About This Blog

Welcome to World of Your Making.  My name is Rick Lord and I’m currently the Rector of Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia.  I’ve had the privilege of serving this vibrant congregation since the summer of 1994.

I’ve lived in the Washington Metropolitan area most of my life, with the exception of about ten years when I served parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Diocese of Connecticut (1984-1994). The Episcopal Church has been the primary “formation field” of my entire family.  My father, the Rev. Canon David C. Lord, was ordained in the Diocese of Washington in 1962 and planted a church there, St. James in Potomac, Maryland.  After some sixteen years at that parish, he went on to become Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach, Florida.  My father, who died in August of 2009, left us an enduring legacy of faith and hope in Christ.

Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I had the constant companionship of my identical twin brother Rob, and together, we fit the mold of “preacher’s kids” very well.  We both awakened early on to musical talents and cultivated them by playing in local bands and studying music at the undergraduate level.  It was during our college years that each of us, discovered a more personal and transforming faith in the life and vision of Jesus Christ.  We both eventually entered seminary—Rob to Nashota House in Nashota, Wisconsin and I to Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia.  We each went on to additional post-graduate study—Rob to Fuller Theological Seminary (D.Min) and I to Berkeley Divinity School at Yale (S.T.M). Rob is currently the Rector of All Saints Church of Winter Park and we both marvel at the places and people we have known over the years of our ministry within the Episcopal Church.

The focus of my writing centers around life and ministry here in the Diocese of Virginia. I’m passionate about skillful and spiritually sensitive liturgy, sharing the journey with those within and beyond my community of faith, organizational and missional leadership, digital media technology, the study of classical guitar, and things that are just plain good for keeping human life distinctively human.

Like many leaders of mainline congregations today, I feel I’m on a steep learning curve when it comes to reinventing the Church for the 21st century.  The central adaptive challenge I find is that of shifting gently yet persistently from a membership or “established” culture, which has been the social context for much of the modern period across the American religious landscape, to a more intentional and unconditionally welcoming culture—one that emphasizes the Christian faith not merely as a system of belief but as a way of life.  An intentional congregation sensitively encourages “seekers” and “members” to become pilgrims, to encounter God’s presence in worship, be formed in Christ through shared practice, and live out one’s faith through personal engagement in a rapidly changing world.  Taking on that challenge while remaining invigorated, sane, and grateful is the focus of what I write about on this personal blog.

Wishing you joy in the world of your making,

Rick+