I bet you a million dollars that some of you will want to weigh in on this article by Rachel Held Evans.
I know a lot of you can relate to it.
It is not something I can relate to very much, as my denomination is so much IN the questions and doubts that we conversely have difficulty accepting certainty!
We also do quite well, I think, at seeing our clergy as mere humans, but I’m sure some of my colleagues would report otherwise.
I discussed this article on another forum. I had mixed feelings about it. I think that being transparent and human IS important, but there are boundaries. I’m afraid that this article will only reinforce bad habits in young clergy who are overly familiar and unprofessional. I also felt that the article could reinforce a congregations desire to OWN the pastor body, mind and soul. Not all for me belongs to my church, and I have the right and duty to protect myself. At some point, self-revelation may become a liability and get in the way of doing the job, making it hard for people to put look past MY issues. I don’t approve of clergy who are lofty, pompous and imperial, but nor do I think you should walk in the door at your new parish and announce EVERYTHING about yourself. The relationship develops over time, with discretion. My rule of thumb is to try to reveal personal information primarily when it is for the good of those who are receiving the information. [I am right on board with everything you say, and share your concerns about the young clergy. -PB]
As a young clergy person (under 30), I would like to point out that the most unprofessional and boundary-less people I know are middle-aged, often second-career pastors.
I know that I am still figuring out boundaries, and that too much is as much a danger as too little, but I also trust that I will figure it out largely through trial and error, like everyone else. It is helpful to remember that I need to allow myself to be human (perhaps a more necessary reminder, since I spend a lot of effort trying to “make up for” the assumptions that get made based on my age and youthful appearance). It is also helpful to remember that my role with my congregation is leader and pastor, not child or patient or best friend.
I do resent the implication that young clergy are necessarily or even more oftne those who are over-familiar. That is certainly not what I have seen (although I will grant it must happen, of course)!
I am young too. I didn’t mean to imply that only we are capeable of unproffessional behavior. But I will say that the younger generation does not seem to have different social cues of what is appropriate. My church is near a denominational college. We have a lot of undergrads in attendance. I can’t think of a single one of them that needs the message that they aren’t giving the public enough access to their inner world.
And I am thinking specifically about undergrads in preparation for ministry.
For the most part I agree with this article, I think what might be missing is that there is a time and a place for everything…or at least most things. It is one thing to say that you struggle with a scripture passage or even a doctrine in a sermon — it is another to say that you’re not sure you believe in God, though you might share your struggles with the concept of God in asmall group setting. I work to open and transparent in my preaching, but I’m not about to do an emotional strip-tease — worship/sermon is about God, not about me. Garrison Keillor once said that if the preacher can’t get out of the way and let the congregation see God he/she might as well shut up and sit down.
By the same token I’ve admitted when my marriage has been a sacrement of grace because of my partner’s forebearance towards me. I would NEVER trash my spouse in the context of pastoral ministry. I have had to share personal things with my deacons in times of family crisis, but letting the congregation know required a different approach.
I get angry when I hear pastors talk about not being able to talk about things like using biblical criticism in a sermon because “MY PEOPLE would never understand that”– and I’ve seen people who came desparate for a word of encouragement, hope, joy who left broken hearted because the pastor’s “openness” on the theological fad of the moment left no room for gospel.
As a Gen-Xer, the whole concept of some ‘expert’ standing up and lecturing us for 20 min or so leaves me fairly cold. It also probably doesn’t help that I’ve been at my church with the same pastor for over 15 years so I could pretty much tell you anything she’s going to say on any topic (and there aren’t many topics covered!)
I’d MUCH rather have a good hour of meaty discussion in a small group as a way of learning about God. That would be a much safer place for a pastor to tell a bit more of ‘the truth’ as well.
As a young clergy person (under 30), I would like to point out that the most unprofessional and boundary-less people I know are middle-aged, often second-career pastors.
I agree, parodie! Also, I will note that these folks, as a whole, tend to be the most inappropriately dressed. I have met many a female pastor dressed like and elementary school teacher. I do not mean to demean teachers, because they do very important work, but they can wear teddy bear-patterned turtlenecks and be respected in their field. Pastors in the same? Not so much.
As to this article, it has been my experience (in my comparatively brief life) that these words are just nice ideas and do not exist in real life. Pastors saying what they really think results in being ostracized by the people and by colleagues. This is all very nice in theory, but until the judgment stops in all corners of Christendom (not just the liberal ghettos!), it is just a bunch of pretty words.
As I read that article I thought of Emerson’s Divinity School Address in which describes listening to an uninspiring sermon:
“A snow storm was falling around us. The snow storm was real; the preacher merely spectral; and the eye felt the sad contrast in looking at him, and then out of the window behind him, into the beautiful meteor of the snow. He had lived in vain. He had no one word intimating that he had laughed or wept, was married or in love, had been commended, or cheated, or chagrined. If he had ever lived and acted, we were none the wiser for it.”
Telling the truth might just be about “help us make it through the next week” by being honest about faith and example.