Monday, April 9, 2018

Making a decision on a call

What goes into making a decision when a pastor has a call to a congregation? As I write this, remember that in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, a pastor is not required to accept a call that is issued to him. He can accept the call and become pastor of the congregation that called him or he can return the call (decline it) and remain at the congregation he is currently serving. I have returned the call to Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lindenwood, IL. Why? Because I did not feel that I was the pastor to lead them in the direction of ministry that I felt that they were going.

Penny and I visited Immanuel this last week. We found them to be a friendly congregation. They had hopes and dreams for the ministry of their congregation. They welcomed us with open arms. Larry and Linda drove us around the area, showing us the different communities where folks lived. Each community seemed to offer possibilities for ministry and outreach. We spent the afternoon and evening with members of Immanuel, asking questions, answering questions, talking about their lives, finding out what their hopes for a their new pastor would be. This gave us insight into the type of pastor they are looking for as they look forward to the direction the Lord is taking them. They had a "meet and greet" time in which we sat around and visited with members, young and old. I had the chance to ask questions about this type of ministry and that type of ministry. It gave me insight into the pastoral leadership that they were looking for as well as what I felt I heard them talking about in various conversations.

As the evening closed, Penny and I had gained an insight, albeit a limited insight, into the thoughts and dreams of Immanuel. We then spend time talking about what each of us heard, what we felt it meant and where we might fit into the picture. (Remember that all through this process, we are asking for the Lord to guide us. We are praying for direction. The folks at Immanuel were praying. The folks at St. Paul's were praying. The whole process was surrounded by prayer.) The drive time gave us the chance to discuss the ministry and their needs and wants. We spend the night in Bloomington, IL so that we didn't have to drive the whole way back. After all, it was a tiring day. It takes a lot of energy and focus to go through this process while meeting new people and being "on display."

We talked more that night and into the next day. As we finished the drive home to Troy from Lindenwood on Saturday, we had more time without having to be focused on anything else. As we reached home, I had a firm direction in my mind, one that Penny was in agreement with. We then had a family meeting, to talk things over with our kids. It was a phone meeting as Rach was in Litchfield, Brandon in Collinsville and Matthew in Lincoln, NE. We discussed it over, letting them know our thoughts, getting their thoughts and coming to a conclusion on when we should announce the decision.

Since it had been made, we did not feel that it should be dragged out any longer. It wasn't fair to either congregation to withhold the decision any longer. It only causes turmoil and leads people into the "unknown." It causes anxiety among many. It also was not fair to Immanuel to continue to drag it out when the decision was to return the call. This gives them the opportunity to move forward in the call process. To wait another week or two, would only cause them to be further along without a resident pastor. We wanted to be fair to both Immanuel and St Paul's as well as with our family. So we decided it was best to announce right away. We could wait a week, but Penny would be gone to Chelsey's bridal shower in Columbus, NE next weekend and she wanted to be here when I announced the decision. Rachael will also be at that shower and she wanted to be present. That would mean 2 weeks if we waited and that was far too long to make anyone wait when the decision had been reached. So I announced the decision this last Saturday/Sunday.

In reaching that decision there is nothing against the congregation at Immanuel. They are a good congregation with good people. I just didn't feel that the Spirit was leading me to be their pastor. The ministry they need and the skills I have, were not fully compatible. Could I have done the ministry there? Yes. Was I the best candidate for that ministry? I did not feel that I was. I believed that the Lord was telling me that I was not to take that call. I thank the people at Immanuel for the honor of being considered as their pastor. I pray that the Spirit would lead them to the man who will serve them.

Here at St. Paul's, we continue to look at the ministry we have here in our community. And that is for another blog.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

One week after announcing call

I wrote last week about receiving a call. When a pastor or other called worker receives a call to serve another congregation, it is a difficult or trying time. I have to say, it has been that way for me and Penny this last week. It was Holy Week, a blessed time. That is a week when we focus on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. For a pastor and his family, it guides the entire week. No matter what he does, the pastor has one more service to prepare, one more sermon to write. At no time does he really have time to relax. You finish one, you start the next one. There is no time to relax.

Then throw into that mix the call to another congregation and the week becomes chaotic. Penny and I tried to stay focused on Holy Week but it was difficult. Was this the last time we would celebrate Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday with the folks at St. Paul's? We didn't know. The Lord hasn't shown us an answer yet. But it sat in our minds. We talked about it. We prayed about it. And we pushed through the week.

Ministry. What ministry does the Lord want to use me in at this time. The ministry here at St. Paul's is still alive and well. There is Word and Sacrament ministry taking place. What you need to understand is that the focus of the pastoral ministry is Word and Sacrament ministry. Taking the Word into the lives of the members. Sharing the gifts of Baptism and Lord's Supper with the folks. No matter what else takes place, that MUST take place. Without Word and Sacrament ministry, there is no church. Where is the Christian Church to be found? It is found where the Gospel is preached in its purity and the Sacraments are rightly administered according to the Word of God. Everything else comes from Word and Sacrament.

As I prayerfully consider the calls I have (to St. Paul's and to Immanuel), I am asking the Lord to give clarity. Clarity of vision for me as pastor. Clarity of vision for St. Paul's. Clarity of vision for Immanuel. And then, how do the pieces fit together? How does He want to use these different pieces to reach folks with the message of life and hope.

What does that Word and Sacrament ministry look like here at St. Paul's? Does it entail more Bible study? Does it continue to focus in the 3 services each week? Does it mean that we will continue to support the Christian Day School? Does it mean that we will be able to grow our Daycare? How do all those pieces fit together? How does the Lord want us to move forward in the Word and Sacrament ministry?

Added to this equation is the struggle that we are facing at St. Paul's. How do we fund the work that we are doing here in Troy? The Board of Stewardship and Finance are actively working, working hard, to try to figure out this puzzle. How do we take the dollars that we have, and distribute them through the various arms of the congregation? And when there is not enough money to go around, what do you need to cut back on? How do you continue to move forward with the work of the congregation when the funding is extremely tight? Hard questions. Questions that play into the discussion of Word and Sacrament ministry of St. Paul's. What is the answer? That hasn't been shown us yet.

At the end of this week, Penny and I are going to visit the congregation in Lindenwood, IL to see what Word and Sacrament ministry they have in their congregation. At that time, we will be asking hard questions of them as to what they see the congregation doing and how we fit into that picture.

Through this all, we continue to pray for clarity. Perhaps this blog hasn't given clarity. That is because nothing is clear in my mind at this time. Please keep us in your prayers. Pray that the Lord's will shall be done. Pray that He will give guidance to us. Pray that He will show all of us the direction that He wants us to move at this time.

Nope. No answers yet. Nothing. Nada. Still praying.