Goal Three of the BCMS report talks of recreating the Diocese of Minnesota as a network. St. Matthew’s in St. Paul seems to be doing this creation at the parish level — and reaching out to connect with other networks as well.

St. Matthew’s has found networking to be the best way to communicate, according to rector Blair Pogue. Some form of networking is used for recruiting, communicating needs, keeping up prayer lists, assessing interest in proposed projects, and more, she says. “We use it for discernment for any major idea.”

Networking at St. Matthew’s is almost exclusively electronic. Pogue reports that the congregation tries to get new members on the church’s e-mail list as soon as possible, so that they can be in the loop. “So much is going on that doesn’t even get into the bulletin. We love to have a sense of what others are doing.”

Pogue is the first to admit that St. Matthew’s may be in a different situation than that of many other diocesan congregations. The church is located in a university area, and there are only five or fewer members who do not have e-mail. Therefore, e-mail has become a primary means for communication, and it has helped to build networks within the membership, as well as making the entire membership a network of its own.

Networking old and new

Many churches, of course, send out e-mail notices all the time, but St. Matthew’s is using the electronic superhighway as a two-way street. “People with ideas [for a project or program] put out an e-mail,” says Pogue. Then, if there is interest, they call a meeting to discuss whether to proceed.” In this way, many parish endeavors are coming about from the bottom up instead of the top down. One example actually uses the oldest form of networking — face-to-face contact. Jannie Swart, St. Matthew’s new youth director, began his ministry by paying a visit to every family with teenagers. Discussions at those visits resulted in the starts of three new parish programs: “Family Faith” – Regular gatherings of families with teens for a simple ritual and meal “Studio Faith” – A monthly program with music and media for young people, in the home of a family with a home theater “J 2 A” – Admittedly an established youth program, but one which St. Matthew’s plans to initiate as a result of input from its parish network

Tapping into other networks

Another major endeavor from St. Matthew’s this year involves intense work on environmental stewardship, and is dependent on tapping into wider networks as well. Beginning in October, the parish will be hosting a series of discussions on theology and the environment, culminating in a conversation with renowned British theologian T. J. Gorringe, author of A Theology of the Built Environment. To promote this series, St. Matthew’s is working to contact environmental groups in the area, especially those that are connected with churches of all denominations.

Blair Pogue says that the congregation wants to use the Gorringe workshop not only to offer people a chance to hear his message, but also to see if there is interest in the larger faith community in environmental work containing a theological reflection piece. “We were initially going to contact the churches of St. Anthony Park and the Midway area,” she says, “but then we said, ‘Why limit it?’” Information about St. Matthew’s Theology of the Built Environment series is available at www.stmatthewsmn.org/built_environment. Networking efforts at St. Matthew’s seem to be working effectively and expanding regularly. Who knows what else may result from them? “We hope to be centered in a community and network from there,” says Blair Pogue. “We want to be open and let the Spirit lead.”

By Susan Barksdale