All in Pastoral Transition 2020
“And now, in the darkness, having spent the day surrounded by silence, the weight of this transition is sitting heavy on me. I have texted some friends, and in the course of that exchange, I realized how much my pep talks about this pastoral transition sound like eHarmony commercials. I am trying to sell myself on the success and longevity of relationships that start online. And once I made that connection, I could not help but think…
‘Did the people of my congregation swipe left, or swipe right?’”
“The truth of the matter is, we cannot predict the emotional and spiritual effect this transition will have on us or on our people. These are untested waters.”
“And yet in this vicious cycle we find ourselves in, well-meaning people keep telling me I need to take care of myself. I know they intend it to be kind and caring, but just telling me to take care of myself at this point is starting to feel like a condescending lecture. Or like they want me to add one more thing to my to do list. Even God’s word is starting to feel condemning. Yeah, I know I need to Sabbath! But who knows what day it is anymore, much less which is the seventh one, and when exactly is all this rest supposed to happen?”
“There are many skills you pick up as a Dallas driver, but perhaps the most useful was the fine art of hitting the brake and the gas at the same time.”
“I am not unique this year. Many of my friends who are in pastoral transitions are confronting realities like this when it comes to where they will live. Some have had Facetime tours of parsonages or homes that they are buying. Several of us have signed leases based on pictures. Some of us have at least seen the outsides of where we are going, and a few have taken masked and gloved tours. But these are all strange leaps of faith we are taking.”
“As you face any kind of change in your life, be it a very weird pastoral transition like we face this year, or really any significant life altering event, these means of coping will help you make it through. “
Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5, CEB translation)
Uh, seriously, God! Do you have to make ALL things new?!?!?! What if I don’t want those words to be trustworthy and true? There are times when I don’t want things to change. I want things to stay old and familiar. Comfortable. Easy.
“I was in a meeting of church developers and I raised the question as to what people were doing for pastors transitioning to a new church this year. At first there were crickets. Then someone spoke up and said roughly that they were moving their usual face-to-face meeting to an online option. I pushed back.”
