Friday, July 30, 2010

Not even I could have made this one up (Matt Kennedy #10).

10. If you suspect a diocesan spy on your vestry, say nothing you do not want the diocese to know. Be nice. Make no accusations. Do some careful investigating. If the evidence shows your suspicions to be correct, decide whether it is best to expose him/her publicly or turn the situation to your advantage. Spies can be very helpful if given the right kind of information. If you choose to expose the spy, be sure you have the evidence nailed down. Say nothing until you do. .
Mmmmmmmm.

Double Mmmmmmmm.

It’s probably also better you don’t say anything about your persistent (and strangely exciting) urge to wear a secret-counter-agent Mata Hari costume.

8 comments :

Anonymous said...

I always suspect members of my congregation when they ask for their Martinis to be "shaken not stirred". Once, I mistook my Bishop for a member of MI5 and had him thrown into a tank full of crocodiles. Sadly, he survived and hasn't been back to my lovely Church since.

Leonard said...

This is how you lead a Parish Vestry into becoming as SICK as its priest(s):

Introduce lie detectors

Arch your eyebrows with suspicion-of-betrayal

Allow/nurture PARANOIA to run rampant while keeping ones tight lips zipped

Pre-determine the ill-will that may occur against the mindwarper-in-charge/hate-initiator.

Expose anyone who may disagree with tainted tirants who champion despotic surges allowing purges!

On a scale of one to ten, number 10is the sickest of them all so far!

Perhaps this list of trashed up thinking and beliving ought be printed up and used as a forward to the ¨discernment¨ process/guide for mad-dog schismatics who intend to thieve Church property.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like something from the files of the CIA! Could Matt's church have been infiltrated by government spies wishing to engage in spiritual warfare?

Anonymous said...

Well, of course a good Orthodox Gafcon clergyman should be concerned that a vestry man (elected by the congregation) might rat him out to the bishop (elected by the diocese). What do bishops have to do with an "episcopal" church other than poke their noses about in affairs that are none of their business... I would expect that all good orthodox African bishops reading this would applaud The Rev. Kennedy's thinking in this area and would hope he would immediately share his thoughts on congregational leadership with their clergy. I know many follow his threads on the blog Stand Firm. Hopefully they, and their clergy, will be properly enlightened.

John D said...

Oh Father, this hideous fragment just reminds me why I never, ever read about little Matt, Melanie, and Hey Sarah! any more; mess of rotten innards, or some such phrase I remember from the saintly Mrs. K.Unf-ingbelievable. And him a priest.

Anonymous said...

I'm not clever enough to be a writer or regular commenter on this blog, but I enjoy it immensely. We are supposed to embrace living in tension, but I need to release it at times, and this blog helps.

My response to reading MK's 21 points is amazement

that these policies could be adopted by any Christian church

that the people championing them know that these principles describe the church environment they prefer

that Matt and the readers of ST can imagine Christ acting out these rules, inside or outside of a worship community.

So let us go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the spirit. . .
Thanks be to God.

June Butler said...

Spies can be very helpful if given the right kind of information.

So the vestry meetings become disinformation-for-the-spy meetings? When does the vestry do its regular business?

Anonymous said...

Australian politicians must be reading Matt's tips!