I was surprised to learn he was leaving because I had hoped that the marriage between Pastor and people would somehow work out, in spite of the inherent challenges that come with launching into unchartered territory. Then again, I was not surprised because I realize that asking for change is one thing, while actually living through it is another thing altogether.
I am proud to say that I know Jeffrey Haggray personally and professionally. In fact, one of his last official acts as the first African-American pastor of my church, The Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, was to license me into the gospel ministry.
Based on what I know first-hand about Jeff Haggray, he was and is more than capable of taking the First Baptist Church of Washington DC as far as it desired to go. And, therein lies the question for me. I wonder how far did and does First Baptist really want to go on its journey toward becoming the "biblical version of beloved community, wherein there is no distinction or discrimination due to race, national origin or gender," as Jeff was quoted as saying in a March 6, 2010 Washington Post article about his appointment to First Baptist.
In that 2010 article, written over three years ago, Jeff said that in hiring him, the first African-American pastor for First Baptist, the church's action was "consistent with the biblical vision of beloved community....." Now it appears that neither Jeff nor the congregation were able to see that what they thought was a shared vision would be viewed far differently from Jeff's position in the pulpit than from the position of the pews. It all depends on where you stand.
In an October 14, 2009 press release, Jeff Woods, associate general secretary for regional ministries with American Baptist Churches said, "The DCBC has benefited greatly from Jeffrey's visionary approach and results-oriented leadership style," adding, "We will miss his contributions to the wider American Baptist family, but we know that God will continue to bless his efforts in this next chapter of ministry." October 14, 2009 ABPnews.com
How is it that Jeff's "visionary approach" and "results-oriented leadership style" was good enough for him to effectively lead the 150 diverse churches in the DC Baptist Convention while he was at the helm, but became the source of anguish for some at First Baptist who allegedly sent letters of complaint to him on a weekly basis. I guess it all depends on where you stand. By the way, I certainly hope those letters were simply follow ups to face-to-face conversations that were held.
"Churches have a high calling to be houses of prayer for all people, regardless of their identity. I know no better way to communicate that message than to embrace and affirm racial diversity in our leadership...In time, we will add diverse worship services to our schedule that meet a wide range of needs and will make more effective use of technology to stay connected with the faithful wherever they are." -- Quote from Jeff Haggray, Washington Post Saturday, March 6, 2010
At the outset of his tenure, Jeff talked about racial diversity in leadership, meeting a wide range of needs, and making more effective use of technology. So, how does that translate into maintaining the traditional liturgical style of worship that some at First Baptist continue to hold dearly? It doesn't. Maybe it means services that have quiet moments interspersed with exuberant moments. Maybe it means different styles of service offered at different times. It could mean a lot of things, but it definitely didn't mean that Jeffrey Haggray intended to maintain First Baptist's regularly scheduled program already in progress.
The Christian walk has got to be one of growth and transformation. Whenever we get to a place where our worship routine has become...well...routine, that's probably a good place for us to grow. Those who grew up with the exclusive notion that "the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silent" would benefit tremendously from making a "joyful noise unto the Lord," "shouting with a voice of triumph," and "praising Him on the loud resounding cymbals." Likewise, those who are used to exuberant worship would benefit greatly from quiet times of reflection and learning to "be still and know" that God is....
Jeff Haggray has a tough calling on his life. God uses him time and time again to blaze trails that some would never undertake, others will never understand and still others will never even want to understand. Trail blazing is dirty, thankless work in the short term. But, in the long term, those who come face-to-face with the uncomfortable things that get dug up along the trail will find that God truly uses the foolish things to confound the wise--what looks like a stumbling block turns out to be a stepping stone; what feels like the end of the road is actually a bridge over troubled waters....
God does nothing by accident. So, He was up to something in allowing Jeffrey Haggray to pastor First Baptist. That "something" may not be readily apparent, but through serious soul searching, each member of the First Baptist family will be able to see what God is showing them. And, what one person sees may not be the same as another, because it all depends on where you stand....
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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