Reflections on the ordination process
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
On the second night of my Annual Conference session this year, the young clergy of the conference had their annual Gen X/Y Clergy Dinner. This is a practice that began a few years ago under the leadership of Eric Van Meter, and it has grown in size each year. In fact, this year the bishop ate supper with us! The dinner gives a great opportunity for Gen-X and Millennial-aged clergy to get to know one another, have fellowship, and engage in conversation about issues that are relevant to our lives in ministry.
This year, Eric asked me to lead a conversation about Lovett Weems and Ann Michel's new book, The Crisis of Younger Clergy. (I've written a review of this book, which you can read here.) Their book looks at the declining numbers of young adult elders in the United Methodist Church and attempts to offer some solutions. It is, by the way, a great resource for Boards of Ordained Ministry, District Committees on Ministry, and local churches. They could all benefit by using it to seek out ways the church could better nurture a "culture of call" for its young people.
As the conversation began, we asked each person to speak - sharing information about placement in ministry and about the greatest challenge each has faced in the ordination candidacy process. The results were fascinating. I think it would be best for me to just list the examples we were given of greatest challenges encountered:
- Loneliness/Isolation
- Difficulties in itineracy/family issues
- "Good ol' boy" system
- A feeling of invisibility
- Not recognizing the value of people serving in extension ministries
- Being sensitive to clergy couples
- Mechanics of the process (and let-downs in BOM record keeping)
- Seeing the attrition of others leaving the ministry
- Not taken seriously and the church no responsive to concerns
- BOM politics [editorial note: presumably among members of the BOM itself and how that impacts candidates]
- Being sensitive to the particularities of calling
- Others' expectations of my calling in ministry
- The BOM's difficulty in really nurturing candidates
Following this time of sharing experiences, we asked the young adults present to offer possible ways that the candidacy and ordination process could be improved. Here are their responses:
- Need for great financial support (MEF Funds, support for Exploration and other events focused on calling, etc)
- Need for programs run throughout the conference - "centers of hospitality" - possibly on college campuses. Also, a greater, more personal role for mentors. Conference funds could support these types of initiatives.
- Accountability/Peer Groups amongst probationary/provisional clergy
- Networking & support structures within the Annual Conference [editorial note: the work of Eric Van Meter and others over the past several years has sought to directly meet this need]
- The character of the relationships between young clergy [editorial note: this point was much-discussed, and a lot was shared about what relationships can accomplish that programs cannot]
- A "call event" for high school or college students held locally within the annual conference possibly in the off-year that the Exploration event does not occur
Overall, I thought it was a very productive conversation - at times funny and at times poignant. There were 26 people present for the conversation, and several more than that at the dinner just before. All of them were either currently in the ordination process or recently ordained elders and deacons. For me, the fact that so many were present and engaged in the conversation was a great sign of hope. The point that came up at the end of the evening about the importance of person-to-person relationships was key. The more we nurture those, the less impersonal the ordination process will seem. And that would be an important step in helping young clergy enter their ministries with the right attitude and the right relationships.
This year, Eric asked me to lead a conversation about Lovett Weems and Ann Michel's new book, The Crisis of Younger Clergy. (I've written a review of this book, which you can read here.) Their book looks at the declining numbers of young adult elders in the United Methodist Church and attempts to offer some solutions. It is, by the way, a great resource for Boards of Ordained Ministry, District Committees on Ministry, and local churches. They could all benefit by using it to seek out ways the church could better nurture a "culture of call" for its young people.
As the conversation began, we asked each person to speak - sharing information about placement in ministry and about the greatest challenge each has faced in the ordination candidacy process. The results were fascinating. I think it would be best for me to just list the examples we were given of greatest challenges encountered:
- Loneliness/Isolation
- Difficulties in itineracy/family issues
- "Good ol' boy" system
- A feeling of invisibility
- Not recognizing the value of people serving in extension ministries
- Being sensitive to clergy couples
- Mechanics of the process (and let-downs in BOM record keeping)
- Seeing the attrition of others leaving the ministry
- Not taken seriously and the church no responsive to concerns
- BOM politics [editorial note: presumably among members of the BOM itself and how that impacts candidates]
- Being sensitive to the particularities of calling
- Others' expectations of my calling in ministry
- The BOM's difficulty in really nurturing candidates
Following this time of sharing experiences, we asked the young adults present to offer possible ways that the candidacy and ordination process could be improved. Here are their responses:
- Need for great financial support (MEF Funds, support for Exploration and other events focused on calling, etc)
- Need for programs run throughout the conference - "centers of hospitality" - possibly on college campuses. Also, a greater, more personal role for mentors. Conference funds could support these types of initiatives.
- Accountability/Peer Groups amongst probationary/provisional clergy
- Networking & support structures within the Annual Conference [editorial note: the work of Eric Van Meter and others over the past several years has sought to directly meet this need]
- The character of the relationships between young clergy [editorial note: this point was much-discussed, and a lot was shared about what relationships can accomplish that programs cannot]
- A "call event" for high school or college students held locally within the annual conference possibly in the off-year that the Exploration event does not occur
Overall, I thought it was a very productive conversation - at times funny and at times poignant. There were 26 people present for the conversation, and several more than that at the dinner just before. All of them were either currently in the ordination process or recently ordained elders and deacons. For me, the fact that so many were present and engaged in the conversation was a great sign of hope. The point that came up at the end of the evening about the importance of person-to-person relationships was key. The more we nurture those, the less impersonal the ordination process will seem. And that would be an important step in helping young clergy enter their ministries with the right attitude and the right relationships.
Labels: Annual Conference, Eric Van Meter, Lovett Weems, Ordination, UMC
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 10:39 AM
9 Comments:
I'm glad that it was a good conversation--I think it is helpful to have places where people can air their frustrations and challenges, especially when those who have power to make changes are present (what a great gift to have the Bishop there!).
However, I was disappointed that you didn't also offer the opportunity for them to reflect on anything that has been an opportunity for growth and development--something that we're currently doing well.
I keep going back to Matthew 25:14-30. The last of the servants was so focused on his fear about what could go wrong and (in my reading) what he didn't have. But I believe that the master was calling him to first do what he knew how to do well...well! If we never know what we're doing well that is having a positive affect on people, then we never know what to repeat or what to emphasize. Also, if we never ask people to reflect on the positive aspects of their experiences, we will often color for them the whole experience as negative. We perpetuate the negative connotations without letting any positive connotations have their share.
So I hope that you will be in conversation with those GenX/Y pastors and ask them to reflect positively as well. And I hope that the conference will truly listen to what needs to be fixed and the challenges of creating a healthy culture of call.
Cynthia
Cynthia,
That's a good point and I will tell you as one of the other Gen x/y clergy in our conference most of our conversations over the last two years have been more positive focused. And I believe that while we shared some of our stories and some of our frustrations, overall the conversations were positive. Two of the main items that I felt came out of our conversation were the hope that we can work together as a group to organize a hearing your call event in our conference specifically for college aged people and also a commitment for us to make contact with seminarians from our conference so that they feel more connected. We also created a facebook group for young clergy to continue the conversation.
Andrew-
Just wanted to say it was good to meet you at the meeting the other day. Meetings like those (especially as Gray leads them) are wonderful opportunities to connect.
Looking forward to spending more time with you.
peace,
Chad Holtz
This past year my father was ordained at the Western PA annual conference. Just this week he participated in a four hour conversation with members of BOM, the bishop, and recently ordained elders in which they talked about the candidacy process in the same manner you have discussed. As one who has found the process frustrating and impersonal at times, I am glad to hear that conversations about reform are taking place all over the map.
Look, until the itinerrant system is abolished there will continue to be a decline in numbers of young people entering the UMC ministry. Why would someone put up with distant/absent bishops, overworked DS and a system that rewards some and punishes others with bad appointments? Why not be a Local pastor, do the same thing an Elder does and not worry about being moved by a overbearing bishop or DS? Oh, and by the way to be a local pastor one only needs a High School diploma, if that. What a mess. I would never steer a young person into the UMC ministry. It is an absolute mess.
I'm surprised at the vigor of those comments by the anonymous respondent. It sounds like you may have had a particularly bad personal experience with the UM itineracy.
But is it really fair to say that you would "never steer a young person into the UMC ministry"? Isn't the United Methodist Church more than its clergy appointment system? And couldn't more young pastors help to reform a system that many would say is flawed but not wholly broken?
And Anonymous' comments are exactly my fear about the United Methodist Church. Itineracy was one of the things that made us less congregational, more connectional, imo. Anonymous has it exactly right, and even more right after actions taken at this General Conference which were placed into the context of "rights" instead of "privileges". Local pastors have done yeoman's work for us over several years. But in our broken ordination system, we have allowed the local pastor status to be the "way around" full participation in the connection instead of being a measure that helps us to serve more people in more places. And I know lots of people who unfortunately work the system that way. They don't really want to be connectional or have anything to do with the system, so they become local pastors without understanding why we have local pastors to begin with. I would steer young people into becoming UM clergy _because_ of the itinerant system. There are far more opportunities for young people to be in larger churches quicker (especially if you are a woman) and far more opportunities _if you are honest and forthright about your gifts and skills and wants and needs with the Cabinet_ that you might be placed somewhere that you might never have found on your own. As someone who just this past year received a call that I wasn't expecting nor was particularly looking/hoping for and cried for most of the week immediately following...and as the daughter of a UM clergy who moved _a lot_ when I was younger, I think that I came out of the whole experience stronger in my faith and in my understanding of a wider church than my own little corner of the world. Plus in this past move, it gave me and my husband an opportunity to really sit down and pray once again about where God was leading us. And, to our surprise (but not, apparently to God's and the Cabinet's), where we are is where God needs us to be.
Thanks be to God!
You know, I don't get the whole fear of "the System" in itineracy. I think it's a few bad experiences that put the system in question. Is it perfect? Heck no! But I'd be VASTLY more fearful of my job in a call system, always at the whim of a local board!
My wife had breast cancer over the past two years, and it hurt her performance as a UM pastor. They put her up for a move after only two years in her current post, and in this economy means selling our house (we got a housing allowance, not a parsonage) at a $15-60,000 loss. Unlike a regular private-sector job, there wasn't that much of a perf review prior to their deciding to "throw her back in the pond" -- they just did it and complained about her not turning emails around fast enough. Our daughter will have attended at least three different high schools by the time she graduates. Count the cost. This system can be extremely hard on families. I think itineracy can work, but only if they put in some limits. For example, there could be a financial penalty to churches that choose to terminate an appt before four years (unless there is evidence of misconduct). That would help avoid churches feeling like they have no penalty for just "looking for someone a bit better."
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