From the Pastor: A Common Topic of Discussion
During the early weeks of church life with a new pastoral leader, whether a called and installed pastor or an interim, it is very common for the church members to wonder, and for the pastor to explain, why some things are done as they are. Recognizing that our congregation and most congregations of any church did not grow up with the default drive of either the folkways or the official ways a church operates. Because pastors need to be good teachers as part of their role it is necessary to share kindly and imaginatively and clearly concepts that are unfamiliar to many who find real goodness in any congregation.
The way this affects me—for better or for worse—is to highlight, even over-explain at times, Presbyterian government, which is also colloquially called our “faith and order.” Do I personally like all the ways prescribed for accomplishing our life together? No. But I trust the wisdom of the past and of the host of present elders and ministers who guide the church with written rules for peaceful church life. By the way, “Life Together” is what the famous World War II German martyr and Lutheran pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called Christian fellowship in his very dear little book of the same name.
Tender-hearted pastors need to be attuned to the needs and curiosities of all church members and friends. Here is one of the things I often say, probably just slightly defensively I admit, when interpreting unique or quirky concepts about how our church “runs:” I say that the Presbyterian way is a good way, but definitely not the only way. If we are a kind of large family of faith, we can note that every family does things a bit differently. What works in one family does not work in another family. We Presbyterians honor many other faith traditions and ways of arranging the workings of their churches. We know our ways have weaknesses and strengths. We have tested the weaknesses at times and changed our ways. We have also tested our strengths, at times, and found them reliable—for us.
In our upcoming Wednesday night Lenten discussion series following our Soup and Bread suppers we will highlight Presbyterian understanding and use of Scripture. I’ve titled it, “We Might Have Known,” because to a real extent I strongly suspect everyone will have already perceived the ways we look at and use the scripture. I promise to try to keep our study LIVELY! Not all churches (families of faith) follow our understandings. I just believe it is helpful for us to at least know why we look at the Bible the way we do, even if we quibble or even at times disagree with those ways. Every family has such disagreements—and also such broad agreements.
Grace and peace to you all!
Rev. Howard Reed