Towne Hall Meeting: Openness, II

Tuesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Jeremiah 40
NT: Galatians 2
W&W: Ecclesiastes 12

Today’s Reflection:

This past Sunday at Bethel Church of the Nazarene, we had the first in a series of Towne Hall Meetings. I began the evening with an unsigned question about outreach. Now, anonymous communication is “anathema” in my book, but since this was obviously an innocent question, with no underlying message, I decided to use it to address the issue of anonymity. This post continues the excerpts from my teaching on anonymity. I hope it helps you…

… Another thing: I don’t have time to worry with anonymous letters or responses. If an opinion is worth sharing, it is worth owning. By the way, when it comes to unsigned communication, I have one rule: ignore it. I always look for the signature first, if there isn’t one, I don’t read it. And I tell my staff the same thing. Period.

I need to address another practice of communication with you. You all have provided me with a wonderful secretary, Elaine. In addition to the work she does for the church, there is a great amount of work she does to help me in my job. Thank you! Let me tell you up front, Elaine has access to all my mail and email correspondence. She often reads it before I do. As a matter of fact I ask her to screen my correspondence – incoming and outgoing – for me. This does two things: 1) it keeps me accountable for the purity and appropriateness of my correspondence, including computer usage, and 2) it relieves me of the burden of over-communication. Now, you can have things confidential between you and me. If you want something to be confidential with me, speak to me directly or send it to me in written form clearly marked “confidential.” And for your own protection – not just with me but in general – remember that no computer correspondence is ever completely private. Be careful what you put in emails and on Facebook, etc. If it gets in the wrong hands it can go around the world quicker than you can say “World Wide Web.”

Also, as a matter of courtesy and efficiency, I will always tell you what an appointment is about when I make it. I ask that you do the same so I can be adequately prepared. None of us like surprises! Speaking of appointments, in this busy day, I like to have Elaine to schedule my visits with you. And sometimes schedules don’t mesh, and the phone works better than the car!

To be continued…

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Romans 3.23-24: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.