Twins?

A clown and a pastor, which is which?

As I asked it of the one with green hair and red nose, she chuckled as though a cheeky joke was about to unfold. On the other hand, could the question also be the threshold to just how complicated the path is?

Even after a long seminary journey, it is only by the grace of God that any candidate is prepared for the pastoral role ~ the stories and places that we will be invited into. Great sorrow and joy. Miracles experienced and missed. Unanswerable questions that bring delight and others that arrive with shattered hearts. As a pastor we live way out on branches of the unknown and the awkward. And those are just the relationships.

How about leadership? Pastor why aren't you leading? Or where are you going? Or slow down/speed up. I would say that taking up too much space is one of my biggest concerns. While there are tasks entrusted to my care or oversight, I believe that making space for others is among the most important. Space at the table of grace; space to be heard; space to offer up {ministry} gifts, including those of leadership.

A clown and a pastor, which is which?

Like the entire world, the work that I have been called to, was dramatically altered by the pandemic. We spent a year flexing and pivoting, as we re-imagined pastoral ministry lived out in wilderness isolation. How to be a parish pastor without being in direct contact with the people I am called to serve was a hurdle that I don't know that I ever cleared.

Then, what does post-pandemic ministry look like? Who is in the pew? Who is not? How do we serve the folks who attend on-line only?

Just when it seems that it can't get much more complicated the Covid numbers begin to soar again and we are three steps back. Folks are anxious, frustrated, divided, angry, sad, exhausted.

A clown and a pastor, which is which?

Perhaps it is more clear to you…

Pastor Leah