Calling
The Protestant church in the Military Zone became the hub of Jerry and his family’s life. Jane interjects, “When the doors opened [Jerry’s family] was there.” Jerry explains the various churches and denominations in the Canal Zone and outside of the Zone in Panama City. Their church attracted all of the missionaries who were located throughout Panama when they were in the city as well as “everyone who was protestant with evangelical stripes.” The exception, he pointed out were the Southern Baptists who “would not even join our youth activities. They just kept to themselves.” He also emphasized the rare fact that the pastor was civilian despite the church being in the military portion of the Canal Zone. “Military chaplains rotated so much they could never build a community.” This pastor became an important mentor to Jane and Jerry and eventually married them.
Jerry’s mom was raised in the “narrow, rigid, Latin Catholic” of the canal zone. “Only the priest could tell you want the Bible said and what you could believe.” “When she met my dad he was an evangelical Christian who probably wasn’t practicing as well as he should have been. Okay, Let’s put it that way. She received a bible. My mom was educated, she went to some college and worked as a secretary. So she started reading the Bible and, in our terms, she became converted; became born again.”
Jane’s Early Life
Jane’s father’s family settled in Junction City, Georgia. It was “literally a railroad crossing with one stoplight.” Her mother’s family was from a small farming town in northern Indiana. “My mom was a nanny who went to work for a couple in Junction City.” They were married. Her father served in the Air Force and after WWII he stayed in and moved the family many times: Alabama, England, Alabama, and finally to Panama. They stayed there for about 20 years before retiring to the US. The family lived in seven homes, moving every two years or so. Jane explains as she looks around their home, “It taught me simple is fine.”Jane recalls these as “wonderful growing up years.” She loved the church. And over the years convinced all but her 6-year-older brother to attend. “Eventually my mom got involved.” Up until then on Sundays, her mom was responsible for cooking “my dad’s traditional southern chicken dinner."
Sweethearts, God’s calling and College
Jerry met Jane when she was five. Their families were close. Eventually, as Jane sums it up: “We were in love. Broke up. Dated other people. Got back together. And married young, at 22 and 20.”
God’s Calling
They tell of both being called by God to be Vocational “on the same day in the same ‘special meeting.’” They explain that a “vocational” calling is to make God’s work “your livelihood.” The three choices for Vocational Service are to become a pastor, a missionary or perform Christian Education. “I knew this was my calling to serve the lord in a vocational sense. It was a vocational call. I’m going to be a minister for my livelihood. At that point I didn’t know what that would look like.”
Peter: Did you know going into that meeting that this was going to happen?
Peter: Did you know going into that meeting that this was going to happen?
Jerry: No. It’s not like this was foreign to me. I had seen a lot of good people who were kind of like mentors and people we looked up to. So that is a stake in the ground for the rest of my life.
Jane: Actually my dad said to me on the way home in the car ride, “So you think you’ll become a missionary?” I said, “Well I don’t know. I’m willing. I’d be happy to be.”
Jane: Actually my dad said to me on the way home in the car ride, “So you think you’ll become a missionary?” I said, “Well I don’t know. I’m willing. I’d be happy to be.”
Peter: So what did your dad think?
Jane: Oh, he was supportive. He was just wondering.
Peter: So this was not something that you checked in with your father before hand.
Jane: Oh, no. This was a calling.
College
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| College in Kentucky |
Jerry received his BA from Asbury University, a Christian school in Wilmore, Kentucky, southwest of Lexington. Jane and Jerry’s sister also attended. This school was recommended by their Panama pastor. “Most kids went to the States for their education,” Jerry explains. “My father was so faithful. Every Sunday he’d write me a letter and I’d find it in my mailbox on Wednesday.”
‘64 Riots in Panama
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| The Green was US territory, splitting Panama in two |
Jerry recounts how “Zonies were very patriotic. [In the Zone] they took down the flag at 5pm. You’d stop your car and get out and honor the flag. In the movie theater you’d stand and salute the flag. In the high school Jerry describes, “We had ROTC. 95% of guys took ROTC. Every morning an ROTC unit in full uniform would march out to raise the flag. It was great for leadership and discipline. I was in charge on a rotating basis.”
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| Riots which began at Jane and Jerry's High School |
After Kennedy’s assassination the order was modified to take down US flags at schools, but not fly Panamanian flags there either. No one was happy. Zonian students at Jerry and Jane’s school defied the school administration and walked out of class, raised an American flag, and set up sentries to protect it. Angry Panamanian youth came to raise their own Panamanian flag. In the ensuing tussle the Panamanian flag was torn and all hell broke loose. Cars were rolled, looting started and the riots raged for three days, 22 Panamanians and four US Soldiers were killed and the day is commemorated currently as “Martyrs’ Day.”
Peter (to Jerry): You had family on both sides. How did it feel?
Peter (to Jerry): You had family on both sides. How did it feel?
Jerry: I didn’t feel good. Saddened. It shouldn’t have happened. The bigger question was should we have turned [the Canal] over. They’re just not capable to run the canal: culturally, educationally. The second question is can they protect it. My side of the family thought that it was a bad idea to give it over to Panama because so much of the economy depended on that canal. Employed lots and lots of people, good jobs, good paying jobs.
Jane: It didn’t take too long for us to realize that it made total sense for them to have it. At least in my mind. Because it’s like having another country right up and down the Mississippi River.
Jerry: And by the way, Panama today is thriving. Copa Airlines has become a major airline. And then banking is huge. Of course the problem is that they are laundering drug money.
Vocational Calling, the Work
After their marriage Jane was going to work as a teacher to support Jerry through seminary. But a job offer was revoked when Jane told her employer she was pregnant. They regrouped and returned to Panama. Jane “had a really good job,” Jerry recalls. She was working for a small company working to computerize the scheduling of the Canal. “She was treated royally!”
Back in Panama
Jerry for his part became a part time youth pastor in his “home” church. But with entrepreneurial energy he talked his way into a role, on the Canal Government payroll, creating youth activities for American civilians and the military through the Boy Scouts, youth church groups, etc. He laughs as he says, “So I was doing church work on the Government’s dime!”
Peter: Did that make you feel guilty at all?
Jerry, without missing a beat: No. Not at all. No not one bit at all. I was doing [the Youth Advisor to the Governor] a favor. The military came and said can you do something for us? So I was able to do stuff for the military chaplain. I was able to bring a group of young adults on the Governor's yacht to transport the youth with soda and all!
Path to Senior Pastor
Jerry recalls that it took Jane and him a while to “sort out” God’s calling for their vocation.
Jerry: I knew I needed education and graduate education. I knew I needed experience. And I had to sort out who I am, which of these three [Pastor, Missionary, Christian Education] I am. We would say God guided us through that process. I knew at 17 [of my Vocational Calling] and I became Senior Pastor at 29. During that time I got a bachelor's and two master's and I got experience as an assistant pastor. So I had education and experience. And then it took Jane and I being in this together. We thought it would be missionary because of our language and the fact we knew the culture. If I were God that is the job description I would write. But basically it was a communication gap.
Jerry relates the situation. He has received and accepted a job as a missionary in Costa Rica. But his acceptance letter is never received by the organization. And Jerry and Jane can’t wait around. “I had two kids and I needed to make a decision.” So at the same time a Church in Illinois had also made Jerry an offer as an Assistant Pastor. “So I took it.” Jerry is careful to explain to us that in his view this was “God guiding the process.” But he is aware that we may view it as a “coincidence.”
Here in our conversation Jerry shares, “When I speak to young people I say to them, if you can do something else, by all means do it. Only if you don’t think you can do anything else because of the Call should you pursue the Vocation.”
Jerry: We were very happy in the Illinois church. I was the assistant pastor. I clicked with the new pastor. This is part of my view of life and God being sovereign. God has led us sovereignly. Now we can flub that up, get what I’m saying? I don’t want you to get the impression that infallible man are always moving in God’s plan.
But in Racine, Grace Church (part of the German Baptist (now called Northern Baptist) Conference) was looking for a new Senior Pastor. Two of the search committee members (in Baptist Churches the congregation chooses to Call its ministers) sat in a 2000 seat auditorium next to a pastor who was a mentor to Jerry. And they talked. And the pastor agreed to be a Sunday preacher for several months. And in turn he recommended Jerry to the search committee.
Jerry: I won’t use language of coincidence. I will use language of the sovereignty of God and His divine plan for my life. I believe that when I gave my life to Him, when I obeyed this call which was based on the grounds of missional ministry and because I am seeking Him, okay, so this isn’t a coincidence. This is a living out of what God wants me to do.
The search committee eventually came to Illinois to hear Jerry preach. Meanwhile Jane was “freaking out, because [she] wants to head south, and this is further north!”
Jerry picks up the story, “I always have looked really young. I look like 18 or 12 or whatever.” After Jerry’s service, “One of the old guys says ‘No way, he is way too young.’ But we invite them to our house afterwards. I’m convinced that what swung them over was not my preaching it was Jane’s hospitality and her presence with them. Because she was able to portray for them who we were as people.”
Here in our conversation Jerry shares, “When I speak to young people I say to them, if you can do something else, by all means do it. Only if you don’t think you can do anything else because of the Call should you pursue the Vocation.”
Jerry: We were very happy in the Illinois church. I was the assistant pastor. I clicked with the new pastor. This is part of my view of life and God being sovereign. God has led us sovereignly. Now we can flub that up, get what I’m saying? I don’t want you to get the impression that infallible man are always moving in God’s plan.
But in Racine, Grace Church (part of the German Baptist (now called Northern Baptist) Conference) was looking for a new Senior Pastor. Two of the search committee members (in Baptist Churches the congregation chooses to Call its ministers) sat in a 2000 seat auditorium next to a pastor who was a mentor to Jerry. And they talked. And the pastor agreed to be a Sunday preacher for several months. And in turn he recommended Jerry to the search committee.
Jerry: I won’t use language of coincidence. I will use language of the sovereignty of God and His divine plan for my life. I believe that when I gave my life to Him, when I obeyed this call which was based on the grounds of missional ministry and because I am seeking Him, okay, so this isn’t a coincidence. This is a living out of what God wants me to do.
The search committee eventually came to Illinois to hear Jerry preach. Meanwhile Jane was “freaking out, because [she] wants to head south, and this is further north!”
Jerry picks up the story, “I always have looked really young. I look like 18 or 12 or whatever.” After Jerry’s service, “One of the old guys says ‘No way, he is way too young.’ But we invite them to our house afterwards. I’m convinced that what swung them over was not my preaching it was Jane’s hospitality and her presence with them. Because she was able to portray for them who we were as people.”
Jane: This church in Racine, the former pastor’s wife didn’t do ANYTHING for the church. I could have gotten away with anything. I was serving them cake and coffee.
Jerry: Don’t let her convince you; she sells herself short.
Arrival in Racine and Leadership of Grace Church
In 1968 Grace Church moved from a “hard core inner city” site to Highway 38, a rural corner of the city. Jane remembers that when they arrived in 1976, the dairy farm next door was fun for the kids: “They could see the calves in the spring,” but flies were often found in the sanctuary. Jerry tells of how “this little church was phenomenal. 150 - 155 on a Sunday. Well knit together. A good mix of white collar and blue collar. Very teachable. And they were eager to learn and wanted to be led.”
The founders of the church, stretching back to 1854, about the time when Racine itself was founded, were Germans. The services, hymnals, bibles were all in German until WWI. At that point, due to ‘war with Germany,’ everything switched to English. Jerry pinpoints the church's heyday to the 1950’s.
The founders of the church, stretching back to 1854, about the time when Racine itself was founded, were Germans. The services, hymnals, bibles were all in German until WWI. At that point, due to ‘war with Germany,’ everything switched to English. Jerry pinpoints the church's heyday to the 1950’s.
Children
Jane tells us, “I had two [daughters] in the process when we were young. And they grew up in this house. Six grandchildren now.”
Jerry (picking up the story): Both of my son-in-laws graduated from seminary. Both of my girls, when they got out of college, they were gone. Last thing they wanted to do was come home to Racine and live with their parents. So Jana went off to Mexico and worked two years with impoverished Mexican children. The real, gut-level, type of work there meant that Jana had to come home. They changed the impact of the program. She met Tim who was on my staff. Jennifer was a social work major who wanted to do youth ministry work for Youth for Christ. Jennifer was working as a social worker. But she had back surgery so she couldn’t go overseas. He [John] got the heavy degree, a MDiv with the Latin and all that. Tim says, “I got the degree in ushering.” But he is an entrepreneur. So he built his own recruiting firm in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. Kudos to him. He is a leader in his church.
Jerry (picking up the story): Both of my son-in-laws graduated from seminary. Both of my girls, when they got out of college, they were gone. Last thing they wanted to do was come home to Racine and live with their parents. So Jana went off to Mexico and worked two years with impoverished Mexican children. The real, gut-level, type of work there meant that Jana had to come home. They changed the impact of the program. She met Tim who was on my staff. Jennifer was a social work major who wanted to do youth ministry work for Youth for Christ. Jennifer was working as a social worker. But she had back surgery so she couldn’t go overseas. He [John] got the heavy degree, a MDiv with the Latin and all that. Tim says, “I got the degree in ushering.” But he is an entrepreneur. So he built his own recruiting firm in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. Kudos to him. He is a leader in his church.
Growing a Church in the 70’s and 80’s
“We grew up together -- I grew (arriving in ‘76 Jerry was 29) and the church grew.” Jerry remembers. He highlights being a Baby Boomer and an experienced youth minister for some of the success of attracting new congregants.
Early Embrace of ‘Contemporary’ worship
With the support, and even encouragement of his congregation, Jerry embraces ‘Contemporary.’ This includes a change in the music and more generally the style of the worship service. Jerry is sensitive to the misimpression of form over substance. He clarifies his “mantra:” “You are changing methodology but not theology.”
Willow Creek
Jerry is shocked we are not aware of Willow Creek near Chicago and fills us in.
Jerry: Willow Creek is a national and international mega, mega church that launched what we call "the seeker movement." Addressing the culture that you live in, but with no compromise (to theology). They realized how to do this, and they did it for the baby boomers, very successfully. I’m a baby boomer and so I know.
Jerry and his team would attend worship and workshops at Willow Creek and bring back ideas. “One time I took 60 of our leaders down to Willow Creek,” he recounts.
Explo ‘72
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| The Christian Youth Claim the '70's |
Jerry: The big thing in the conservative churches back then was the style of the worship and what are you going to do with contemporary music. Well I was in the youth culture and a youth pastor. So when the nation was having woodstock we were having Explo ‘72. And Billy Graham, bless his heart, grew his hair out a little long and spoke five times.” Explo ‘72 was in Dallas and as Wikipedia states: “at least one critic credits the event with spawning the entire Christian music industry.
Bill Gaither Music
Jerry and some of this leaders drove to Indianapolis to take in Bill Gaither’s Music. Gaither’s style began as gospel and influenced the Christian Music Industry. “What helped with the Bill Gaither music was that it was older members who were taking me there. So I had their support when I began to change,” Jerry recalls.
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| Wisconsin Shows Up at Explo '72 |
Shifting Worship Methodology (but not Theology)
Jerry (summarizing the evolution of the worship): The important part is the worship. Music is the language of the soul. I had been to churches with only a drum beat. One of the huge missionary mistakes was they tried to impose our western music and hymns to other cultures. It is an “in” to experiencing an adoration and awe of God. So music can be changing. And music is a preference. And I understand that. But large part of this baby boomer population had other forms. So I wanted to tap into that.
So with the support of the church leadership Grace Church the music evolved from traditional to contemporary. “And with the change we attracted many new members.” Eventually, as Jerry recalls it, “We’d already transitioned music wise. The music wars were huge. Most churches have both. One service is contemporary and the other is traditional. I said ‘we’re all in’ This is who we are. There are a lot of other churches.”
Theological Hiccups
Jane and Jerry briefly touch on an incident early in Jerry’s tenure when his congregants did not share his theology and it became a little rocky.
Jerry: I was ordained as a Conservative Baptist who broke off from the American Baptist. I defended my paper and theology with the Ordination Council. I had one variant that isn’t major but that day and age made it major. And I had one man who was a Conservative Baptist who had my back. I joined this congregation and learned very quickly that my Conservative Baptist variant was a disaster preaching through the book of Revelations. I had more people in my office. It was about Eschatology (The End Days). Nowadays we don’t even worry about that much you know.
Jane: It was a bit of a stretch for them to get him up here as a young pastor
Jane: It was a bit of a stretch for them to get him up here as a young pastor
Jerry: My resume was good.
Jane: And then for him to have a little different view on this one thing.
Dave and I were a little over our head both institutionally (to understand the many Baptist groups) much less their respective theology. Jerry offered to “go deeper” later if we wanted.
Dave and I were a little over our head both institutionally (to understand the many Baptist groups) much less their respective theology. Jerry offered to “go deeper” later if we wanted.
Results
Jerry (recalling the growth): By God's grace the church is growing. We added a wing. Redid the basement. Expanded the parking lot. We’re running four services. On Saturday we did the seeker model (which Grace branded “The Light Side”). A lot of skits and drama. They served popcorn.
This was not without criticism. A regional radio show “really blasted us, they called us ‘Lite.’” But the church continued trying things to attract younger members. Nevertheless, these criticisms “ just made me mad,” Jerry adds with emphasis. And Jerry is very busy, preaching four or five times a weekend: “I’m doing a lot now. And Sunday afternoon we have a Spanish service. Sometimes I’d do that service. I’m a wound up guy.”
Crossroads: Grow or Plant
By the 1990’s Jerry recalls, “We have a major decision. Do we get bigger or do we plant a church. Either way is good. So we prayed about it. Basically we said that there are not big evangelical churches in our area. There was one up in Oak Creek and Kenosha - but they are assembly of God, pentecostal, but not CRAZY pentecostal. So we decided to go ahead and get big.”
He leans forward and continues, “You need to understand this, it is really, really important. We’d get big so we’d have more resources to make an impact in the world. More money to give away, more people to do things. I was preaching that 20 - 25% of our gross budget should be given away. Now how we give it away locally or internationally, that was debated, but that is not the fundamental principle. A lot of churches are giving away even less than 10%. My thing is if we can’t model it for our people how can we ask them.”
Regarding finances, Jerry mentions that Grace’s finance committee was asking some people to be very generous. “You don’t need a bigger house or new car.” Jerry said they’d coax well heeled congregants. At the same time Jerry and Jane are modeling financial generosity.
Jerry: My salary is moving up. It is still below the norm. But we decide we are going to cap at the standard of living and give the rest away [to Grace]. So every year I was giving a little bit more. The people around us were generous. They’d give us time-shares to stay in. And we lived simply.
The theme-of-the-times at Grace was, “We’re blessed to be a blessing. It's not to pat ourselves on the back. Big does not equal success. Success is (that we have) the fundamental core of the Christian life.”
Regarding finances, Jerry mentions that Grace’s finance committee was asking some people to be very generous. “You don’t need a bigger house or new car.” Jerry said they’d coax well heeled congregants. At the same time Jerry and Jane are modeling financial generosity.
Jerry: My salary is moving up. It is still below the norm. But we decide we are going to cap at the standard of living and give the rest away [to Grace]. So every year I was giving a little bit more. The people around us were generous. They’d give us time-shares to stay in. And we lived simply.
The theme-of-the-times at Grace was, “We’re blessed to be a blessing. It's not to pat ourselves on the back. Big does not equal success. Success is (that we have) the fundamental core of the Christian life.”
Getting Big but Staying Small
Jerry describes how during his 45 years how he actually led five churches each for seven years. This is because each seven years or so the church must be rethought to accommodate changes in methodology, size, leadership, outreach. People who were members of a 155-on-a-Sunday church may not be comfortable with a 750-Sunday. As a result, small group ministries (life groups, bible studies, etc.) were essential. And we hear a lot about the training and development of lay people and professional staff.
New Building
By the mid ‘90’s it is clear a new facility is needed. “Now that we are big everyone is pushing to get bigger,” Jerry recalls.
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| Grace: No longer a neighborhood Church...Plenty of Parking |
Jerry: My building committee was amazing. They sat down with me and I gave them the philosophy and said, “Build it with this philosophy.” The process took 7 years from when we started to when we moved in. And I probably attended 6 building committee meetings. There were votes taken along the way, of course.
In 1999 Grace Church moved into it new campus. The project cost $9 million. The sanctuary holds 1500 but Jerry comments, “I didn’t want to go over 1100.” Across two morning services peak attendances were 1500 per Sunday. “Our biggest service was an Easter where we had 2400.”
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| A Full Sanctuary in the New Grace Church |
I ask Jerry where the growing attendees were coming from? He answers, “They were coming from both other evangelical churches and the unchurched.” He describes the “mass effect” which seemed to be that people feel comfortable following where large groups are already present. “But they are the fastest to leave. Some were coming because this was the thing. Early on it was for the contemporary (music). They wanted to worship in this way.”
Benefits of Big
Jerry rattles off the programs which are or have been delivered by Grace Church as evidence of the benefits of being large and having resources.
- Housed the homeless program every Tuesday night. Sometimes in the dead of winter we housed 60 or 70 people.
- We have a Parent Life program. Teaching how to be a parent. Changing diapers, teen mothers with mentors. We try to get the fathers to attend as well.
- We were able to start a food bank with other churches. I served on the Executive Committee. It was the largest in Racine. We had a day a week we would serve.
- On the Sunday before Thanksgiving we give away the offering. ⅓ benevolent (within church), ⅓ local, ⅓ international.
- Jail ministry. I sat on the jail chaplaincy board. We had people trained to be counselors.
- We have an AA group (we don’t call it that).
- We have a divorce support group, we have a grief group.
- We had concerts to try to bring people inside the doors.
- Supported missionaries. (We see on the wall of Grace Church photos of individuals)
Jerry: We’re teaching the Christian life. I believe in social capital. What we are offering to Racine are productive citizens. Hopefully they are good employees, and spouses, citizens. I teach you Biblically and apply it to your life. What the preacher needs to be able to do it, to explain, and apply it.
Efforts to Partner with a Black Church
Jerry recalls how Grace sold their old church property to an African American Church. “We were counting on $1.2M but in 1999 we sold it for $800k. And we financed it for them. We were counting on that money for the new church. [We did this] because that is who we are.” He then goes on to describe how the two churches worked together--
Jerry: We tried to partner with them but to be really honest with you, it is hard to mix those two cultures. We would want to have our choirs perform together but they’d show up late. Our style of preaching is different. Their ushers wear white gloves, they dress to the tee. Their Elders sit right up in front. We had picnics together. Their pastor is a Pastor-for-Life, which means often it is passed on to a son. We tried. But in the end we just agreed to be friends.
The Pursuit of Excellence
Preaching
Jerry explains that there are two styles of preaching: 1. knock them between their eyes or 2. coax them. He continues--
Jerry: You can try to do them both in one sermon. I know exactly who will come up after the sermon with a compliment or complaint based on the style they like. But the question is: What do they learn and how do they change their behavior? Only God knows if you have been successful. It doesn’t mean you don’t refine your technique. But in the final analysis we have a spiritual enterprise. It is done on spiritual means and success is spiritual results. That is what it is and you don’t forget about that.
Music
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| The Live Band at the Service We Attended |
Regarding the evolution of the Contemporary Christian music Jerry explains, “We found young people who were great musicians. I couldn’t find an organist. It is dying breed. So I started using them for the music. It evolved from a synthesizer to live band.” Regarding the service we will attend together the next day, Jerry adds: “They worked really hard this week to get all of the songs to fit into the message. It probably won’t be acoustic. I hope it is a band.”
“Production” and Personal
Jerry is careful as he describes the “production” of a service. He says of moving into the large Grace Sanctuary, “We are complex. It is much more the production element. But don’t write that down.” He continues to clarify, “The production part was in the pursuit of excellence. And we had a bigger base of talented people.” Organizationally he describes, “We had a production person who pulled the music, message, slide, testimonial” together for each service. |
| Using Sanctuary for Christian Rock Concert |
He adds, “But with our demographic you have to do it with excellence, with the production aspect. How do I replicate the feeling of the smaller church in the new larger venue?” Jerry turns to a coach from a larger church. “He helped me coach: ‘you have to point out a new person,’ ‘make it personal,’ ‘celebrate 60 years of marriage, get up and let's applaud!” And the testimonials are very important. “We use real stories, people tell [their] story.” Jerry used an interview format where the pastor would interview a person or couple. Responding to Dave (who serves on UUFRC’s Worship Committee and is aware of the tight pacing and time constraints of a successful service) Jerry explains, “Sometimes the testimonial interviews are video on the screen. Or if they are skilled you can have them speak live.”
Jerry is Viewed as a Big Shot
Jerry laments how having a Big Church, the biggest between Chicago and Milwaukee, affected other people's impression of him. “I was doing all of the same things I was in the small church. But now that we are in the big building everyone in the denomination thinks I’m a big shot. It’s something about our culture that I don’t like.”
Peter: What is it saying about our culture?
Jerry: Bigger is better. Success is results. Now we are conditioned to this in our free market. I’m a free market guy. But you’ve got find a balance. You’ve got to care for people. But now I was kind of a superstar. One of the top 10 churches in Wisconsin. It was a radical shift in people’s perceptions.
Peter: Do you regret the shift.
Jerry: No it met my objectives. It was the right thing to do.
Transition and Retirement
Baptist Churches independently choose their own pastors. So as Jerry approached retirement, both for age and health reasons, he focused on transitioning to a new Senior Pastor. “I knew a good leader transitions well. I read and studied and interviewed to find the right way.” But they search for two years and can’t find a suitable candidate. “And my health is deteriorating.” Jerry is hospitalized several times during this period.Finally a candidate is hired. Jerry has arranged for them to overlap him for five years. Their offices would be next to each other so Jerry could mentor him. The new pastor was to exhibit his leadership “so it wouldn’t be obvious. Not an anointing.” But the new pastor does not succeed and after two years there is a unanimous decision by the Elders to let him go.
By now Jerry has retired, at 65. And Grace goes through a second search and finds a Senior Pastor. But again things do not work out. And in the process a number of the Elders (“and these are all my buddies”) leave the Church. Jerry then adds, “Some have now returned.” Currently a Assistant Pastor is serving as the Lead Pastor.
Pastor Jerry’s Role at Grace Church
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| The view Jerry and Jane's respectful balcony seating |
After retirement Jerry approaches the “young guy” lead pastor. He says, “[Jane and I are] still connected here, we’re in a life group would you mind if I stayed. And he said ‘I’d be honored if you stay under my leadership.’ So I try to stay out of the way. We sit up in the balcony. I do everything by my rule: I don’t do anything unless it goes through him.”
Missionary Work
Over the years Jane and Jerry have been able to perform missionary work, as they had thought they would be doing for their Vocational Calling. Jerry explains, “I was able to do my missionary work through my pastorship. God really opened that door. And then I was able to then be a missionary at more of a board of directors level.” Jerry had just returned from Bolivia where he was leading a group of about 15. Jerry has been giving money, supplies and support to an orphanage and “safe house” for women. Among the members of the group was a family of seven, the youngest aged 5, who were being trained for their upcoming missionary assignment.
The Dinner Bell
At this point we have been talking for nearly three hours. Jane, meanwhile has cooked dinner and set the table between floating back into our conversation to interject her two cents. We move to the table to continue our conversation. (See Blog Breaking Bread with Jane and Pastor Jerry)
-- Peter
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