The World's Okayist Pastor

Yesterday I resigned from my current call as pastor. I have been with this congregation for 10 and a half months. When I interviewed, I knew that I would be accepting a position with a congregation that needed to do some work to revitalize itself and that was having some financial issues. But this is 2020/21 and what church isn’t having to discern both of these things? The folks I interviewed with told me of their hopes and dreams about going back to having a full-time pastor in 3-5 years, of restarting Sunday School, of wanting to try new things. They said that they had used the resources provided to them from the conference and that they were committed and just needed guidance. And while I want to believe that they were being honest during the interview process, the congregation’s behaviors tell a different story. Much was left up to me, and I’ll admit I over function at times so I’m not blameless, and there was no interest in people wanting to do the work. Sunday School: asking fo

The following story is true. Names have been changed to protect individuals. For a Maundy Thursday service, I decided to move worship to the fellowship hall so we could have a meal during worship. As part of the service, we read scripture to move us through the events of the night as recorded in the Gospels. There were 12 readings throughout the service/meal so I had 12 candles lit on the table. As different readings were completed, someone was asked to extinguish a candle close to them. Because this was a new format for the service, the bulletins were printed differently. We started the service and get to the opening prayer. As I'm mid prayer, one congregant starts yelling the name of  another. I keep praying because I have no idea what's going on. I'm looking at people trying to figure out what's happening. This congregant never yells and definitely wouldn't be yelling at this person. Finally my congregant realizes we need more direction then him just yelling a na

It's June 24, 2021 and I just want to say "Oh Church People!" The current president of the USA, Joe Biden, is a devote and practicing Roman Catholic. Bishops in the Catholic church are in serious discussion about whether or not they will deny Biden communion, one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. This is because although Biden, personally does not believe in abortion, he refuses to sign federal laws banning all abortion and other restrictive means for women's healthcare. Biden is demonstrating a founding principal of the USA - separation of Church and State and demonstrating that religious freedom means that all faith expressions and that one fraction of a particular tradition doesn't speak for the whole tradition (I speak for my own faith perspective and no one else's just like the the Catholic Church doesn't speak to my faith perspective). What I find so interesting is that the sacrament (ordinance in some traditions) of communion was insti

Funerals can bring out the best or the worst in people/families. Here's a story from a funeral that I can't make up. Note that this story is not from my current ministry setting and names and identifying information has been changed. I was asked to officiate a funeral for a family that wasn't connected to a church but wanted a minister. I met with the family before the funeral and learned I was only meeting part of the family and that there was some sort of rift between the adult children. I made a mental note but the family seemed to be okay. Fast forward to the day of the funeral. I arrive half way through the visitation before the service and check in with the funeral home and family and things seem to be okay. It's clear that there's a divide between the children but folks seem to be staying on their respected sides and behaving. The service goes off well and the casket gets loaded into the hearse. Family members get in their vehicles and I get in the hearse wit

 So I haven't blogged in awhile. I just couldn't write about so much because it was too real and raw and just flat out hurt on so many levels. I'll share more about things as time goes on but not at the moment. So here's a brief life update. 2020 was a year that no one predicted. Covid 19 became a global pandemic. It meant that church had to be different because it wasn't safe to be around people for the year. Wearing facemasks and washing hands became a political issue - this I'm still trying to wrap my head around. Iowa experienced a derecho - a new word for me. It's basically an inland hurricane. The derecho devastated a lot of Iowa. Belle Plaine was without power for more than a week. I became the unofficial relief coordinator for the town and that expanded into surrounding areas. I'm really happy to not see a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for awhile but hey people got fed. I spent three weeks hosting various mission groups from the Seventh Day Ad

I’m a minister and I care about ministerial credentials. This is partially why I enjoy my work on my association’s COM (Committee on Ministry - we work with those who have ministerial standing and those who are discerning a call to ministerial). I’d like to think that I’m fairly good at it. I have gone to college and seminary and keep up with certificates and continuing education yearly. I find this to be important because I want to be the best I can be and faith is constantly evolving along with the scholarship. So I am very bothered when I see colleagues who don’t do continuing education. I’m gravely concerned about people who think they can become pastors simply by going online and paying a fee or taking a one weekend class. I’m not saying that lay people, those who don’t go to seminary or divinity school, cannot become great, well rounded pastors. I fully support alternative routes to ministry and if I was looking at going into ministry today, I would probably use an alternative

During the early part of the 2018 election cycle, one of my friends ran for an office. They had a results party at a gay bar in the closest big town. I have been to other events at this bar because it has hosted public events that match my call for social justice and public ministry. Afterwards, several people just assumed that because I knew this bar and was comfortable being there, that I identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I don’t. I identify as a cisgender, white female who is an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. So at best I am a welcomed outsider but I am an outsider to this community. Once people got to know me better, folks started to apologize to me for labeling as part of the LGBTQ+ community.  My response was it wasn’t a big deal to me and I don’t really care that I was labeled as such. Some people accepted this but others seemed taken aback because I didn’t have a strong response of concern about being mis-labeled.  As I watch, lis