I wrote a song about the town we live in. It’s a small, rural town that most people pass through on their way to somewhere else. Most people pass our house the first time they come because it’s not much to look at, even if you’re looking for it.

But it’s home.

The song references a long list of things that most people wouldn’t want to live around. OR, that they would consider a nuisance.

All of these things are what make our home unique. Things I chose when we first moved here to embrace as part of this home’s story. Instead of trying to fix all of those things or change those things, I kind of romanticized them in the song, like they were things to notice (in a good way); to celebrate. And those things really do hold a special place in my heart.

railroad tracks.
a fire station.
dogs barking at each other.
a rooster that crows (the song says “in the morning,” but it’s really all the time).
a lime green light that shines (REALLY BRIGHT) outside our window.
dead trees.

But it’s home.

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Ministry in the local church carries with it a similar invitation – to choose to embrace (and celebrate!) the unique elements of a place’s story, of a church’s culture and traditions.

Over the years I have learned that each church has a unique list of attributes – that to an outsider, may not be appealing at first. Traditions, theologies, practices, decorations, methods, etc. that one might complain about, dread, dismiss, or judge. Things that someone (even with good intentions) may try to fix or change.

In my younger years I was certainly one to try to “improve” *e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
I confess that I did not appreciate many of the things that made a church culture unique. Things that I hope I would now celebrate and actively look for with a sense of curiosity and wonder.

What I’ve learned is that there are things that are important to the character of a community; some of which don’t make sense to outsiders. And that’s okay. We as incoming/visiting ministers or as new people to the community don’t have to like those things or understand them in order to appreciate them and even celebrate them. As long as they’re not causing harm, leave them be.

The invitation is to approach new communities with curiosity and wonder. To be open to learning others’ interpretations and understandings of how things are, why things are, and how people find meaning in those things.

Dead trees, bright lights, a rooster that crows all day – are sometimes what make a community feel like home.

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My colleague Luke Edwards has some great stuff over at The Listening Church, practical ways of relating to God and neighbor in a more open, curious way.

My husband Dr. J is launching season 2 of Rusty Water Towers this August. Check out the song referenced in this article here. (I’ll update with a link when it’s released.)