My time in transition has had its ups and downs. On the downside, I have no paycheck. On the upside, I have no responsibility to be at any one particular church on Sunday. This has given me a freedom many clergy can only dream about: I can worship anywhere I want on Sunday. What's more, I choose to worship somewhere different each week!
Why on earth would I want to do that? Many lay people "church hop" or "church shop" until they find one they like then they keep going there, maybe eventually become a member... and if they're committed, stubborn, or maybe even just afraid of change, they stay there until they can complain when the grandkids don't come anymore, and then they die. For clergy (in the Methodist church as well as many other denominations), you don't get to choose your church, you simply go where the bishop tells you to go.
So this was a unique opportunity for me. I could hop between churches, but as a clergywoman, not laity. I knew that eventually I would have a new church home given to me by the bishop, so there was no need to look at a check-list of "what can I get out of this" or "what could I offer them" criteria. Instead, I could go in without any agenda at all other than to simply join with my Christian brothers and sisters in worshiping our Lord and Savior.
But, of course, I was never completely able to turn my brain off. I found myself taking a few mental notes about which churches used the hymnal and which put the words (just the words, no music) on a screen, which churches had strong lay leadership and which turned to their pastor/priest for just about the entire liturgy, which ones had a worship time posted on their website and an empty parking lot at that announced time (people - please make sure your website is updated when you make significant changes like this!), etc.
I would have loved to remain anonymous, I think it would have made my observations even more "pure" so to speak, but that was not possible in most of the places I visited. For one reason, many of the churches I visited contained clergy or lay persons who already know me - I've been around the county and involved in a few different ministries for five years. Additionally, despite the advice of growing, thriving mega-churches we are all told we should strive to be, several of the churches still have a practice of asking visitors to stand and introduce themselves. In churches where I have seen this occur, I have seen that the practice has one of two effects on the visitor. A) They are excited to be recognized and they share all about themselves. They feel loved and welcomed, and they come back the next week. or B) They are mortified. They begrudgingly introduce themselves after the microphone is passed to them because everyone is STARING at them because they stand out (we never get visitors!). They never come back again. Note: It is particularly difficult for a visitor to "hide" or "blend in" in a county where congregations are segregated. If you visit a church that is predominantly a race other than your own, expect to be swarmed, for better or for worse. In my case, it was more like BA. I got the stares and the passed microphone, but I was happy to share who I was and why I was visiting. And suddenly the tables turned - I was not a potential new member or a beloved guest of anyone... I was just a fellow follower of the faith hoping to find some good companions for the journey for only day.
My time as a wandering vagrant clergy member is almost over. I only have two more Sundays before I start my new appointment. I am hoping to engage my congregation in a bit of church hoping in the year to come - I would love to take a small group with me to visit a neighbor church every now and then. you know, just because we worship the same God and in the spirit of neighborliness we want to worship with them! Of course, the new appointment means a new head pastor, and there is no guarantee he will see the value in my ideas. Either way, I will take the lessons learned with me.
Why on earth would I want to do that? Many lay people "church hop" or "church shop" until they find one they like then they keep going there, maybe eventually become a member... and if they're committed, stubborn, or maybe even just afraid of change, they stay there until they can complain when the grandkids don't come anymore, and then they die. For clergy (in the Methodist church as well as many other denominations), you don't get to choose your church, you simply go where the bishop tells you to go.
So this was a unique opportunity for me. I could hop between churches, but as a clergywoman, not laity. I knew that eventually I would have a new church home given to me by the bishop, so there was no need to look at a check-list of "what can I get out of this" or "what could I offer them" criteria. Instead, I could go in without any agenda at all other than to simply join with my Christian brothers and sisters in worshiping our Lord and Savior.
But, of course, I was never completely able to turn my brain off. I found myself taking a few mental notes about which churches used the hymnal and which put the words (just the words, no music) on a screen, which churches had strong lay leadership and which turned to their pastor/priest for just about the entire liturgy, which ones had a worship time posted on their website and an empty parking lot at that announced time (people - please make sure your website is updated when you make significant changes like this!), etc.
I would have loved to remain anonymous, I think it would have made my observations even more "pure" so to speak, but that was not possible in most of the places I visited. For one reason, many of the churches I visited contained clergy or lay persons who already know me - I've been around the county and involved in a few different ministries for five years. Additionally, despite the advice of growing, thriving mega-churches we are all told we should strive to be, several of the churches still have a practice of asking visitors to stand and introduce themselves. In churches where I have seen this occur, I have seen that the practice has one of two effects on the visitor. A) They are excited to be recognized and they share all about themselves. They feel loved and welcomed, and they come back the next week. or B) They are mortified. They begrudgingly introduce themselves after the microphone is passed to them because everyone is STARING at them because they stand out (we never get visitors!). They never come back again. Note: It is particularly difficult for a visitor to "hide" or "blend in" in a county where congregations are segregated. If you visit a church that is predominantly a race other than your own, expect to be swarmed, for better or for worse. In my case, it was more like BA. I got the stares and the passed microphone, but I was happy to share who I was and why I was visiting. And suddenly the tables turned - I was not a potential new member or a beloved guest of anyone... I was just a fellow follower of the faith hoping to find some good companions for the journey for only day.
My time as a wandering vagrant clergy member is almost over. I only have two more Sundays before I start my new appointment. I am hoping to engage my congregation in a bit of church hoping in the year to come - I would love to take a small group with me to visit a neighbor church every now and then. you know, just because we worship the same God and in the spirit of neighborliness we want to worship with them! Of course, the new appointment means a new head pastor, and there is no guarantee he will see the value in my ideas. Either way, I will take the lessons learned with me.
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