Who Stole My Pastor?

You might have heard about the latest discussions happening on Wednesday nights in Fellowship Hall centered on the question, “Who Stole My Church?” Well, that’s a great question! But, to go alongside that question, I want to ask another, “Who Stole My Pastor?”

As we all know, the pastors of local churches have, in recent history, been charged with the responsibility of overseeing the Care Ministry. And they have done a great job. When we were sick, they visited, when we were grieving, they helped us cope, when we were lost, they helped us find our way. All in all, having a pastoral visit meant that we were cared for and connected to the church family.

In recent years, this dynamic has been changing across denominations and throughout the United Methodist Church. And it is very valid for folks to wonder, “why?” And as pastoral roles change and we don’t see our pastor at our doorstep so often, we may also wonder, “Who Stole My Pastor?”

Over the next months, let’s explore together some of the changes we see are seeing in Care Ministry— which ones are good, which ones are bad, and which ones bring us closer to matching up with the church that Jesus Christ has prepared us to be.

Over time, we will look at the following questions:

Who was the first pastor to show up on someone’s doorstep?
What is the definition of Care Ministry?
Why have things had to change in Care Ministry?
What’s so important about the title, “Pastor?”
What if the pastor forgets about me?
Can the pastor do it alone?
What priority should Care Ministry take in the church?
What priority should Care Ministry take in the community outside the church?
Who will preside over my funeral?
Who will preside over my child’s wedding?
Who is qualified to pray for me?
…and so many more…

And it begins…

I preach.

It is very strange to start my first-ever blog with those words, but it is the fact that I preach in a protestant church on Sunday mornings that has inspired the purpose for this blog.

Preaching is a nice gig, really. Someone hands me a microphone, and church folk are so polite that I can stand up and talk for half-an-hour and no one will argue or complain (verbally anyway). So that gives me a lot of space to say what I feel led to say, whether anyone else likes it or not. This would be a good thing, except, a one-way conversation helps very few people grow. Whereas, dialogue helps us all grow (including the girl with the microphone that talks so much).

And so, I thought this would be a good place to start that dialogue. I won’t only include those things that get preached on Sunday, but also my thoughts about the church universal, theology, world events, random things my dog does, and so on.

So, I invite you into the conversation.

Be blessed,

Kim