by Jim » Sun May 15, 2011 9:14 am
There is this strange dichotomy about the “call.” Exactly how does that work? The preacher says he’s “called” of God to a specific church or other activity only to discover that he’s in it up to his ears shortly after he arrives. Did God make a mistake and “call” him to a nest of vipers…or did the preacher sort of “call” himself into that mess? Or…was the church a fine place only to discover it had “called” a snake when it meant to “call” a pastor? Or…were church and/or preacher wrong in not discovering that either had been “called” to get its/his/her act together? I found the “call” to be a mysterious thing when I spent ten years working in churches. For instance, I was asked at least once by a preacher to recommend him to the church in which I had grown up, when actually I didn’t know him from Adam. I was asked another time by a church seeking a pastor for the rundown on a pastor on whose staff I had worked as they considered…what…the “call,” and if so, what “call.” I honored neither request. I imagine every preacher in this forum is quite conversant with my remarking the nature of “call” as it relates to how churches change pastors and how pastors are sometimes “called,” “un-called,” or, heaven forbid, miss the “call.” Some ministers are even “called” to change denominations, though, in fairness, they are sometimes forced to it either by denominational hierarchical fiat or simply their inability to get along with either the church or the denomination. Personal failure is generally not in the picture because, after all, the “call” is a sacred thing…or at least congregations have been led to believe that, and in most cases probably try to operate on that conviction, not knowing that the “good ole boy” networks are also dealing in the various “calls.”
There may have been a time when ministry was considered a “calling.” Now, it seems to be more of a profession, complete with all the trappings of small business/large business. Nothing wrong with that! But, honesty regarding the “call” may sometimes be in short supply. One wonders if God might look at the scene in wonderment and conclude that “well, I gave them the freedom to be smart, ambitious, greedy, crafty, disingenuous, straight-up, devious…or spiritual. Likewise for the churches! With my obvious cynicism based on experience, do I believe that the “call” is still administered and given response in the spirit of the “call” of God? Yes. I only wonder at the percentages regarding its validity.
The First Methodist Church (UMC) in my city of about 300,000, a large downtown church with a choir of well over a hundred people as indicative of the total membership, was riven asunder some three or so years ago over an issue instigated by a terrible misjudgment by the pastor that could have been mitigated virtually overnight by the district superintendent, who refused to touch it and passed it on to the bishop, who erred overwhelmingly, stubbornly refusing to simply do the sensible thing, easily recognized by anyone. Practically overnight (using the same measure of support as above), the choir numbered 15. People pulled out of the church in droves, notwithstanding being in the midst of a huge, ambitious building program, now in abeyance, and simply formed their own church – not Methodist, at least in name and not a part of the denomination. With the UMC hierarchy in place, the players are at the mercy of a handful of operatives who hold the “keys to the kingdom.” That pastor has been promoted hierarchically and demoted financially. He’s long-gone and the church stumbles along…too little, too late. How did the “call” play a part, if at all? I have intimate, inside knowledge of this affair.
This same thing happened to probably the largest Southern Baptist church in the city (and one of the largest in the state, for that matter). Three hundred of probably its most steadfast members pulled out in the late 90s, met in a college building for a while, built their own church and campus (still very much Southern Baptist), and the new church thrives. The initial church is still there and apparently strong, now looking for a pastor, but I don’t know what its actual condition is. What kind of “call” did all these people get? So…my cynicism remains, and I wish quite frankly that the business of “call” would simply be banished, lest God be made to look bad in the process.