oh my gosh, I feel this! Literally, deep in my gut I feel the pain and anxiety that this antiquated system inflicts on so many ministers - and congregations.
In my tradition, there is an inherent bias against raising up a pastor within the church. I actually did serve my ‘sending’ parish - but first I had to leave both the church and the area for the better part of a decade.
As a clergy spouse, we had to leave our home church when my spouse was ordained, and I don’t think I ever got completely over that wrenching experience.
I started out with the ‘y’ spelling (I’m 59), but there was a woman who worked with my mother who spelled it ‘ie’- and she was so cool and fun. so after that I was ‘ie’, too!
also, also: I’m going to pray you’re never running a denomination/diocese. i would not wish that on anyone! the system is crushing those who are trying to reform from within.
“For Mainline churches, this might mean looking outside strict denominational search processes—considering leaders from other backgrounds or networks who can align on essentials but bring fresh perspective.”
Im not at all unsympathetic to this, but in my mainline church, it will get you kicked out of the denomination.
oh my gosh, I feel this! Literally, deep in my gut I feel the pain and anxiety that this antiquated system inflicts on so many ministers - and congregations.
In my tradition, there is an inherent bias against raising up a pastor within the church. I actually did serve my ‘sending’ parish - but first I had to leave both the church and the area for the better part of a decade.
As a clergy spouse, we had to leave our home church when my spouse was ordained, and I don’t think I ever got completely over that wrenching experience.
also, great name spelling :)
😂I always said my mother taught me to spell it that way because there were so many Cathy’s in my grade in school- I’m 74 years old!
I started out with the ‘y’ spelling (I’m 59), but there was a woman who worked with my mother who spelled it ‘ie’- and she was so cool and fun. so after that I was ‘ie’, too!
I don’t really ‘like’ that. I just feel for your experience
also, also: I’m going to pray you’re never running a denomination/diocese. i would not wish that on anyone! the system is crushing those who are trying to reform from within.
I can’t help my Free Range Priest ways, though: I would also consider a $48,000/year job part time. i hope you considered it that!
AND - i think more productive ministry can be done in part-time situations than in full-time, where the pastor does ‘everything’.
it’s a piece to this puzzle.
I was not so enlightened back then!
“For Mainline churches, this might mean looking outside strict denominational search processes—considering leaders from other backgrounds or networks who can align on essentials but bring fresh perspective.”
Im not at all unsympathetic to this, but in my mainline church, it will get you kicked out of the denomination.
Right. That’s a problem IMO. And, as I hope I made clear, I’m not trying to suggest that denominations don’t matter.