Here Is Where It Begins

For some time now I have been blogging about the positives and negatives of adoptive parenting. Occasionally my adoptive parenting reflections include snippets about my vocational life, but generally I have tried to focus that blog in an adoption-related direction. Consequently those who know me primarily as a result of my vocation find too little about my pastoral life to be very relevant. On the other hand, those reading the other blog because of my adoptive parenting perspective become confused when I cross over into my pastoral life.

I have been reticent to launch a separate blog for several reasons, including the best use of my time, but most importantly because one of my orienting life principles is that my life needs to be integrated, seamless, having integrity. I make little separation between the three most important priorities in my life — God, my spouse and children, and my vocation. My daily experiences weave in, out, throughout, and back around again amongst these priorities, so it is not always easy (nor do I consider it best) to segment my life.

However, for the sake of clarity and focus, today I launch A Calling Reflected, in which I will offer my thoughts and experiences as a pastor of a growing, medium-sized mainline Christian congregation.

I should define what I mean by those descriptors. Pastor: a disciple of Jesus Christ who understands his/her calling to provide leadership in a faith community. In my case I am an ordained “Elder” in the United Methodist Church, which means that I have been set apart (“ordained”) by a Bishop, on behalf of the whole (“universal”) Church to Service, Order, Word and Sacrament. In the United Methodist tradition an “Elder” is ordained and is itinerant, which means that we serve at the appointment of our resident Bishop, in consultation with the Cabinet (in our case six District Superintendents form the Bishop’s Cabinet) and local congregations. In other words, although there is a consultative process, the final decision regarding where a pastor serves resides with our Bishop.

Growing: a community of faith (“church” or “congregation”) in which there is a desire and evidence of spiritual deepening (internal growth), as well as a growing awareness and passion for reaching others (external growth) with the good news of Christ Jesus.

“Medium-sized”: this is, admittedly, a subjective descriptor which is highly contextual. In Minnesota what we mean by “medium-sized” United Methodist Church is a congregation in which the Sunday morning worship average attendance is between 195-240 people. By contrast, in other parts of the country where United Methodism is a dominant faith expression, “medium” might mean more than double the above figure.

“Mainline”: a hackneyed, less-than-useful phrase these days, but it might communicate something to some. Realistically I believe that a better descriptor might be “oldline” reflecting cultural reality, but I hang on to the hope that by “mainline” we might mean inclusive and broad enough to welcome diversity.

“Christian”: This adjective is a significant, though often assumed, one when speaking of “church,” but I’ve learned that it’s a designation often requiring clarity. I may say more about this in a later post.

“Congregation”: the people of God who gather together for worship, fellowship, outreach and mission. God’s people in Christ are not bounded by the walls of an edifice, the bureaucracies of an institutional religious setting or the historic human divisions which continue to segment society.

That may give you a better sense of how it all begins for me. In the posts ahead I anticipate theological, ethical, spiritual, and vocational reflections.