It was September 2020. I had just ended a five-year stretch as a solo pastor, having ushered my small rural congregation through months of sheltering-in-place and worshipping online at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. My new call was a large Presbyterian congregation located in the center of suburban Wayne, just outside of Philadelphia. That day, I had arrived to record my first sermon, my only live audience being my new head of staff and a man sitting off to the side busily operating the recording equipment. I stood for the first time in the vast empty sanctuary, marveling at the towering masterpiece of the gothic architecture surrounding me. Sunlight danced across the stunning stained-glass windows. Rows and rows of pews, all vacant, foretold the hope of smiling faces I would one day meet and hands I would one day shake. I was thrilled to begin this next chapter in my ministry, enthusiastic to be joining a pastoral team and eager to accept the fresh challenges that awaited … [Read more...]