What does it mean for a pastor to receive a call?

Life is in turmoil. It is like standing in a dusty field, surrounded by wildflowers, with the wind whipping all around, blowing dust and leaves into the air with a whirlwind, all the while knowing that at any moment, the darkened skies will open up and rain will begin to fall in sheets, not with the gentleness of a early spring shower. 

That, my friends, is what happens when a pastor receives a call to serve another congregation. He finds himself with the call to his current congregation and a call to another congregation. There are many thoughts and emotions that swirl about him. The members of his current congregation have a plethora of emotions - disbelief, fear, sorrow, joy, elation, hope, anger and complacency. Emotions are often the first things that are put forth.  

The family of said pastor faces many emotions as well. They have become a part of a community of faith, a family, and are faced with the struggle of what would be the best thing to do at the time. There are friendships that have been formed. There are feelings of anxiety and fear at the thought of the loss of these relationship. 

The pastor's wife faces many challenging things. People will look at her and put on her their own emotions. If they like the pastor, they will question if the wife is the reason that he has received a call. They might even blame the wife for this happening. Or they will try to use the wife to influence the pastor in his deliberations on the call. "Tell him that you don't want to move." "Let him know that..." She is put in the uncomfortable position of influencing the pastor in returning the call (or in some situations, to accept the call and move on).

Yes, I have received a call to serve as pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lindenwood, IL. Why? It is because the Holy Spirit has lead that congregation to call me to serve as their pastor. They are without a shepherd (understanding that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the pastor is the under shepherd). They have felt that at this time, for whatever reason, the Lord has said, "Issue this man a call to serve as your pastor." 

What happens now? It should be understood that in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, when a call is issued, the pastor seeks the guidance of the Holy Spirit on what to do. Some have misunderstood the announcement of having received a call to mean that I am leaving and have already started the process of saying "good bye." I understand why this is done. It helps to begin the process should I accept this call. 

But I have not accepted this call. Nor have I declined it. It is far too early in the process to say either of those things. I am in prayerful consideration. Now I will be in discussion with 1) St. Paul's and 2) Immanuel. I will spend time asking what is the ministry here at St. Paul's and how do I, as pastor, fit in into that ministry. Has my time here run it's course? Or is there more that the Lord wants to do through me? If it is the later, what is that which He wishes to do?  

One thing I ask when someone says, "You can't leave," is "Why?" It has to be something more than "I like you. I want you to stay." It feels good to be wanted and loved. Trust me, it does feel really good. But why do you want me to stay? What ministry do we have to do together? What ministry does the Lord have for me to do here at St. Paul's? 

At the same time, I will be in discussion with the members of Immanuel. I will be asking what is their vision of what the ministry looks like at Lindenwood. The question will be raised is the needs of the congregation such that it will be blessed by my ministry there. What is it that they see that I will provide to them to assist them to continue to move forward with the message of the Gospel?

What does all this mean? It means that we, pastor, family, St. Paul's members and Immanuel members, will prayerfully ask the Lord to give guidance at this time. We ask for clarity in sight as to what He wishes to have done. 

Stay tuned. I plan to blog my way through this process. 

Lord, I pray for Your guidance, Your wisdom and Your direction as I consider the two calls that I have - the call to St. Paul's and the call to Immanuel. I am Your servant, lead me. Amen.

Thoughts while eating sausage

Today, Sunday, March 4, is the annual sausage supper at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Troy, IL. It is a day when all the folks of the church get together to serve a dinner for the community. Why? Really? You have to ask that question? It is a fund raiser for the church. Between the Trivia Night (May 4, 2018) and the Sausage Supper, we see the two biggest fundraisers at St. Paul's. If all goes according to plan, we will serve 1,200+ dinners through this day. That is a lot of sausage, mashed potatoes, green beans and dessert.

All right, if you want to be technical, if you read the title of this blog today, you should know that I am actually writing this blog before I am eating the sausage supper. So I am thinking prior to the supper. Why now? Because I won't have time throughout this day to doing anything like this. And when it is over this evening, Penny and I will be too tired to do anything other than sit down and unwind.

Sausage supper is a great time to see folks that I haven't seen since last year. Many people pass through the doors of the Ministry Center that won't do that again until next year on the 1st Sunday of March. As I serve as the one who calls the numbers and moves people from the lobby to the dining room, I have the opportunity to say hello to all the folks that come through. Over the past 9 years, I have found that there are "regulars" who will come to the dinner. It will be nice to reconnect with them. To see how their year has gone.

There will be new people that I have never met before. It gives me a chance to say hello and see where they are from. I get to see families gather together, friends meet up and smiles being shared as talk takes place in the lobby. No, I won't be in the dining room to hear the conversation continuing. But the brief time that I get with people is priceless. I enjoy meeting new folks and talking with them. Maybe next year, they won't be "new" any longer. They will be "old" friends who come to the diner.

Then there are the workers. There are so many that must work together in order to make this day work. There are the guys who are frying the sausage and the folks working in the kitchen preparing the other parts of the meal. There are the hostesses seating the people in the dining room. There are those who prepare the tables, serve the food and then clear the tables. There are dish washers and garbage carriers. There are folks at the dessert table and people at the carry out table. And don't forget the people who sell the tickets. There are those who set things up and those who clean up afterwards. Then there are other parts of the day - the Country Store and all that goes into preparing for it, the book fair and the ones that make it happen. All of them are necessary to make the dinner be successful. We thank each one for the time that they give to make this event happen.

Is it worth it? Really worth it? There is so much that goes into having a sausage supper. Hours and hours go into this day. When it is over, is it worth it? If you look at it from the financial point of view, you would have to say, maybe. Really? Just "maybe." Yes it brings in a goodly amount of $. But if that is the only benefit of the day, it might not be worth it. There is the "working together" component that takes place at the dinner. That really is the plus of the day. This is the time when people work together for a common cause. It is a day of service to the community. Now you are talking about why today is worth the effort. Add to that the fact that many folks will come into out Ministry Center to eat the meal. For some, this is the only time they will be in St. Paul's facilities. We welcome them in and hope they have a good experience. They will judge St. Paul's on how they are accepted and treated on this day. In putting our best foot forward, this will help folks to have a positive impression of St. Paul's.

So is it worth it? Yes. As I greet each person, it is worth it. As they are seated in the gym, it is worth it. As they get up from the table after having a really good meal, it is worth it. To hear the positive words as they walk out of the dining room, it is worth it.

Yes, today is going to be a good day. Thank You Lord for giving us this day in which we can serve the people of our community.

See you are the Sausage Supper.