It’s easy for me to “remember back” to the PC(USA)’s decisions to ordain gay ministers and allow for the officiating of same-gender marriages (according to the conscience of pastor and session), because the first of these decisions happened during my first pastoral internship, and I moderated the voting on the second.  I know there were a lot of mixed emotions around these decisions at the time, but as a “younger person,” I couldn’t help but be excited that these two more socially liberal changes for the church might be an olive branch to younger people who had left or had never been in the church.  My generation (of 1980s kids) and those following tend to be socially liberal as a majority, and many resent the church for condemning those they love (or themselves) who didn’t fit inside the church at the time.  Now, whatever your theological leaning on these “social issues,” I do think Jesus would have wanted the church to be a safe space for all.  And, if our Presbyterian denomination … [Read more...]

“Now listen up,” the father said to his son during coffee hour at church.  “Your pastor has some wisdom to offer you as you head off to camp.” Truthfully, I had more questions than wisdom to offer, but I did appreciate the integrated perspective that everything we do is somehow spiritual.  So, why wouldn’t the pastor offer some spiritual guidance to this young soul on his way to his first overnight camp?  Now, contrast that with the child on the airplane who is too old to safely sit in his mother’s lap during takeoff.  The flight attendant passes by and kindly reminds the mom that the child needs to be in his own seat.  The mother obliges for the moment, only to disregard the flight attendant’s authority as soon as she is out of sight.  And years from now, this mother will wonder why her child seems to have a problem with authority. I was just on a trip with girlfriends and all of us went to a restricted area of the resort (with permission) to grab some food.  We were told to … [Read more...]

Someone in my presbytery recently texted me:  “Happy 5th ordination anniversary.” Our presbytery prints ordination anniversaries in the weekly email, but without that this colleague would have probably forgotten to send the text and I might not have realized my ordination anniversary had come and gone. Here are five things I have learned in my first four years of ministry. (Rest assured, I learned way more than five, but these are the five that seem most memorable right now.) I don’t know exactly what anyone is experiencing, even if I have lived through a similar life event. I put this one first because I learned this one during one of my very first months in ministry. I went to visit someone in the hospital and as this person was sharing with me just how frustrated she felt, I casually, unthinkingly said, “I know.” She corrected me, “No, you really don’t.” She wasn’t kind or gentle about it, but she was right.  I didn’t know then and it wasn’t because I was a first-year … [Read more...]

Over a decade ago now (and yes, I do feel old now that I can actually count in decades!), I attended a satellite church service, which was part of the Mars Hill Church.  We sat in room that felt like a shoebox — theater-like, all facing the small stage in front and of course, the big screen.  The music was live, and there was a campus pastor who coordinated worship and prayed, but when it came time to hear the word of God preached, all eyes were on the screen to hear a singular message broadcasted over multiple cities delivered by just one preacher.  I wouldn’t say it was a bad church experience, but it was certainly an odd one, and one that made me wonder about the theology of a megachurch with one preacher. The church certainly began with one teacher and preacher, so is it so wrong to stick with that model?  But the thing is – the church may have began with Jesus, but even Jesus enlisted many more than 12 understudies to learn from him and carry his message throughout the world.  … [Read more...]