Comings and Goings

It is that time of year in the United Methodist calendar. Some of us will shortly be releasing our pastor and others will be getting a new pastor. It is an unsettling time for a church that is doing either, and as lay leaders, it can be a challenging time for us. The itinerancy system of appointing pastors may not be unique to the United Methodist Church, but it is certainly deeply entrenched in our tradition.
(2008 Book of Discipline ¶ 338.) How we release our former ministers and receive our new ministers are some of the most important tasks of the Church, yet there is really very little in the Book of Discipline as to how it ought to be done. There is plenty about the procedure of appointment (¶430, et seq.), but almost nothing about the loving and caring way we bid farewell and welcome. How well we do so is truly a mark of maturity of our congregation and bears some thoughtful and prayerful planning.

I recently attended our district’s pastors and professionals meeting and I was struck at just how much our pastors want the process to work for both the receiving as well as the parting congregations. They want the process to be as seamless as possible so that the work of the Church is not interrupted. Make no mistake; the pastors who are leaving are going through a difficult, emotional process. Most don’t want to uproot themselves and their families. Most have things they feel they are leaving undone. All have formed lasting relationships that must be put aside. But as professionals, they know that the very best thing that they can do for us and the incoming pastor is to begin the distancing process. We have to help them do that, as painful though it may be. That means that we no longer look to them for pastoral care, but trust that God has sent someone else to do so. That is hard when a pastor has been with you during difficult times, life’s milestones and celebrations and times when we really connect during worship.

How can we properly release our pastors and receive a new pastor? I commend to you Dr. Robert Crossman’s “50 Ways to Welcome your New Senior or Associate Pastor” which can be downloaded from http://www.ngumc.org/blogs/detail/122. This is the North Georgia Conference website. Dr. Crossman has as many thoughts about releasing a pastor as he does receiving a pastor. That is because it is really important to the new pastor to know that the congregation cared about their former pastor. Prayer undergirds the entire process. Nothing would make a new pastor feel more welcome than to know the congregation held a prayer vigil for them and their family. Planning is critical. Dr. Crossman suggests that the congregation not just assume that the Staff Parish Relations Committee is doing all of the work. He suggests that the church gather and plan so that important welcoming gestures are not overlooked. Some of the details include having members there on moving day, ready to pitch in. Having the fridge and pantry stocked is a nice gesture. It is especially important to help make the new pastor’s spouse and children feel welcome. Make the moving process a time to carefully evaluate the parsonage, make the repairs and do the cleaning that is required. At our church, we have found that gathering gift certificates from the local businesses for food, services and entertainment are very welcome. When the Church spends some time in brainstorming prayer, we find all sorts of fun ways to do offer extraordinary hospitality.

Rev. Carl Westbrook made several good points at the pastors and professionals meeting regarding record keeping. Good, solid records will help a new pastor do his or her job better. Larger churches have staff that helps the pastor keep these records, but in smaller churches, that task might fall squarely on the pastor. I would think that helping with the record keeping is a perfect job for the laity. After all, many of us make our living keeping records of all sorts. In a year of transition, the pastor has to prepare the end of the year report for the church, yet was not in place for the first six months of the year. I would think that having the records in good order would be quite helpful. More importantly, I suspect that the pastors will very much appreciate some help with this mundane, but important chore.

Celebrating the former pastor with a healthy “goodbye” service is important. The United Methodist Book of Worship has both an order of worship to celebrate an appointment (P. 595) as well as an Order of Farewell (P. 998). In the farewell celebrations I have been involved in, we have taken time to recognize the accomplishments of the pastor. We have always had a dinner of some sort and run a film loop of various pictures and video of the pastor as they have served over the years. We have given folks time to recount something meaningful and to say their goodbyes. I really like the Order for Farewell as found in the Book of Worship because it allows the pastor to ask forgiveness from the congregation, and vice versa. I doubt that any pastoral tenure is ever perfect, and there are always a few hurts along the way. Forgiveness is a core tenet of the Church and it seems that the farewell celebration is the perfect time for that. The Order suggests that the pastor who is leaving lay his or her stole on the pulpit and for the new pastor to take it up. I love the image of connection and continuity that brings.

The transition between pastors is truly a time for the laity to shine and to show their love and appreciation for their pastors. It is a milestone for the Church that should be remembered as something done well. It is an opportunity for laity to find new ways to serve in the Church. Most importantly, it is a time to praise God for his providence in providing pastoral leadership for our Church.

Joy!

Bill