September 2013
The Pastor’s Ponderings Pastor David’s cell phone—765-330-4170 and email address —fleeneda@gmail.com Moses’ father- inlaw said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” -Exodus 18:17-18 When I was on internship, I had a spring evaluation with my supervisor and a representative from the seminary faculty. The meeting went well; we outlined some of my strengths and growth areas and some of the challenges I was facing in my life at that time. I remember one criticism my supervisor made quite well. She said that I had a tendency to be a “Herr Pastor” at times. Some of you will recognize the term as German for “Sir Pastor”, but it has a more detailed connotation in
English. The term refers to a pastor who rules his parish with an iron fist. His word is law. He is the head of every committee. He prefers to do most, if not all of the work of ministry by himself – and the congregation is more than happy to let him do it. He works 12 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week. And this kind of pastor often burns himself out of the ministry from lack of self-care, falling into addictive habits and self-destructive behavior. In other words, the label “Herr Pastor” was a dire warning. I cannot do the work of ministry alone. If I try to do everything myself, I find that I will neglect someone or something in need of attention. If I focus mostly on caring for the sick and shut-ins, I may end up neglecting young adults, youth, and community outreach. If I focus on simply the administrative tasks of ministry, I may neglect spiritual growth and prayer. Often, the pastoral ministry is like a
Thursday Church
Reflect. Pray. Feast. Thursday Church in the Fellowship Hall Sept. 5, 12, & 19 at 7 PM
juggling act, and some of the balls are dropped from time to time. That’s why I’m grateful for you, people of Zion. I’m grateful for the people of God in this church who help me carry out God’s work in our community. Our secretary, our council, our lay visitation team, our land use committee, and all of those who have served on committees and councils have made it possible for the ministry of our church to multiply ten, twenty, or even a hundred-fold from what it would be if I did everything myself. As Luther said, quoting I Peter, all Christians belong to Christ’s royal priesthood. All of us have a calling. I see my calling as being your helper in discerning yours. May God continue to empower us for the work of ministry together. See you in church! Pr. David
Bible Study
Bible Study begins again this month! Pr. David will facilitate Prof. David Lose’s study Making Sense of Scripture. September 12 and 19 at 7:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall.