God's Hand...on ME!?!

What an exciting time to be the Church! It certainly is an exciting time to be the United Church of Christ! I've heard and experienced these words and this sentiment rather often over the last several months and years.

Most recently, I heard Lynn Bujnak, member of the national UCC Parish Life and Leadership Ministry Team, express these observations to the participants in the New York Conference annual Committee on Ministry Retreat at Stella Maris this past May. We were talking about the landscape of ministry, how it is shifting ground in unpredictable ways. Specifically, we were talking about the Ministry Issues Pronouncement, overwhelmingly passed at General Synod 25 in 2005: the progress underway in working out guidelines for its implementation (including changes to the UCC Manual on Ministry), and it's implications for the work of Association Committees on Ministry.

And, it's true, the landscape of our understanding of the call to ministry -- how it needs to be nurtured in those who sense this call, and what standards of preparation for living out this call in parishes, colleges, prisons, hospitals, etc. -- is changing.

Lancaster Theological Seminary just admitted two of persons who are In Care of two of our Upstate Region Associations into the Master of Divinity program who have not yet completed their undergraduate degrees. This is a good thing. It's not even new. Bangor Theological Seminary, another closely related UCC school has provided countless numbers of fine church leaders by encouraging students to take their bachelor's and master's courses concurrently.

Susquehanna Association is about to ordain a person, presently serving as a licensed pastor in one of our churches, through the "Regional Track" to ordained ministry proposed by the Ministry Issues Pronouncement. This pastor has satisfied all the requirements of our version of this track (NYSOM) and of the Susquehanna Association Committee on Ministry.

This is all good and exciting. It's also challenging to Committees on Ministry to take the considered and prayerful time and effort to carefully discern with these candidates the nature and meaning of their call and how to best nurture the fulfillment of their call.

I have begun a series of postings on these matters in the form of an ongoing dialog between "Chris", representing the inquirer, and "Eccles", representing the Church or a member of a Committee on Ministry. Running through the dialog is my concern to explain some of the hallmarks of the intent, goals and process of the Ministry Issues project. And so...here goes.

Question 3: God has called me to serve the Church. What does this mean?

Chris: So, I get that the Church has a ministry and that my call to ordained ministry is part of the Church's call to ministry. At least, I hear what you're saying. I guess, right at this moment I don't care about the church's ministry as much as I want to know what to do with this constant and growing desire, this urging, to become an ordained minister. And how is my personal desire related to what you are saying about the Church's ministry?

Eccles: Thank you, Chris, for your candor. I do understand that my theologizing (pontificating?) about the Church's call and discernment and all the rest probably mean very little in light of your call to ministry. Please believe me when I say that I am delighted that you have come to me to talk about these things. I hope that our discussion will encourage you in your own thinking.

Chris: Yes, I do want to know more about all of this. I confess I don't know much about the inner workings and process of the Church. I want to be ordained. I want to do what's required of me by whatever committee, but I want to be ordained. And, frankly, sometimes I don't understand the reason for all the hoops that the Church seems to be making me go through.

Eccles: Again, thanks for your honesty. I remember my own feelings in working with a committee on ministry. How dare they question me about my call! It's between God and me! While I remember such feelings with fondness and even honor them, I've come to look at things from a little different perspective.

You've mentioned that you've heard about the Ministry Issues Pronouncement passed at General Synod a couple of years ago. One very helpful aspect of this pronouncement was the discussion of a UCC theological understanding on "call". The Pronouncement lifted up professor H. Richard Niebuhr's understanding of the nature and process of call.

Niebuhr thought of this as a sequential process in four stages:

1. the Christian call summons an individual to basic faith;
2. the secret call beckons toward more specific Christian service;
3. the providential call tests both one’s gifts and graces and one’s ability to acquire appropriate training;
4. and the ecclesial call represents the Church’s affirmation of an individual’s preparation and giftedness.

Applying this understanding to your present situation, it seems as though you have experienced both stages 1 & 2 and are now working on 3 & 4. One of the major concerns of the Committee on Ministry will be to work with you on stage 3.

Chris: Yes, that makes sense. Niebuhr's understanding of the stages of call is helpful. But what will the Committee on Ministry actually do with me?

Eccles: They'll call you in for a meeting. They'll want some recognition of endorsement (a letter) from you local church and your pastor. They'll probably want your local pastor to come with you.

Different committees handle this differently. But what we are learning from the ongoing discussion of the national Ministry Issues Implementation Team is that we need to embark upon a careful and prayerful process of discernment with ample time to work through the nature of your call -- whether it's to commissioned, licensed, ordained or faithful lay ministry. They'll work with you on what's needed in preparing you for this ministry to which you are being called -- whether it will involve seminary, the New York School of Ministry, or some other related program of preparation. All along the way you'll have a mentor to guide and support you...

I'll continue this discussion of "what's next and on the horizon" for the implementation of the Ministry Issues Pronouncement in future postings. It does have some major significance for our local congregations, committees on ministry, those authorized for ministry...the whole Church.

As always, I am thankful to you for clicking onto UCCNY Crossroads, for your comments within the blog itself or by email or in person, and for your love of the Church and our ministry on behalf of our Savior Jesus.

Blessings to you,

Rick Cowles