Act I

A Holy Discontent

“This is not working out for me.” What began as distant rumblings by a few soloists rose in volume to become a thundering choir.

Though Los Ranchos had for decades soaked up the sunshine through strong leadership and faithful congregations, developing weather fronts brought on by a new environment for doing ministry were about to collide, The forecast was ominous, as darkening clouds formed on the horizon.

Young pastors complained that meetings were boring. Clerks from small churches cried out that the Presbytery was a regulatory agency unconcerned about their real needs. Senior pastors bemoaned that they couldn’t find enough elders to serve as commissioners.

Some brave souls from the Evangelism Committee stepped forward into the gathering storm. They got creative with their presentations - using PowerPoint, videos, and skits. Council took notice of the buzz and formed an ad hoc group, “The Googlers,” to experiment with making the entire meeting “plugged-in.”

It didn’t work. The laugh meter may have spiked at times but a general malaise remained. There was more electricity in the narthex discussions than in the sanctuary debates. The air was charged for something radically different.

Our EP, Steve Yamaguchi, began sharing excerpts from his doctoral thesis. People listened and learned. His work came to be seen as the conduit that could channel the energy of the discontented into reinventing the presbytery.

By 2007 the lightening came ashore. It called for change.