A few years ago, I was contacted by The Kindling Group about a documentary that was being made about young people going into ministry. Apparently I ended up not really being interesting enough to make the cut for the documentary, but other people did, and it’s finally airing next week and looks pretty cool.
Officially a Candidate with the Presbytery of San Francisco
June 9, 2010 9 Comments
Last night I met with the Presbytery of San Francisco, and was finally officially accepted as a Candidate in the ordination process. For those who have followed along – this is, of course, the second time I’ve officially been accepted as a Candidate. Last night was a wonderful experience to be with the Presbytery, to be in worship with the group, and to end the evening with the report from the Committee on Preparation for Ministry and be welcomed into the Presbytery through questions, anointing with oil, prayer and celebration.
I was introduced by my CPM Liaison and then gave a short introduction of myself, highlighting a few points from my MEW (a document that is included in the Presbytery docket that highlights my Motive for Seeking Ministry, Experience of Faith and Work in the Church). Then came the question time. My liaison asked the first question about my desire to look for new ways to engage people today with the Gospel and mission. I talked briefly about Presbymergent, Theology Pub and alt.worship.
A Sense of Calling
October 18, 2006 30 Comments
One of my favorite conversations that took place during my Annual Consultation with my Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) concerned my ‘sense of call’ and it went something like this:
CPM: “So, tell us where you think you’re going to end up after seminary, what trajectory are you on?”
Adam: “Well, it really depends on the day. Somedays I think that doing parish ministry is something that I would really love. However, other days I think that getting back into youth ministry is where I’m being called. However, during my Field Ed last year, I really found an appreciation and love for campus ministry, and I think the life of a campus chaplain would be really wonderful.”
CPM: “So, you really don’t have a sense of call at all then?”
Adam: “No, I wouldn’t say that – it’s just that I still have 2 years left in seminary, and I know I feel called to the ministry, but I just wouldn’t say I’m 100% sure what ministry yet.”
CPM: “But…what I hear you saying is that you really have no idea what your sense of call is…”
Adam: “No, I don’t think that’s what I’m saying…”
So my question to all of you is, what determines a true sense of call? Is it a blueprint for the rest of your life (or at least the first few years out of seminary)? Or is it more a gut feeling that you are on the right path? I went into that meeting believing I did have a sense of call (I still believe that). But as I walked out of the meeting, I was confused why they would desire such specificity when I still had 2 years left in school. Does a lack of specificity negate a feeling of being called? It seemed to be that way for my CPM. So what does a true sense of call consist of?
Stupid Pastors May Keep Me In Ministry
September 11, 2003 4 Comments
So I’ve been having “what am I going to do with my life?” thoughts the past 2 weeks. I currently am a Youth Pastor at a small Presbyterian church in southern Idaho. I love the kids…most of the time [those of you in ministry/education/etc. can relate...I'm sure]. But sometimes, I just wish I could be more involved with music ministry. I also really love the .bE worship gathering we did at my church last July and are putting on again in October. We’ve had such sweet responses from .bE that some friends and I are thinking of taking it on the road and doing it full-time and sharing with people some new (old, but new to them//[ancient/future]) worship techniques…
Would that be possible? I don’t know. We got invited to do .bE at the Emergent Gathering in Glorieta, NM. I’m hoping that it will work out for a few of us to drive down and share our .bE worship with a group of Emergent friends.
Or maybe the next faithful step would be to continue looking at seminaries (and maybe even apply at a few)…I am looking at Princeton (hey, I’m a Presbyterian…), Mars Hill, Regent, Fuller…any suggestions?
And while sometimes I doubt my call into a ministry-related field, every now and then I’ll hear a story about completely stupid pastors…and then it really makes me want to go into ministry to make sure and try and stop them from being stupid. I recently met a youth pastor from my area and shared with him about .bE – I later heard that he is a complete ass. This youth pastor was attending a meeting at a local restaurant with other youth pastors, and a young waitress asked a question about women in ministry. This youth pastor, being of the very conservative persuasion, began to tell her why women shouldn’t be in positions of leadership, etc. And then really wanted to know if “she had peace with the Lord” and told her that he wouldn’t leave until he could be sure that she accepted Christ, and was going to be in Heaven. He kept after her, asking questions and more questions, until finally the girl began to cry…
Could I be so bold as to say that this guy has chosen the wrong calling/career…
Wow. Stupid pastors may keep me in ministry.
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