Looking for a Third Way in PA (part 3)

At the end of June, I went to Eastern Pennsylvania for a series of events: I presented at a training event at Mennonite Central Committee; I attended an ordination of two women in Lancaster Mennonite Conference, a part of Mennonite Church USA that does not recognize the ordination of women. Finally, I engaged in continuing consulting work with the Franconia Mennonite Conference on creating alignment between their vision and their finances, especially as it relates to real estate. In each of these activities, it became important to look for a "third way."

In teaching a Christocentric approach to global, urban mission, the third way is steering between a Jesus who simply gets us ready to go to heaven, and Jesus-guru, the messenger of God. The Third Way is that all of Jesus matters to everyone, everywhere. In attending an ordination of women in defiance of a directive from another part of the church, the third way is steering between an understanding of church that accepts, affirms, and blesses the ministry of everyone, and respecting the rights of another part of the church to practice the church in ways for which they are ready. The Third Way is found in inviting people to be in ministry and stay in relationship, even when they disagree. In consulting about real estate and alignment of mission and finance, the third way is steering between maximizing profitability for its own sake, and ignoring the God-like power of money to influence our actions. The Third Way is found in placing the legacy of real estate in the long-term service of a group of people.

A trip to Eastern PA, in June, when the wet heat of a summer's day creates a thick, lazy haze over everything, is not an easy trip for a Southern Californian to make. But in going, and paying attention, I discovered in a fresh way, the power of the third way...