Flu Ministry
What might congregations do in response to H1N1? Take precautions, perhaps. Serve the community, of course. But, practically speaking, what might we do?
County health officials sent our congregation — and presumably all in the region — a letter a few weeks ago regarding H1N1. They suggested that communion from a common cup be stopped, and that the passing of the peace be altered so that it did not necessitate hand shakes or hugs. Now you could read that two ways: 1) what in the world is the government doing telling us how to practice our religion or, 2) isn’t that wonderful that the county cares so much for its citizens it suggests ways to stay healthy, even in church.
Before I arrived in Hallock, the congregation made a few announcements in worship to suggest that people might want to welcome their neighbor with a friendly “hello” and a smile rather than a hand shake. A few weeks later, I’m not sure the message stuck as every person shook my hand heading out the door last Sunday — or my leadership was so bad that they wanted to infect me and get rid of me quick!
Perhaps all this H1N1 worry gets into culture of fear issues — homeland security threat level raised to burnt orange — or, perhaps it is a real health concern that we should take completely seriously. Since, in my lifetime I do not remember any flu scare such as this, I’m willing to take things quite seriously. Even more so, I’m willing to spread the word.
I’m all for action, but with H1N1, it seems the best I can do is sneeze into my elbow and wash my hands often. I’m even willing to use that goopy hand sanitizer from time to time. And yes, I can help spread the word (and shutdown folks overreacting). But, other than that, it seems there’s nothing to do. Which is frustrating. So I just wrote a blog post about it. Now I’m off to serve my country and…. wash my hands.
image by Marcos Santos
From Midterms to Ministry
I’ve only half-way enjoyed the first few essays in a the new Eerdmans publication, From Midterms to Ministry: Practical Theologians on Pastoral Beginnings. The work was edited by Allan Hugh Cole Jr., and is a collection of essays written for new pastors — mostly those right out of seminary, but for seasoned pastors in new calls as well.
What has struck me most about the first essays is that they were all written by people not currently called as pastor of a church. As I perused the author bios further, I discovered that, indeed, almost if not all the essays are written by professors who once were pastors, but no longer pastoring. This strikes me as strange.
I suppose the subtitle, “practical theologians on pastoral beginnings” could imply that the book was authored only by professors, but what does that say about pastors? Well, if you ask me it says: (1) pastors are not “practical theologians,” only professors are, and (2) pastors these days don’t put out high-enough quality work to publish them in an essay collection. Save the writing for the professors. Both points strike me as unfortunate, and untrue.
Now I don’t know much about Allan Hugh Cole Jr., who may be the most pastoral person in the world and just needed to edit a book with other academics, but I still don’t think I buy the premise: professors should be writing for pastors, not pastors for pastors.
All that said, I did really appreciate the first essay by Tom Long entitled, “The Essential Untidiness of Ministry.” It connected with me, because I’m all about the messiness of all our lives, especially that of a pastor. Life is not black and white, it’s untidy, and trying to tidy it up too much leads to no good at all.
My favorite image of the piece, perhaps, Long borrowed from Luke Johnson. Johnson imagines the difference between the front of a church — with its neat and tidy architecture and images, where only the worship leaders walk — with the back of the church where there’s messy announcements and baskets collecting food and children whining and everyone treads. Most ministers have learned much about the front of the church, about the sacraments and preaching and teaching, but it’s the back of the church where the rubber hits the road. Pastoring gets messy back there, and that’s ok.
As I continue to read, From Midterms to Ministry I’ll put up more posts. Peace.
A Weekend to Remember
So, I’m ordained now. That was fun. Megan and I enjoyed a lovely and whirlwind weekend in Tallahassee, with the good saints of First Presbyterian and Florida Presbytery. In my humble opinion, the service was fantastic. And what a blessing to have dear friends and family participate in the service!
I’m too shattered to attempt any great reflection at this point except to say I don’t feel any different at all, which I think is probably a good thing.
I’ll post a few snippets from the day, however.
- My sermon, “How Can I Keep From Singing (click here: Acts 4 Sermon, Old First, Sept 6 2009) from the 10:45 a.m. service. (You may also look for it under Sept 6, 2009 at the Old First website.) It’s not real easy like to preach on the morning of your ordination, but it was fun to contextualize the day in some way and say thanks in a manner of speaking.
- Longtime friend and former professor of mine, Martha Moore-Keish preached during the ordination service. That sermon, also available on the Old First website, can be viewed here: Sermon for Ordination of Adam Copeland.
- Many thanks to Dr. Kim Long for the anointing and offering the ordination prayer — and for slipping away from the beach for the day!
- Since several have already requested it, I’m also posting Katy Schneider’s Great Prayer of Thanksgiving that I used for the communion liturgy (here: Communion Liturgy. It’s as powerful a Great Prayer as I’ve ever come across. Though probably not ideal for every Sunday, it is perfect for festival occasions. I look forward to Katy’s further publications, of which I hope they are many.
The Thoughtful Christian = Good Stuff
If you haven’t checked out what’s going on over at The Thoughtful Christian recently, you should. I’ve been very impressed with this easy-to-use online-access curriculum site, and it just keeps getting better. They lowered the subscription rate (not because it wasn’t doing well, but because they’re cool like that), and continue to add great studies, many of which on current events affecting our nation today.
I used the Galatians study to lead a Bible study series while I was in Scotland and I was most impressed not only with the content, but with the way each session was laid out. The editors know their Christian Education theory, because the four sections to each class — Opening, Exploring, Responding, Closing — work well and are just what I learned in seminary. Though many studies are written by Presbyterians, many are not and studies are intentionally created with mainline denominations in mind, not just Presbyterians.
The Thoughtful Christian would be a good resource for most churches. Small churches could use studies for sunday school, youth lessons, are special study programs. Larger churches could even have a church school class devoted to just Thoughtful Christian studies. So there you have it, I recommend it (and not just because I’ve written for them), but because they work. I’ll definitely be speaking with our Christian Education committee about signing up for a year’s subscription while the sale is still on. Get it while it’s hot, it’s the thoughtful thing to do.
The Presbytery of the Northern Plains, My New Home
Tonight, I was approved by the Presbytery of the Northern Plains to serve as Stated Supply Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hallock, Minn. Yay! I’m really excited to be working with the good folks of FPC Hallock, looking forward to getting to know the community, and pretty darn pumped for the annual Pie Social. It’s a great call for me and for Megan, and I’m grateful for the support of so many through the process — including, tonight, the many prayers through Twitter connections. I’ll be ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on Sept 6th in Tallahassee.
I’ll wait for another day — and more lucidity — to say any more specifics about the exam or the call, but I will say it went very well. Instead, I’ll include below my address to the presbytery. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, read on:
Address to the Presbytery of the Northern Plains on My Commitment to the Ministry
Adam J. Copeland
August 26, 2009
Madam Moderator, it is with a deep sense of joy and a great hope for the future that I speak tonight on what the Book of Order (G-14.0482) terms ‘the candidate’s’ “commitment to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.”
I became an Inquirer in the Presbytery of Florida back in February of 2003, when I was a junior at St. Olaf College. I still remember writing to my pastor from a computer in an internet cafe in Seoul, Korea where I was studying on the college’s Global Semester program, to say that I was interested in beginning the discernment process. Then, I had no idea where I might be called, but I knew that my gifts might be suited for ordained ministry, that that path was one I was called to at least explore.
Over the next six years from Seoul back to St. Olaf; from St. Olaf to Columbia Seminary in Decatur, Georgia; from Columbia to serving as an Assistant Minister in Ayr, Scotland; and now to Hallock, Minnesota, I have explored my gifts for ministry and been supported by many. I have learned from the best and the brightest at Columbia, but also from those other Atlantans whom society forgets, from the homeless and diseased, the battered and the down-hearted. I have served the national church in several capacities, but also been active in a local church choir. I have been through the rigors of ordination exams, been immersed in the Bible, survived Church History and now, if the body is willing, might be called to serve as Stated Supply pastor in Hallock.
In Hallock, I think I know (and I surely have been told) the ministry of Word and Sacrament will not be as simple as it is made out to be in the seminary classroom. Storms will come; at many-a-time no book will supply the answer. But so too will joy come in the morning. Just as the wind blows on those northern plains, I trust the Spirit of God will make a way clear. And with the support of the congregation, the session, and this presbytery God’s work might be done.
And so, I assure you, my commitment to the ministry of Word and Sacrament is strong for I rest my faith and hope not in my experiences or education–though they are solid — but in Jesus Christ, the rock of our salvation.
As I was unpacking this week I came across a passage in the Second Helvetic Confession that speaks exactly to this commitment — true story, I found some old ordination exam study cards. Section 5.155 of the Second Helvetic Confession describes ministers as “Stewards of the Mysteries of God.” The passage builds on 1 Cor. 4 to say that ministers are like rowers of a boat who must always follow the lead of the captain, Jesus Christ. Only with their eyes fixed on the captain might ministers know whose command to follow, for whom to care, and that all the affairs of ministry are subject to Christ’s ways and will.
If this presbytery concurs, it would be a great honor to fix my eyes on Christ in the beautiful corner of God’s creation that is Hallock. Then, with the good folks at First Presbyterian Church, I might row a ship with eyes fixed on Christ, energized by Holy Spirit, and supported by God the Father, sharing this Trinity of Love with those of this presbytery and beyond. To that ministry of Word and Sacrament, I assure you, I am deeply committed. Thank you Madam Moderator.
image by Kateřina Štěpánková
Negotiating for a Better Future
Some denominations do it better. The transition into ministry process, and supporting pastors in negotiating Terms of Call, that is.
Way back when I was in seminary and taking the course Congregational Leadership and Administration, another student described the call process in his denomination. Much of the process was similar to my PC(USA) experience — with online forms and a national database — but something he said struck me as a brilliant idea, one which PC(USA)ers should consider.
In my denomination, when a pastoral candidate is offered the call by a Pastor Nominating Committee, the committee offers certain Terms of Call. These terms include descriptions such as how much vacation and continuing ed time one is alloted, but also the monetary terms. And, for those of you who’ve seen them before, pastor’s salaries are really confusing because they involve so many line items, insurance/pension, and (hopefully) self employment tax and the like. They’re not exactly easy for pastors to understand, let alone parishioners. So the pastoral candidate, after she receives the offered Terms of Call, usually mulls them over and makes a counter offer to the committee.
[Annoying challenge: some committees plan on the candidate asking for more money so do not offer all that’s budgeted while other committees would be aghast at a candidate asking for more.]
Anyways, so the PNC (or sub-committee) and candidate work out the terms and, presto, a call is agreed upon. But let’s think about that for a second. The pastor, all by herself, must negotiate with the committee made up of her future parishioners. She probably doesn’t know all the church’s financial info by this point, and certainly doesn’t know the history. She’s also unsure of her financial condition in the new town. And while I’m using the female pronoun, remember that female pastors’ salaries are lower than male’s in part, I imagine, because they do not negotiate as well on behalf of themselves as do men.
But that’s the problem. Which brings me back to my class. This student from another denomination said that a person is assigned — usually an elder in the congregation — to advocate for the pastor. So at the negotiating table there is not just a future pastor on one side and a committee on another, but an elder sitting in the pastor’s shoes, an elder advocating for her, an elder who knows the congregation and is informed of the pastor’s financial situation who can seek not the cheapest deal for the congregation, but a fair salary that will help the pastor better serve the congregation.
Now before anyone reads too much into this post, I am NOT the least bit annoyed at the committees and presbytery folks with which I am currently in conversation. So please don’t think I’m speaking of my own situation. Let me say that again: this isn’t about me and please don’t take it so. Whew, ok. That said, of course, my current situation did remind me of our class discussion and the fact that Terms of Call negotiations can become so individualistic rather than an act of Christian community. Negotiations are less about supporting one another, and more about a financial transaction.
The Church of Scotland has remedied the situation by paying all pastors the same salary based upon their years of experience. Congregations are also required to provide a manse for their minister. Now this setup provides problems of its own, but it certainly speaks to the communal nature of ministry, and it saves pastoral candidates from having to negotiate with a foreign committee on their own behalf.
So I wonder, how could the PC(USA) support pastoral candidates in Terms of Call negotiations? Have a few people per presbytery trained in the process act as a mediator? Have a local elder assigned to speak for the pastor’s best interest? Have the pastor in the neighboring church help out? I don’t know, but I’m sure the process can be improved.
The Reverend Esquire
Maybe I’ve just been around a peculiar group of people recently, but in more than a handful of conversations the same curious consideration has popped up: pastors becoming lawyers — or at least, going to law school.
Among friends and acquaintances several are considering or already transitioned from ordained ministry to law. Now I know the fields, historically speaking, are related. Homeboy John Calvin was a lawyer to begin with after all. But perhaps the fields have changed so much today there are fewer overlaps? So an off-the-top-of-my-head comparison follows.
Attorneys and Pastors have in common:
- they work, in large part, with people
- they work in complex systems of thought (law and theology)
- their work is based in an important text (constitution/case law and the Bible)
- verbal persons thrive
- both professions seek justice for individuals and in society
- the hours are long and hard
Ways Attorneys and Pastors differ:
- well, the pay is a few commas different
- pastors spend much time in one-on-one pastoral care and hands-on administration (holistic), attorneys work more to accomplish specific tasks and do so hierarchically
- the society values humble pastors but highfalutin attorneys
- perhaps pastors work more in the gray and attorneys in determining black and white
- pastors work in constant ever-grinding cycles but attorneys can close a case and move on to something very different
- pastors are seen as holy or other, attorneys are seen as anything but
Now that I’ve done that, I’m no more clear on why all these pastor types are considering law school. What do you think?
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