...When we're both right...

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in [God's] holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false." (Psalm 24:3-4, NRSV, adapted)


I took part in a disturbing discussion yesterday. Generally, the meeting during which this part of the discussion took place was very positive, even productive. But this one 10-15 minute bit has stayed with me.

We were talking about ministry (what else would I be talking about in a church meeting!). Specifically, we were talking about the preparation for those who are preparing for ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ.

One woman asked who determines what a candidate needs in terms of preparation. I could hear myself take on my UCC History & Polity teacher's voice (it's kind of the same voice that I used to hear my home pastor go into when he wanted to sound authoritative and when he didn't want any further questions!). In short I said that in the UCC it is the Association Committee on Ministry that usually establishes the standards of preparation for its ministerial candidates, following the guidelines of the UCC Manual on Ministry.

Although there are various, alternative tracks of preparation for ordination the normative model is a four year undergraduate degree plus a three year Masters of Divinity degree both from accredited institutions. I added that in the case of her pastor the committee had discerned that he needed to complete his Bachelor's degree program as well as his M.Div. program.

I was set to move on to the next item of our discussion when a younger woman from the church took me to task on the need for a Bachelor's degree. She pointed out that the world is changing in many ways and that the academic world is definitely changing its programs to meet the needs of a changing world. The church needs to keep up with these changes.

Well, I admit that I wasn't ready for this line of discussion. And, I didn't respond particularly well. I found myself (me, the one who seeks ways to creatively either skirt or adapt the rules and requirements to get things done) stalwartly upholding the traditional academic standards of the church. The redder I felt my face getting the harder I tried to keep my voice level and my points balanced and non-confrontational. I was miserable. Fortunately, that part of the discussion only lasted for 10-15 minutes. The dynamics and feelings surrounding the discussion have remained with me throughout yesterday, in the middle of the night and today.

I was right, dagnabit! But, she was also right. Things are changing. Churches are finding it increasingly difficult to find qualified pastors. The Church is finding it increasingly difficult to find qualified ministerial candidates. Those who feel called to ministry find it almost impossible to afford the cost of a seminary education (on top of undergraduate school) when the projected income from ministry on the other side of seminary is so paltry, relatively speaking. So, the church needs to change with the times in order to meet the needs of congregations and pastors.

So, she was right, dagnabit! But, so was I. How can we lower the standards of preparation for ministry. Don't people know that pastors are expected to know and be skilled in far more than ever before? Don't congregants realize that when they ask for qualified candidates, part of the qualification is a decent and full education in the areas that churches want most? If nothing else, insurance companies require certain standards for a well trained clergy in order to write liability coverage for churches. If we want to keep up with the changing world, then insurance is the type of unreligious issue that we need to address.

I had a conversation with a local church search committee the other night. I was giving a reference for one of our pastors. In the course of the interview I asked the committee what they were looking for in a pastor. One man sighed and said, "We're looking for the pastor to do everything!"

A female committee member then went on to give more specifics. However, I couldn't help but believe the first response. At least, this is what I experience in working with too many churches.

Too many of our churches expect everything from their pastors. They want a pastor who will work full time for part time wages. They want someone who will visit the sick and elderly, work well with children and youth, who will preach biblically based sermons laced with personal stories told with a sense of humor. They want pastors who will be experts in church growth, who will fill both the pews and the collection plates without either bringing in the wrong kind of people or preaching about stewardship and tithing.

Of course, the clergy don't escape in my view. Too often clergy allow themselves to become underachievers with regard to pastoral care, preaching and administration. And, too many of our clergy would expect less of themselves as spiritual leaders of congregations than is healthy for the church or necessary for the ongoing mission and ministry of Christ.

So, I may be right...and the young woman with whom I was arguing yesterday may be right. What next? What can we do about this? Where can we go?

Well, we can step back a little and calm down. Then we can talk about how we're feeling about what we just said. We can talk about the fears that we have concerning the increasing lack of leadership in our churches. We can talk about our disappointment and worry over the health of our congregations, about the way too many congregations treat their pastors to say nothing of how they treat each other. We can talk about our need to try new ways to uphold cherished values and beliefs. We can discuss other values, beliefs and traditions that may no longer have merit for addressing the realities of the present and future world. And, we can plan ways to move forward together.

I think this approach is the essence of how the United Church of Christ operates. I am so pleased that this is how we began to operate yesterday as representatives from the Conference, the Association, the local church and the local church pastor met together.

Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except all others." I believe that our covenantal form of congregational polity is very much like this. We have our problems. We sometimes get angry over what someone else within our communion does or says. We may even want to walk out and leave. But when we are at our best, when we're being faithful, that is the moment when we commit ourselves to staying, to talking, to loving and to serving...together.

Blessings,



Rick Cowles