A quick update (well, depending on one's interpretation of "quick"):
Within an itinerant system (United Methodist), we pastors are willing to trust that the Bishop of our annual conference and her cabinet are used as instruments of God's will, and that we will agree to go where and when we are sent. This requires a perspective that trusts and believes in the provision of God through the hierarchy of the God ordained institution, in this case the denomination and its leaders. I will confess that this is not always easy to do, and it is tempting to get caught up in criticism and concerns of what is happening and why. But it is always necessary to maintain a clear understanding and trust that Jesus is Lord, and that God is able through His providence, in fact, more than able to bring good out of any situation (Romans 8).
This itinerant system has both positive aspects and negative. Rather than the autonomy provided through a congregational system, the itinerant system goes back to the early frontier and traveling circuit preachers. Back then, as the west was growing so quickly, traveling pastors were needed to bring the Word of God to isolated settlers. This was organized by a general conference, and later annual conferences who decided who went where. As local churches became established and settled in various locations, preachers were needed to settle in and live amongst the people and serve in a chaplaincy-type, incarnational ministry setting. Yet, the Methodists chose not to decentralize the authority of the conferences, and have clung to their itinerant/connectional ways of sending pastors to locales.
For quite a while, during the majority of the 20th century, pastors were moved every two years, which allowed for a corporate model of moving up the ladder from smaller churches to larger churches. As one's experience grew, so did their responsibilities, and pay. The problem was a lack of stability and tenure in the local churches, and a tendency among some to “serve towards their next charge” rather than serving fully where they were. With short tenures, it makes it very difficult for a pastor to enter into deep relationships with congregants. Generally, it takes about two years for most clergy/lay relationships to begin to take shape. Many in the Methodist congregations are gun shy, and it takes a while for people to trust a pastor’s leadership. It also takes a while for a leader to discover and discern a local culture and get to know people’s hearts. In rare cases, usually in larger churches, Methodist pastors have settled in for many years (8-20 or so) and had fruitful ministries within one local congregation.
Some positives about the itinerant system as it stands is that local churches are guaranteed not to go without a pastor, and full-time pastors are guaranteed an appointment. Although beneficial, there is also a sense of helplessness among congregations, and at times conspiracy theories circulate, especially among the smaller congregations. So there is your Methodist history lesson, in brief, the good, the bad and the ugly.
All that said, our family is being moved after two years of service in Corrigan and Moscow, down the road to a larger local church. We are sad, and at the same time excited about the opportunities. My wife, Deb will be on staff as the Music Director, and will probably also be working part-time as a counselor with the Methodist Children's Home, next door to the church. She will be helping get a foster program started and preparing the way for a new Charter school. I will be an associate pastor, working primarily with youth, kids and young families. The congregation is very entrepreneurial, as they have purchased two blocks of downtown land around the church, including a former intermediate campus, which will house several ministries (Methodist Children's Home, Habitat for Humanity, Food Pantry/Clothing Ministry, Boy Scouts, etc.). According to my district superintendent, the youth group is actually one of the most integrated in the Texas Conference. This is going to be a great learning place for us!
The move is taking place right now, during Christmas. We have known about it for about two and a half weeks, and have been feverishly packing since. The moving company picks up our things on the 26th of December, and we move in to our new home in Crockett on the 30th of December. Work starts after the new year, and school for the boys on the 2nd of January. Whew! We trust that God knows what He is doing. We just need to walk it out - one step at a time. We welcome prayers for our family, and for the new ministry phase. We especially ask prayers for the two congregations we are leaving, that they would thrive in the midst of this change, and that the Lord would provide the best leadership possible for them.
Leaving is never easy, but our family has decided that we choose to live our short lives in this earthly realm (as opposed to our eternal life with the Almighty)… we choose to live fully, and love fully, at all times and with all folks possible. We try not to hold back. There are no guarantees in our journeys, except for the promises that God loves us, God is with us, and His grace is sufficient. We have found that wherever God leads us, we always find other brothers and sisters who live fully and love fully, trusting in God, and following His lead.
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