It would be presumptuous of me to think that I could speak on behalf of the millions of Presbyterian Christians in this country. Still, from the window of being a member of the Presbytery Pastoral Care Network and a pastor for almost forty years, I would like to offer a word of thanks to the ordained ministers of the Presbyterian churches across this country. For the past eight years, this network has been trying to offer support and encouragement to pastors in the exercise of their demanding profession. Both as a pastor myself and from the perspective of that board, I would like to say thank you to those of you who are hard at work in your congregations.
While those few of our colleagues who fall prey to scandals get the notoriety, you who quietly labor away deserve the community’s profound gratitude. How many marriages did not end in divorce because of your counsel? What man, woman, or youth held themselves together through a traumatic horror because of your presence?
Life is not always smooth, and sadly we read of people who respond bizarrely, and at times destructively, to the pressures on them. Yet, week after week you stand before those who gather for worship and help them try to make sense out of their lives. More than once someone who was in despair found the courage in your words and presence to carry on. Occasionally we hear, but more often we do not hear, how the words you offered or the compassionate act you exhibited enabled persons to keep connected to their faith.
I recently retired after 38 years in the pastorate, and I know firsthand many of the stresses, moments of personal doubt, and experiences of profound pain that are part of your journey of faith. Because you care about your people, their pain often becomes your pain. When someone finds in you a safe person upon whom to project anger generated from a myriad of sources, you have frequently “turned the other cheek.”
Faithfully you have tried to manage the often-conflicting desires and expectations of your members and release in them the nobler characteristics of their better natures. Often because of your guidance, they have surprised themselves in their capacity to be a community of healing and reconciliation.
Many of you have or will suffer criticism for how you perform your ministry. Some of you have even suffered the trauma of being fired from your position. Because you have integrity and feel compelled to listen to the voice of God who called you to ministry, you will, at times, find yourself in tension with the very congregation you serve. While you recognize that you are far from perfect, you need to be reminded that without your ministry, many of the wounds of your community would not be addressed.
I wish that Christian clergy did a better job of supporting each other, but, unfortunately, we often succumb to the temptations of the competitive pettiness of our society. Without denying the theological and sociological differences that often separate us one from the other, still, in this month designated as “Pastor Appreciation Month,” let me express my profound thanks for your ministry.
Stephen P. McCutchan is a retired Presbyterian pastor and writer. His book Experiencing the Psalms received the 2001 Jim Angell Award from the Presbyterian Writer’s Guild for the best first book published by a Presbyterian in that year.
