First Thoughts : Guaranteed Apppointments

Today at the General Conference of the United Methodist Church the vote came to no longer secure guaranteed appointments for clergy. My Newsfeed became alive with clergy friends upset by this.  I've never been a big "political" church commentator..... hopefully I won't upset too many people with my thoughts here, but I couldn't help but ask...

Am I the only who is NOT upset by this?

 Yes- this will be different, but we didn't get into ministry so that we would have a guaranteed appointment? 

  Aren't we called to more than that?  

To be more than a pastor who has a guaranteed appointment?

I believe it is and will be possible to ensure justice with regard to race, gender, etc and still have missional effectiveness. Losing this does not lose our integrity with regard to appointment making, rather, to me, it increases our integrity and ability to do effective ministry. 

The only thing this may change is us—how we view our work. 

Have we stopped trying? Reaching? Seeking? Teaching?  Being Open to the power of God doing a new thing? 

No.

I know many who are listening to God, doing God's work, seeking to reach others with passion and joy for ministry. 

Do we do effective work? 

Yes- so why worry?

 Are we so pessimistic that we believe the church will be only be about numbers and metrics now-because of this?  

Don't we still see God at work? 

Don't we know it’s not about us? 

 

 Ken Carter, made an excellent point, the church “has used the language of missional appointment making,” he said. “We want to place the emphasis on the mission – making disciples of Jesus of Christ for the transformation of the world” rather than to have a mission of providing appointments for elders. 

Couldn't this create in us a movement of urgency?  

We could use it.

If we're worried, its likely because we need resurgence in our own urgency. 

How many visits are you making a week? 

How much work are you putting into your sermons? 

Have you worked with your leadership to develop a solid vision for moving forward?

Where can you grow? 

Aren't these good things for us all to think about?

Don't we need some urgency?

A focus on mission and not our own status? 

I remember being in shock (yes, so naïve, I know) when I heard folks in seminary say things like, “I can’t wait to get to the big steeply church and make the big bucks.”  And they weren’t kidding!   

Really?  Really?

This is why you’re going into ministry?

Perhaps, it’s because I started as a missionary living a life of subsistence. 

Yes, I want my student  loans paid off and I want to be debt free and I want my girls to be able to go to college—but other than that- I’m really good.  I do not need a lot.

Yes, I need a car to be able to get me to make visits with folks in the hospital, in their homes, and to visit my family and travel as far as Wisconsin and Florida so my girls may see and play with their grandparents and cousins. 

But I do not need a big house, or lots of money, or the fanciest car.

I do not even need a guaranteed appointment to do my work well.

I do not do the work of ministry because of a guaranteed appointment.

My assurance is not there.

My worth is not there.

My value is not there.

I do not believe that the church “thanks me” for my value by guaranteeing me an appointment either.

They thank me by challenging me to continue the work Christ has called me to! 

Who wants a guarantee?   

We do not believe in “once saved always saved”

We believe that we are Onward Toward Perfection 

We believe we can backslide

We believe we are called to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling

We are not status quo people

We are Methodists

We are a movement

We are ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit

A flame is not guaranteed,

A flame is fanned

A flame has work to do

A flame must breathe

A flame must be nurtured

Why should we worry? Why should we be afraid?

God is still working, and so are we! 

Prayer at the Post Office

I just came back from the Post Office.
This morning I made visits and took communion to home-bound folks.
I had some lunch.
Came back returned calls and emails.
Had a message from a couple coming for counseling needing to reschedule.
Confirmed that 6 families are participating in the Baptism Class I am teaching tonight.
And then I walked across the street to the Post Office to mail a prayer shawl to someone whose father just died.

(I'm usually horrible at mailing things-- It's something I really want to improve on).

Usually when I go to the post office, I'm worried it will feel like this:


A long line and grumpiness all around.

There was not a very long line. A had a pen and let a man borrow it.
I got my stuff together.
I saw one of my church members, Sally* whose husband died a few months ago and said hello.
A woman near me asked if I made the shawl I was sending.
I pulled it out - to reveal the label "Made by Messiah Prayer Shawl Ministry." (Messiah had given out 1040 prayer shawls to share God's love and comfort.)

I shared that this was a ministry that folks from the church did to share their love and God's comfort. "You're from the church just over there?" she pointed across the street. "Yes." She shared that a friend had given her a prayer shawl when she recently had a surgery.
"Is that a thing Methodist Churches do?" She asked.
"I know many do - but I think lots of different churches do this too."

I was called up and made my purchase. The Post Office attendant - Linda-asked if this was a gift for someone. "Someone's birthday?" No, this is for a woman whose father passed away. It is a prayer shawl. "Did you make it?" No- its a ministry of my church to tangibly feel God's comfort.
"That is really nice," Linda the attendant said.
We finished up and I said, "Thank you Linda- Have a wonderful day!"

I then went to follow up with my church member Sally and see how she was doing. She and I caught up - I learned some prayer concerns about her family and wrote them down.

Then I realized the woman I had chatted with earlier was standing and waiting for me. I looked up and Betty said goodbye. The woman- Paula was standing there with a note she had written. Betty said hello to her and then goodbye and Paul went on to share some prayer concerns for members of her family with me. We were standing just on the side out of the way.
She came to herself and asked for prayer. She had just undergone chemo for Lukemia and is remission. She just had her wisdom teeth out and was black and blue. She would soon have a bone marrow transplant. She is musician and had heard of our church's music ministry and hoped to play someday with us. I said, "Paula, would you like to pray now?" Yes she said.
And we did.
I prayed that God would continue to comfort her and wrap her in peace that passes all understanding. I prayed for continued healing and wholeness and that she would feel God's strength in her and know and feel the presence of Christ walking with her and know that Messiah UMC would hold her in prayer as well.

Amen.

I looked up and tears were welled in her eyes and mine. I invited her to church and invited her to dinner tonight and our organ concert tonight. She offered to drive me across the street to the church. I thanked her but needed the walk.

I left with her prayer concerns to add to the prayer list.
I left knowing that God was at the Post Office.
I left wondering how many times I had stood at the Post Office, the Costco, the Giant, the playground, any number of places and there had been people with heavy hearts seeking prayer.

In all of these places, in all of these lines we stand in- let us pray:

Almighty God,
I pray for the strangers around me, who are sisters and brothers in the Body of Christ.
I may not know them, but you do.
I may not know what they are worried about or joyful about.
But you do.
I may not know what feels broken right now for them, what they are searching for,
but I know that you do.
I pray Lord that they will know your love, feel your presence.
I pray that You may shine in them and through me now to offer comfort and peace.
I pray that they may experience your love and grace through a smile, a kind word, and that when we leave our brief meeting, we will be closer to knowing and seeing that You are Here.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.


I'll never forget Robert Bondi teaching me about the early church father Dortheus:

Dorotheus wrote:
“Imagine that the world is a circle, that God is the center, and that the radii are the different ways human beings live. When those who wish to come closer to God walk towards the center of the circle, they come closer to one another at the same time as to God. The closer they come to God, the closer they come to one another. And the closer they come to one another, the closer they come to God.” (Instructions VI.)

Thanks be to God for

Growing Closer to God and one another at the Post Office

*All names are changed always :)