©2007 John A. Lindquist II. Used by permission.
Ask this New Jersey born, east coast educated minister how he feels about life in the predominantly Mormon town of Ogden, Utah, and he’ll tell you he is right where he is supposed to be. The Rev. Dr. Richard Paul Minnich is pastor of First Church, a congregation of more than 400 members. The gold brick building of First Church, nestled against the western bench of the Rocky Mountains, has been his home for 15-plus years.
His theological training and earlier pastorates were in the eastern states. After graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity, he completed his Doctor of Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1992. His first calling was assistant pastor of youth ministry at Westminster Church in Upper St. Clair, Pa. Five years later he was pastor to the Elizabeth, Pa.’s Round Hill Church.
It would be impossible for most Americans to conceive a place in our country where Christians live in an unrepresented minority. Minnich was no exception when he discussed an invitation to move to Utah. The nomination committee for First Church was searching for a pastor willing to come to Ogden, approximately 35 miles north from the Mormon epicenter of Salt Lake City. It was only after visiting with the committee that the pastor gained any idea of what it would be like living in Utah. The Great Salt Lake and the Mormon Temple were the total of his Utah knowledge. “I didn’t understand that Utah has its own unique culture. I didn’t know what it would mean to be part of a minority. I was pretty much clueless,” he admitted. “Perhaps that was a plus, because I didn’t come here with preconceived ideas.”
He accepted the position as God’s calling, and practically as a good fit between the needs of First Church and his skills. Spend any amount of time with Minnich and members of his congregation, and you quickly witness his decision was right. His down-to-earth demeanor and abundant good humor make him such a natural fit it is difficult not to think he has lived his entire life in this blue-collar northern Utah town. By request everyone calls him Rick, and the most formal address he’ll accept is Pastor Rick. Pastor Rick has even embraced life in the shadow of religious control cast by the Mormon Church.
The Mormon Church, officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (or LDS), is known as and referred to as THE CHURCH. This attitude permeates the fabric of everyday life throughout Utah. All public decisions are interpreted from the viewpoint of the Mormon Church. The local and state governments, the news media (printed and televised), public education, when and how private businesses are operated, and even community organizations are all dominated by Mormon doctrine.
One example: Karl Rove’s recent resignation from the White House was second page news in Utah because it coincided with the death of a high-ranking LDS church official. “I’ve been here for 15 years and still can’t get over this reality,” says Pastor Rick. “But it’s no more than a minor irritant.”
Adapting to living in Mormon culture is one thing, adapting spiritually is another matter. When he arrived, the east coast pastor was of the attitude that all he had to do was proclaim the Good News and the Truth would be known. From a Christian standpoint, the Mormon Church contains so many logical inconsistencies, there could be no way a Mormon, once exposed, would not gladly flee into the open arms of Christianity. Experience taught him a tough lesson “I have come to understand that many LDS people are impervious to such tactics (of logical argument). They see such arguments as ‘Mormon Bashing’ (the culturally-held idea that Mormons have always been persecuted for their convictions),” he explains. “In order to be heard by someone who is LDS, you have to speak their language, culturally. Such witness must be phrased as an experience of the True God and must use emotional language. They have to hear a Christian talking about their own experience of God and not simply spouting facts.”
While Pastor Rick has not changed his style evangelically, he has adapted his sermon content to address the conflicts of belief Mormons have with Christians. Grace has become an emphasis since Mormons do not hold this foundational Christian concept. He also works very carefully with theological definitions. “This is necessitated by the reality that the LDS religion uses many of the same terms as Christianity, but changes what they mean. For instance,” he continues, “Christianity teaches monotheism, the belief that there is only one God. The LDS people claim to be monotheistic even though they believe that there are many gods each with their own worlds because they only worship Heavenly Father who is the god of this world.”
Pastor Rick also finds himself explaining Christian terms that have been assumed by Mormon culture. The word missionary, in Utah, conjures the image of clean-cut young men in white shirts, black ties, and black slacks passing out copies of the Book of Mormon. Pastor Rick illustrates with the word seminary. “Seminary doesn’t mean a graduate school of theology that prepares people to be pastors. It means the building adjacent to the public high school where LDS teens go for release time.” Even though Jesus Christ is in the Mormon Church’s official name, their interpretation of Jesus radically diverges from what Christians believe.
His life as a pastor has both unique and common elements.
As a leader of a religious and cultural minority, one might assume being a pastor in Utah is the most challenging of vocations. Not so, says Pastor Rick. “The challenges here are the same everywhere. In fact, we have a unique opportunity because some people come running to us with a desire (to know) what Christians really believe because they have run up against a very aggressive LDS neighbor or perhaps they’ve had a visit from the missionaries.” Some of the foundations of the Mormon culture that he would like for Christians to use as examples are the focus of building strong, safe communities, and the LDS commitment to religious ideals. The Christian Church has a great deal in common with the LDS church in the area of ethics. He cautions that Christians everywhere need to “hold to our belief in freedom of thought, the value of intellectual inquiry in faith formation, and the ability to accept and value diversity.”
Make no mistake, Utah is great place to live for people of all religions. Many of the influences of the Mormon culture are positive. Pastor Rick cites the LDS “dominance
of government provides a great place to raise children and does so in ways that the more secular governments cannot.” He quips, “I love being able to go to the movies or the amusement park on Sunday and not having to wait in line (the LDS church teaches its members not to participate in activity on their ‘Sabbath’).”
His time in Utah has blessed him as well as giving him opportunity to bless the lives of others. He reflects: “I have grown in my faith and in my ability to share my faith without being threatened during the time I’ve been in Utah. I can’t say that wouldn’t have happened if I’d been somewhere else, but it has come as a response to my interaction with the LDS Culture.”
John A. Lundquist II is a member First Church in Ogden, Utah [PC(USA)], where he is an adult Sunday School teacher, liaison for Bible studies/Christian Theology, and National Health Ministries. He is a professor of management at Weber State University.
