Tag: Christian Emphasis

Defining YMCA Christian Principles: What They Are Not?

In our brand mission statement it’s not only “Christian principles” as a phrase that is taken for granted, but also the part about “spirit” – it’s as if these are too hard to understand, too out of date, or too powerful.

Context matters.

When a phrase doesn’t seem to make sense anymore, or it causes misunderstanding, or it doesn’t inspire like it used to, then it’s time to step back and consider what is going on, what has changed, and what to do about it.

If the phrase “Christian principles” is really as important as many think it is for the YMCA and our brand mission statement, then shouldn’t we invest more time in discussing it, reviewing it, celebrating it?

If it’s not important to keep that phrase, what all does that imply about who we are now and why we are here and what ought we to be doing next?

It’s obvious that meaningful phrases can become so common, so familiar that they get taken for granted, full of assumptions that everyone knows what it means. Of course as we know, what ends up happening is that no one is on the same page about what it means, and it fades to the background as a source of direction or unity.

In our brand mission statement it’s not only “Christian principles” as a phrase that is taken for granted, but also the part about “spirit” – it’s as if these are too hard to understand, too out of date, or too powerful.

There is immediate resonance in our culture regarding the phrases “healthy”, “for all”, “mind and body” – those show up on lots of branding documents in print and on file. Why the disparity?

Is it a matter of culture moving on, and the YMCA has to adapt, and we should read the tea leaves and acknowledge the obvious: the community does not need or want “Christian principles” or “spirit” work from the Y.

Maybe. I suppose it depends on what kind of organization the YMCA wants to be – are we a leader in our community or a follower?

Do we put our finger in the air to catch the direction of the breeze and run to get in front of it? Or do we look around and within and make a decision about what we can offer a community that is both resonant with who we are but also visionary in how we believe the community might become even healthier with us?

The Y has traditionally been a leader and a mirror in our culture; whatever is going on in our country shows up in a YMCA, but also: the Y innovates and problem-solves in unique ways that change the world. For example: basketball and volleyball; group swim lessons and group exercise classes; ESL classes for immigrants and night-school for day-laborers, Mother’s Day and Father’s day all have their roots in the YMCA.

“Christian principles” and “spirit” were powerful combinations for fueling this innovation, all channeled through the desire to be “for all.”

It’s almost unethical to split apart “Christian principles” from “for all” in the YMCA; they are so intertwined to almost be indistinguishable; you could almost say they are two sides of the same coin, inspired by Jesus himself as he prayed “…that they all may be one…” [John 17:21]

But, to help give some definition to what we could mean in the YMCA (based on our trajectory) regarding Christian principles, let’s start with what it is NOT (since that sometimes is an easier place to start):

  • Christian Principles does not mean Christianity (shocking, I know but here me out: no one is just a “Christian” – you’re usually either from the Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant tradition which each has it’s own distinctive and cultural realities for how Christianity is experienced and practiced – even “secularism” can be seen as a form of Protestant Christianity).
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: drawing on the most common and enduring truths and foundations of all the varieties of Christianities across the ages and generations (this is meant to be a unifying direction that draws thoughtfully on the strengths of different Christianities so that as many Christians as possible can participate in the Young Men’s Christian Association as meaningfully as possible.)
  • Christian Principles does not mean Christian Morality (shocking, I know, but again, depending on your culture and context, not all Christians agree on all moral standards, which have now have become very divisive).
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: the teachings and example of Christ Jesus that cross as many cultural barriers as possible that build up as much unity and harmony as possible; it also presumes that Christ Jesus is the foundation and living reality which gives Christian Principles it’s vitality and endurance.
  • Christian Principles does not mean Biblical Proof-Texting (if we had to have a Bible verse to back up every code of conduct or every value or every major decision, we’d have to keep twisting the Scriptures to support whatever is personal to us; the Bible is sacred and of profound value to Christians in the world including the YMCA, but the Y lets the local church teach the Bible and organize around it in particular ways).
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: drawing on the most common and unifying themes of the Holy Scriptures as a way for diverse Christians in the Y to put into practice what they believe and value such that their lives and those they are in proximity with experience transformation in spirit, mind and body.
  • Christian Principles does not mean Church-centric Decisions (how a Y engages a community has a unique dynamic and reality to it compared to a local congregation, and that’s okay – what gets frustrating and disillusioning is when church leaders on a Y board insist the Y act in accordance with how they think their church should participate in the public sphere: the Y is not a church).
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: reflecting on the kingdom of God themes in the New Testament, instructions that transcend the Y and the church, which point back to the larger work of Christ Jesus in the world and how the Y and the church can complement each other, work together in different ways unto flourishing for all (see the Paris Basis, 1855 and Challenge 21 of World YMCA).
  • Christian Principles does not mean religious dogmatics – what a YMCA is putting into practice is not about abstract religious ideals or carefully nuanced dogmatic beliefs – while religion and dogma are of existential importance for humanity, the Y keeps focusing on what we can do together for more healing and harmony as religious and dogmatic people.
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: paying attention to the various truths and wisdom in all religious traditions and honoring all they ways they highlight and enrich what is revealed through Christ Jesus and the Holy Scriptures – by looking for what he hold in common, we are also looking for maximal agreements and cooperation, not lowest common denominator for all varieties of Christianity and religions in the world.
  • Christian Principles does not mean putting our YMCA Core Values into practice – while the brand mission statement and the organizational core values have different centers of gravity for why they were created and their intent for influencing our movement, they are obviously highly compatible and mutually enriching, but they are not the same thing. Our brand mission statement is an evolution of the Paris Basis, Portland Basis, and the YMCA Constitution Preamble and Goals; our Core Values are a creation of a national YMCA leadership team to identify key themes around which our organization can collaborate that are deeply held in common through all religions and faiths. Again, it may seem similar to Christian Principles, but not the same.
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: drawing as many people together who care about and respect to some degree the Christian faith and way of life and together lead and serve in their community such that their labor of love enriches and heals for stronger and more resilient spirits, minds and bodies – and we’ll keep doing this work with anyone who invites us in, we’ll keep expanding the scope of our work, we’ll keep inviting in those who want to add to this calling, our posture is to be for all of those who want us to come alongside them in hope and practical programs.
  • Christian Principles does not mean categories for judging and condemning those we disagree with; while we humbly acknowledge that everyone has faults and everyone has their prejudices that taint their perspectives, we do not want to blindly lash out at those who we consider different or wrong.
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: a way to ground our passion for truth and grace in a strong foundation which goes deeper than the whims of a chaotic cultural; a way to put down deep roots to sustain liberty and justice for all; a way to gauge a healthy spirit, mind and body for a community and individuals such that we don’t have to make everything up as we go along; a way forward for all that taps into the depths of our humanity, believing we are all made in the image of God, that Christ Jesus is working unto the restoration of all things, and the Holy Spirit empowers with tremendous love all who would embrace it.
  • Christian Principles does not mean your personal preferences about religion and faith, it’s not pointing to just your own opinion on how people ought to live and behave based on what you happen to believe.
  • Christian Principles CAN MEAN: drawing on all that Christians have learned through the last twenty centuries across all the continents on how to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God in the Spirit of Christ amidst every kind of political and economic reality, amidst every kind of cultural upheaval and violent revolutions, amidst ordinary times and extraordinary chaos, amidst quiet neighborhoods and bustling cities, amidst seething hatreds and miraculous loves such that we can pour all that learned experience and wisdom into the complexities of our own day that we might create dynamic programs which build up a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

Defining YMCA Christian Principles For All?

Did you know a Christian YMCA member used the phrase “for all” when he crafted the Pledge of Allegiance?

Walking through a YMCA during the busy part of the day includes sounds of clanking metal, thuds and grunts, but also laughing children, chattering adults, maybe announcements on the loudspeaker about child-watch, sneakers squeaking in the gym and depending on if the door is open lots of squealing and splashing from the pool.

It can be easy to take this kind of inclusion for granted: how many other spaces in a community have this variety of services to such a diverse collection of individuals?

How did the Y get to this point where they provide such a wide array of programs to a community?

By being “for all.”

These days “for all” is a volatile word, it’s easy to be uncertain about what it means, trying to put it into practice is complex, and definitions end up being ambiguous.

But it’s a crucial phrase.

Did you know a Christian YMCA member used the phrase “for all” when he crafted the Pledge of Allegiance?

American Pastor Francis Bellamy committed his young life and ministry to “liberty and justice for all” – a calling influenced by his leadership in the Little Falls NY YMCA, and he inadvertently inspired our nation to it as well.

When Bellamy looked around his community and church and saw actions and attitudes that were not right he spoke up and tried to make a difference; that’s a very dynamic interpretation of being “for all.”

The mission of the YMCA is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

The Y doesn’t wait around for things to go downhill before we step up – we try to be for all at the beginning, providing healthy programs for all the little children who come to us, their families and everyone else who wants to join us in spirit, mind and body: it’s a vital triad amidst our national epidemic of loneliness and heart disease, cancer and diabetes, etc.

But why is the Y for all? Why was Bellamy for all?

We state it as “Christian principles” in our mission; our YMCA Constitution phrases it as: “a common loyalty to Jesus Christ”.

The Young Men’s Christian Association we regard as being in its essential genius a worldwide fellowship united by a common loyalty to Jesus Christ for the purpose of developing Christian personality and building a Christian society.

This all flows from the original purpose statement of the YMCA crafted in 1855: “The Young Men’s Christian Associations seek to unite those young men who, regarding Jesus Christ as their God and Saviour, according to the Holy Scriptures, desire to be his disciples in their faith and in their life and to associate their efforts for the extension of His Kingdom amongst young men.”

Why does this matter?

Does your being “for all” create more freedom and liberty in homes and communities to love care and serve? What can motivate you to do this everyday? Sacrificially?

The obvious tension comes when we get weary of doing good and our liberties clash, hence the crucial commitment to justice for all.

Here’s how Saint Peter put it: “live as free people, but do not use your liberty as a cover up for injustice; live as God’s servants, for all.” [adapted from 1Peter 2:16].

For Christians in the Y and our country we seek to imitate Jesus who called us to walk with him, learn from him, serve with his heart, embodying his liberty and justice for all – here’s how Christ put it to his hometown:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty and justice for all the prisoners,
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor for the broken-hearted.” [adapted from Luke 4:18-19]

We don’t have to make up from scratch a definition of “Christian principles” and “for all” in the YMCA, we have a rich history to draw on, a strong foundation upon which we stand to shape our imagination for our context today.

If you were going to make up your own definition of “Christian principles” and being “for all” in the YMCA, you certainly have the liberty to do so!

But we invite you to use that liberty unto justice for all, not just in the Y but our whole community in spirit, mind and body using Christian principles on the way towards healing for the broken-hearted.

If you were going to try and start defining “Christian principles” and being “for all” it’d be wise to start with the context of our brand mission statement, Constitution preamble and goals, and the original Paris Basis.

A few reflections to empower the defining work:

  • “Christian” indicates someone who’s been observed in faith and life as a “little Christ” – not just through their own confession of Jesus as Lord but that others could vouch for them.
  • “Principles” indicates (via online Oxford Dictionary): a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
  • So: following Jesus Christ in faith and life is a fundamental truth and foundation of the existence and purpose of the YMCA. It creates programs for youth development, healthy living, social responsibility, gyms and swims in order to “put Christian principles into practice” – not the other way around.
  • But: Jesus makes it complicated – just as he attracted “non-followers”, so does the YMCA; just as Jesus welcomed, healed, loved, served anybody who came close, so does the Y; just as Jesus chose proximity with the world in joy and suffering (Christmas & Crucifixion), so too the YMCA.
  • If: the Y was about “holy huddles” or “God Squads” we’d have drifted into irreverence ; but when the Y forgets or rejects our fundamental foundation, we drift into irrelevance. We see in George Williams and Anthony Bowen, John Mott and Fred Hoshiyama beautiful and compelling experiences of the YMCA defining “Christian principles” and being “for all” in their generation: not irreverent nor irrelevant.
  • Defining both “Christian principles” and “for all” include intertwined themes of hospitality and welcome, sacrificial love and generous justice, freedom and responsibility, faithfulness and hope. They are not two separate ideas in our YMCA, they are they mutually inclusive reality, as seen in Jesus and the best of our YMCA leaders.
  • Should we have concrete definitions for “Christian principles” and “for all”? Depends on your context and rationale: is it to infuse them with living dynamic energy to fuel your service or to control the narrative and put them in a box to guarantee compliance?
  • What I’ve learned along the way: keep the conversation going! Keep experimenting in grace and peace regarding Christian principles and for all. Lean in to the dialogue in good faith and a hopeful heart. Be quick to listen, open to healing, empowered to love, serve and care for all whom God brings into your life.

Why It Takes Faith to See Christian Principles In the YMCA

So when does a life of faith with Christ matter, when does Christian principles matter in a Y, when do you “see” them, when does it become obvious of their presence and reality? When we go through hard times together, as friends and colleagues, members and in a community. So stop avoiding the suffering of others, let’s be healing hands and faith-full hearts in light of our mission.

If you go looking for trouble, you’re going to find it eventually.

An Hebrew rabbi put it this way: “seek and you will find.”

But if you go looking for success, victory, the power to overcome, the strengh to endure, while nothing is guaranteed, the odds will usually be in your favor.

An old Hebrew saint made a big deal about a common principle: “you reap what you sow.”

When it comes to the mission of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), here are a couple observations:

If it’s important to you to put Christian principles into practice in your YMCA, then do it, and don’t worry about those who you don’t think about doing it, just do it in your little corner of the Y: you will reap what you sow! (This includes your attitude: hope or resentment, joy or despair, love or indifference, etc.)

If you’re not sure what it means to put Christian principles into practice in your Y, and you’re a little tentative about it, you really want to do it the right way and not offend anyone in the process: “seek and you will find” what you are looking for. (This is shaped by your attitude: expectant or timid, energized or doubtful, expansive or stingy).

If you’re always worried about those who are worried about “Christian principles” in our mission, guess what: you’ll pretty much only notice and get fixated on that and their worries, which only creates more reasons to worry and self-fulfilling prophecies. And if you’re looking to do battle in the Y over the “C”,you’ll find it.

But let’s be honest about Christ’s Presence and Christian Principles in the YMCA: it takes faith to see it (obviously).

What do I mean? Well when Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem, people first saw a man from Nazareth, very few in the crowd could also see he was the Christ. Why would that be different today?

The New Testament Gospels are explicit: Jesus ascended from our sight into the clouds – we literally cannot see the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ in the world or the YMCA.

Apostle Paul explains, however, that those who trust Jesus mystically become part of the Body of Christ in the world. This reality only happens by faith, can only be experienced by faith, can only be seen with eyes of faith. Thus, obviously, it’s hard to see the “C” in the YMCA – it takes faith.

Hence without eyes and attitude of faith, all the actions and commitments of the YMCA can be explained away sociologically, economically, culturally, psychologically, etc.

Christian Principles can easily become “religious principles” which then become “common ethical principles” – but for Christians participating in the YMCA, how to see those same actions as embodied faith, hope and love in Christ?

That’s, frankly, what’s so daunting and divisive about living by God’s grace through faith in Christ: sometimes our everyday lives look like everyone else’s: get up in the morning, get family off to school or yourself to work, do chores at home, serve your community, enjoy a tasty dinner, try and get some good sleep and do it all again tomorrow, hoping for a little fun and relaxation on the weekend.

Apostles Peter and Paul advocate in different ways for this kind of quiet solid peaceful honest way of life for Christ’s little ones wherever they had homes across the Roman Empire.

So when does a life of faith with Christ matter, when does Christian principles matter in a Y, when do you “see” them, when does it become obvious of their presence and reality?

Maybe you won’t like my answer, maybe you’ll come up with a better suggestion, but here’s my take on it from my experience:

When we suffer.

When chaos breaks out.

When the pain crushes our soul.

When the sick and dying are abandoned by the healthy.

When the lonely and broken are overlooked by the strong.

When the violence and the tears seem unstoppable.

This might seem overly dramatic, but it’s how history has played itself out for those that trust Jesus enough to imitate him in life, in sufferings, amidst humanity as it really is.

This has also been the YMCA at its best.

It’s also the source of the YMCA, our foundation, our roots.

So if you’re not seeing Christ’s Presence in the Y, maybe you’re avoiding suffering and the pain of others too much.

If you’re not seeing Christian Principles put into practice in the Y, maybe you are playing it too safe in the Y.

Budgets matter, safety matters, cleanliness matters, but what’s the point of it if not to create a welcoming AND healing place for all – which means being with people in their brokenness, hurt, worries, confusion, sorrow, and despair.

Which is not easy. It can often require faith to see them with eyes of compassion and have a heart full of love to do whatever it takes for them when you are already worn out and a little broken yourself.

It’s easy to point out the many faults of a local Y, of ways they let members and staff down; those observations and experiences take no faith to see.

What does take faith though, if you’re a Christian in the Y, is how Christ is at work in every volunteer, member and staff bringing good out of every situation.

It takes faith to see God bringing about his will and desires through the individuals and organization, especially when there’s so many things going wrong.

If you want to see stronger Christian Principles put into practice in your Y, first use your eyes of faith to see how you are embodying them there. The temptation to focus on what others are doing (or not) can distract us from acting according to our conscience.

If you want to move beyond just your personal actions in your Y, ensure that what you are doing is with excellence and integrity, exemplary and inviting. If you’re going to be a role model for it, be a good one!

Depending on your role in the Y, you might feel a little helpless about making a difference. Ironically I know Y leaders at every level who feel hampered: a CEO who feels lack of support, a front desk staffer who feels isolated, coordinators and directors who feel on their own. Yet, if every single one of them just started to be a little more intentional, confident in Christ, and open-hearted to all around them, over time they’d see some amazing results.

Faith as small as a seed is still more than enough to start growing!

What are some tangible and productive actions you can take as a step of faith to personally put Christian principles into practice:

  • pray for one or two diffferent people at the Y everyday
  • have a key Scripture verse top of mind as you go about your work each day
  • keep an inspiring praise song/hymn in your heart as you encounter each task and responsibility
  • be prepared in your spirit to truly listen to each person that has something to say: a critique or complaint, a suggestion or improvement, a story or testimony
  • connect with a few Christians each week for encouragement and feedback
  • run your program / department / office / projects with loving excellence, wise competence and faithful consistency
  • see Jesus at work in you, helping you grow in grace and wisdom through hardship and difficulties in the Y and life
  • look for opportunities to give credit to God when sharing about success, overcoming, enduring, and making sacrifices.
  • keep digging deeper into the story of the YMCA, of George Williams and his Christian faith and how it built a foundation for our organization
  • enjoy talking about what “Christian principles” can mean in your Y experience – avoid a “right/wrong” approach; instead pursue an ongoing conversation that both includes a continuing grounding in the life and person of Christ Jesus while also becoming more inclusive and welcoming for all.
  • cultivate personal habits of abiding in Christ, of building awareness of the presence of God in the Y, of becoming attentive to the prompts of the Holy Spirit towards actions of service, caring and leadership.
  • don’t underestimate the powerful influence of one person acting under conviction and with compassion; over time this yields compelling outcomes as it draws in more individuals who together accomplish more good for all in the Spirit of Christ
  • be patient, be kind, don’t be envious of others success and avoid boasting about your achievements; putting Christian principles into practice requires faith, hope and love not coercion, haste or worry
  • have confidence that God will complete what is started in Christ through the Y – I know, I know, sometimes it’s hard to see it or believe it, like we’ve been saying, that’s why it requires faith, hand in hand, together!