Rev. John Todd’s Farewell

Presbyterian pastor John Todd, who has labored in the Palisades vineyard for 18 years, guiding, consoling and overseeing a new sanctuary, is bringing his 39-year career to an end July 1. He will delivers his farewell sermon this Sunday at 10 a.m. ”At 65, Todd thinks it’s an appropriate time to conclude his active ministry and move on. He, his wife Jo and son Michael intend to build a home on seven acres of hardwood forest in Tullahoma, Tennessee (halfway between Chattanooga and Nashville)’where Jo grew up and where much of her family still lives. ”’It’s been a great run and, like every person here, I love this community and I love this church,’ says Todd sitting in the office that he has suitably tailored to his taste with more books than objects on the shelves, sunshine streaming in, and an open door. ”When Todd came from a church with 1,500 members in Orange County to the Palisades church in 1985, the membership was aging and dwindling, a common phenomenon among mainline churches. ‘This parish was hurting,’ Todd says. ‘It was a tough place, the church had lost a lot of membership.’ ”Todd himself was ready for a change. He was recovering from a divorce and had met Jo, who was working in Orange County, in the church choir. Jo accompanied John to the interview with the Palisades elders and, according to John, made quite an impression. ”’We had been dating for awhile and planned to get married, but at one point we both kind of lost our confidence, since we had both been married,’ Todd recalls. ‘I called Bob Lowe [on the search committee] and asked him what would happen if I didn’t marry her: would the job offer go away? Bob hesitated for a while, then finally said ‘No.’ I guess he wanted Jo as much as he wanted me.’ The couple married one month after Todd took the job.” Todd says he knew from the start that the Palisades church was where he was supposed to be. ‘There is a different kind of intensity with my relationship with this church, and I think it’s because they allowed me to be exactly the way I wanted to be.’ ”His personal manner is notable, an updated biblical patriarch of sorts: commanding in stature, when he’s dressed in the black cape, green silver shawl and white starched collar, his intense brown eyes become all the more pronounced framed by the sweep of wavy hair and evangelist’s beard. ”’First of all, they gave me total freedom in the pulpit,’ which underscores the importance Todd places on preaching. Preparation for the Sunday sermon begins Monday morning, says Todd, who more than 20 years ago began the practice of reciting the Bible passage by heart. Throughout the week, he masters the text and refines and revises his sermon to be delivered for each of the two Sunday services. He choreographs his sermon, striding the chancel from side to side in his Falconhead cowboy boots, using his voice, his hands and his eyes to make the scripture relevant to this congregation. ”’Second, there were no expectations placed on my family, which might have been a problem as we live right next door to the church.’ (The Todds are the first family to occupy the manse on El Medio, which was built for them 20 years ago.) ‘They didn’t expect my wife to play the piano. And my son Michael, who’s 13, is no preacher’s kid. He feels totally at home here, he loves the Palisades. ”’Third,’ says Todd, ‘this community has allowed freedom for the church to be open. There are two kinds of congregations: exclusive, where everybody believes the same thing and they are all going in the same direction, and inclusive, which allows for a wide theological interpretation. That’s our church. As long as everybody believes in the core commitment, I don’t care how he or she comes at it. Some people come for fellowship, others struggle with the fundamental stuff like did Christ rise from the grave? But here is a free arena where you can wrestle with this.’ ”Calling himself one of the few Calvinists left, Todd believes that instead of placing the emphasis on the drive towards God, God is reaching for us. The challenge for Todd and for any church leader is to continue to address a community that isn’t listening’the Westside of Los Angeles, which tends to be very secular and not deeply religious. ”When the Web site ‘Mystery Worshiper,’ which publishes surreptitious critiques of churches, called Todd’s style a combination of Scottish traditional and Hollywood glitz, he couldn’t agree more. ‘Hollywood glitz is a complement. That’s what it should be, partly because of where we are and also the fact that so many of our people are involved in every part of the entertainment business.’ ”While Todd’s manner is dramatic, the content of his sermons is neither sensational nor political; he prefers to be inclusive on questions such as abortion and homosexuality. ‘My philosophy on that is ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,” he says. ‘I consider these private matters. People have every right to advocate one side and the other. My concern is the spiritual arena, that people can have strong opinions but that they don’t throw rocks at each other.’ ”Todd admits that he does rely on humor to get from point A to point B, but often the joke is on him. Baptisms, he suggests, are sure to be entertaining. ‘Everything that could happen in a baptism has,’ says Todd, who enjoys baptizing babies during the service. ‘The congregation likes to see me in turmoil.’ ”When Todd took over as pastor, a survey conducted in 1985 predicted an aging demographic for the Palisades, and youth work was discouraged. And while the church disregarded the prediction and built up what has turned out to be a highly successful youth program under the direction of Rev. Eric Schaefer, Todd tackled the dwindling population in another way. ”He built a program based on the very Presbyterian idea of stewardship, that the church belongs to the members, who make a commitment to that body. ”’I preached commitment to God and took the scriptural approach to talk about that commitment,’ Todd says. ‘These are bright, wonderful people in the Palisades and once they believe, it’s like a revival in the old days.’ ”Todd also preached tithing, the idea of making an annual financial commitment to support the church. ‘I preached six sermons that had to do with money. We now have well over 50 percent moving towards tithing, and we’ve been in the black for 10 years. I’m very proud of that.’ Membership today stands at 600 with 1,000 affiliated. ”Ten years ago, Todd wasn’t sure that the congregation wanted to grow and commit to building a new church, so he decided to transfer to a church in Delaware. ‘I felt that I had wrapped up what I could do, but Bob Lowe was insistent. We went down to the Bel-Air Bay Club for lunch and Bob assured me that the congregation would build a new church. I felt it was too late, I had already committed to the church in Delaware. Bob said, ‘In this country there is no indentured servitude.’ I called the Presbyterian offices and talked to Jo about staying. She started to cry. She was so happy.’ ”Todd stayed for another 10 years and oversaw the construction of the new sanctuary, completed in May 1999, which he mentions as one of the highlights of his career. ” ”Todd won’t speculate on the future of Palisades Presbyterian, insisting that the new pastor must determine the next step. He will not continue ministerial duties in his new home, but rather looks forward to spending more time with his son, who will be entering 8th grade. Todd expects visits from has two daughters from his first marriage and a 12-year-old granddaughter. He will also continue to write. ‘I have a couple of books I want to do, and I might teach. The University of the South is 30 minutes away, and Vanderbilt is also a possibility. ”’The challenges for the next era will be to continue to address a community that isn’t listening. The majority of church members have no church background or very little. If they can trust us, they’ll listen.’