Clergy Services Connexion April 2022

Clergy Services Connexion April 2022 Volume 4, Number 2

A Publication of the Office of Clergy Services of the Holston Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church

Table of Contents A Word from the Editor ..................................................................................... Rev. Terry Goodman ‘Untied” Methodism: Ten Turnings.................................................................... Philip Amerson Stop Fighting Over Something Jesus Never Even Mentioned .......................Rev. Chongho James Kim Clergy Morale in Today’s Time........................................................................... Rev. Dr. Rene Lawson

Break the Bias .................................................................................................... Rev. Leah Burns Mental Health and the Black Church ................................................................. Rev. Dr. Ron Bell Raising My Children to be anti-racist ................................................................. Liz Shadbolt Reflections on Convocation ............................................................................... Design Team

Just What is an Ordained Deacon? .................................................................... Rev. Glenna Manning Reflections on My Time as a District Superintendent......................................... Rev. Jeff Wright Generosity for Leaders ...................................................................................... Holston Foundation

Annual Conference Highlights ........................................................................... Rev. Terry Goodman Numinous: Holiness in Times of Conflict and Change ........................................ Renni Morris Grieving the Shift and the Power of Reframe..................................................... Rev. Kathy Heustess Don’t Succumb to the Great Resignation. ......................................................... Sam Rainer

Changes in Young People I ‘ve Seen Over 25 Years ............................................ Chuck Lawless The Ten Commandments of a Pastor’s Vacation................................................ Sam Rainer An Undivided Life .............................................................................................. Rev. John Meunier

Cultivate Faith ................................................................................................... Rev. Susan Groseclose How One-to-One Conversations Reintroduced a Church to its Neighbors ......... Travis Norvell Camp and Retreat Ministries Update................................................................. Rev. Mary Thompson 25 Unbelievable Things Search Committees Said to Pastoral Candidates........... Thom. S. Rainer

2022 Projected Pastoral Moves .................................................................... Bishop Wallace-Padgett

The Clergy Services Connexion is a publication of the Office of Clergy Services of the Holston Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. United Methodist annual conferences and groups are free to use this material as fitting for their situation.

The Rev. Terry Goodman is publisher and editor. Please direct all questions and comments to him at: terrygoodman@holston.org.

I was trying to find a cover that could illustrate the current state of The United Methodist Church and the birth of the Global Methodist Church. I searched for the keyword “argument” on my go to site for free photos: unsplash.com. There were numerous depictions of the word, but I settled on the simple graphic that said: Listen More.

Perhaps, this is advice we should have heeded years ago. Maybe if we had listened more to the other side rather than becoming intransigent in our own thoughts, we might have found our denomination in a different place than it currently is found. Then again, it may only have delayed what many see as an inevitable event.

It may be too late to make a difference, but it is not too late to “Listen More” There are still numerous hurdles before us that must be vaulted and it wouldn’t hurt us to “Listen More” to what the opposing side is saying.

Elsewhere in this edition, the article ‘Untied’ Methodism takes a look at our future and offers some things to think about. On the lighter side, I hope you will enjoy the article “25 Unbelievable Things Search Committees Said to Pastoral Candidates. While we don’t utilize search committees for our pastors, I would be willing to wager that you might have heard some of these from SPPRC along the way. I also hope you will pay special attention to the article: “The Ten Commandments of a Pastor’s Vacation.” I am a long time advocate that pastors need time away to recharge, even if I sometimes fail miserably at doing it myself.

A Word from the Editor

Editor’s Note: Normally, this would be the place for the article from Bishop Wallace-Padgett.

However, due to her heavy work load—two annual conferences in the midst of appointment season—she was unable to submit an article for this edition. Hopefully things will slow down enough for her to prepare an article for the July edition.

Views from a United Methodist Perspective

The following article addresses issues related to the future of the church. It is lengthy in nature, but I hope you will read it and let some of its ideas permeate your thoughts. -TDG

‘Untied’ Methodism: Ten Turnings

by Philip Amerson March 14, 2022 © Ivan Grlic, Dreamstime via Shifting Margins blog.

The wedding was to be an opulent affair. No detail overlooked. Expensive floral bouquets adorned every corner of the sanctuary. The string quartet rehearsing, women attendants donning gorgeous gowns and men in tuxedos, all in anticipation as a stretch limo waited at the door to parade the bride and groom to reception for hundreds following the wedding.

As pastor, I observed it all with embarrassment. These were fine young people; I liked and prayed for them. This event was detailed in bridal magazines as one costing hundreds-ofthousands dollars! This, at a time when our congregation was giving considerable attention, energy, and resources to aid the homeless and hungry around us. What witness did this extravagance offer?

Preparing to preside, heavy-hearted, I put the robe over my shoulders and picked up the order of service. Immediately, my sadness melted; I began to laugh. This perfectly planned wedding would be remembered, not so much for the wealth displayed but for a typo atop the custom-printed bulletin. There it was on the second line, the church was identified as “The First Untied Methodist Church.” Amid all the preparations, the printer and spellcheck had missed it. The church was not named the “First United Methodist,” but rather indelibly printed were the words “First Untied Methodist.” We were UNTIED, and at a wedding!

Steve Harper recently wrote that the “The Future of the United Methodist Church is Now.” The denomination’s 2020 General Conference (an event scheduled for every four years) has now been delayed for the third time due to the COVID pandemic and visa problems for international delegates. It will now be convened in 2024. In response, a break-away group, identifying itself as “traditionalist,” indicated they can “wait no longer.” They are forming a new and separate denomination, the Global Methodist Church to be initiated in May 2022.

Our denominational un-tiedness is on full display. Dr. Harper advises that for the large majority who do not exit, the phrase “United Methodist” should be understood as a verb.

He suggests we be about intentionally and actively forging a renewed identity. To be passive, he writes, is for “congregations to be impotent and irrelevant.”

It is time to move from being “untied” to being “united” again. Earlier Methodists and Evangelical United Brethren, shaped by the likes of the Wesley brothers, Philip Otterbien, Jacob Albright, Barbara Heck, E. Stanley Jones, Georgia Harkness, James Thomas, and

Leontyne Kelly each pointed to God’s redemptive work as resource. Even so, the doors opening to the future require new eyes to see the ways forward. Isaiah 43 comes to mind — behold, God is doing a new thing. The New Testament is filled with the call to “turn around” (metanoia) and walk a renewed and ever-renewing path.

Emerging from my observations as pastor and seminary administrator, and thinking of United Methodism as a verb, I offer here ten turnings for a renewal of identity and mission for United Methodists: Repentance, not Reactivity. Let us repent of the damage done to the “other.” Our healthiest future will involve repentance. I do not suggest this is easy, or obvious, or perfectly done, or that we should give up core beliefs/commitments/actions, or our welcome of LGBTQ+ persons throughout our church. However, we can give up the practice of “talking about” rather than “talking with” one another. We have been too quick to react and too slow to repent. Repentance takes a lifetime, reactivity is a quick fix, that in my experience doesn’t work and damages more than it heals. My dear friend, Walter Wangerin, Jr., died last summer.

Watching the warfare inside of our Untied Methodist Church these days, I recall what Walt shared with me on more than one occasion. Walt left his beloved Missouri Synod Lutheran ancestry, the denomination of his birth, early in his pastoral career to join another Lutheran body. He would remind me that “schism in the body of Christ was a mark of sinfulness on all sides.”

Resurrection, not Rebuilding. This is God’s work. We are privileged to join. Jesus spoke of those who lose their life “for my sake” might find it. Much energy has been spent and is being spent on trying to “save the denomination.” As a wise pastor-friend of mine once observed, “People don’t get burned out, it’s mostly that they were committed to the wrong thing in the first place.” Saving a denomination has left us in a place where the melodrama obscures God’s first purpose — bringing life and hope to the world. It is time to let the many assumptions about power, place and authority die and trust our future in God’s hands. Prayer more than planning, laughter more than grievance, humility shaped by community and friendship more than caucus will be signs of resurrection. In these years it may be more important to “give up” rather than “gain up” in restructuring. At the center of our story is death and resurrection. Yet, it is the thing that scares us most of all. We seem not to believe that resurrection doesn’t come without a death.

Welcome, not Exclusion. Let us unite in acting as a loving community with the poor, the immigrant, the disenfranchised. Our denominational squabbles have turned us inward, unable to accept the interruptions of the Spirit at work at our doorsteps. Let us turn to know the names of our neighbors and their stories, not as those who we seek to fix but rather the others with whom we share, together, the transforming love of Christ.

Heart Religion, not Statute. At our best we are a people who value Christian Experience, a people who practice a faith that is confirmed by a transformed heart and mind (a metanoia) that is sustained and flourishes by living in loving relationship with other believers. Rather than more rules to keep things as they were, we might look to less standing still and more turning to live in loving relationships with other believers.

The Shaker hymn “’Tis a Gift to Be Simple” speaks of “turning, turning, till we come round right.”

Ecumenical, not Faith Enclave. Let us turn to be truly a global and ecumenical church, not in words but in practice. Let us see the beauty all around in the practice of grass-roots ecumenism and interfaith sharing.

Let’s do this, moving past the often thinly veiled paternalism and colonialism that has shaped much of our talk and action about “mission.” This will involve the essential task of learning from those in other places and who seek to follow Christ in different ways.

Economy of Love, not the Marketing of Scarcity. Let us turn from, and give up, the “business facade and fascination” that has distorted our core Christian identity and purpose. Too much time, energy, and resources have been directed to “best practice” models from business or from scarcity models designed to hoard resources. There are certainly lessons to draw from business and commerce, but where is our witness to “faith, hope and charity?” Strategies and designs that turn congregations into branch offices have done real damage. Rather than seeing God’s people gathered in unique communities, with distinctive gifts, expensive programs have been established that, while wellmeaning, in too many places are counterproductive. Pastors are bombarded with the message that unless they do it like corporate America, or a megachurch somewhere, they are failing. They are told by some authority unfamiliar with the ministry context, or the gifts of the people they know, how to “be fruitful.” (There are important parallel lessons coming from well-intended but ultimately destructive models in modern agriculture whose full damage to our environment and food resources is only now becoming apparent.)

Encourage Positive Deviance, not Scaleable Formulas. Let us celebrate the overlooked places, sometimes small or nontraditonal, where ministry results in changed lives, new ways of being church, and witness that is otherwise overlooked. Such places of “positive deviance” offer dozens of exciting examples of witness in finding community with homeless persons, in caring for God’s creation, in welcoming the immigrant, in giving witness in the corporate board room, in demonstrating our opposition to war and violence in all forms. Let these be the ministries we seek to replicate, more than a mega-church or a drive-in restaurant chain.

Watching Over in Love, not with Sanction. Let us turn to focus again on building and sustaining small group relationships and the practice of “watching over one another in love.” As my friend Michael Mather puts it, “If we watched over one another in love, we would not keep missing the abundant acts of grace, charity, and encouragement that happen in all of our churches and that would pull our heart and attention to somewhere that would certainly please God.” Whether called “class meeting” or “covenant discipleship” or any other name, we United Methodists have a remarkable tradition here.

Horizontal, rather than Vertical. Let the connection be rewoven — horizontally. This could model for the world a different way of being community, a way that has been lost. This will involve discovering again and turning toward the value of circuits, of districts, subdistricts, relationships with and among our schools, colleges, seminaries, hospitals, and other institutions. It would change what we counted and valued. General Boards and Agencies (whichever ones remain) should turn toward acting as weavers and reweavers of connections, turning from perceiving themselves as the center of action and returning to the earlier practice of assisting others in flourishing and being sustainable. The models await development and our moving from the heavily top-down and bureaucratic approaches of the past generation. Too many laypersons were placed on the sidelines as conferences merged, institutions drifted away from positive connections with the wider church. More attention to our colleges and universities is overdue. Our seminaries too need to think horizontally. Some will need to merge, some should close or discover another mission. All should become more cooperative. In preparing pastors, United Methodist theological students should spend at least one year in a United Methodist seminary as a part of this reweaving and building relationships for mission.

Democratic doorkeepers, not Border Guards. Perhaps we need to stop merging conferences and allow for core polity and mission structures that are smaller, more agile, and more adaptable.

Perhaps these units might be the size of a couple of districts today with an elected presiding elder or

table of leadership. Focus could be on the social and cultural ecology of each place – urban, suburban, or rural. Perhaps there would be no bishops or superintendents at all, as is the case in other Methodist bodies.

Or, if we continue in the episcopal format, explore a term-limited episcopacy rather than life-episcopacy.

Perhaps all appointments beyond the local church should also be expected to serve in a local congregation as well as in a non-congregational setting.

These, then, are Ten Turnings that might be considered as we move from being the Un-tied church. They are, in the Protestant tradition, a call to be a people who are Forever Reforming (Semper Reformanda), or as the Methodist Bicentennial motto in the United States put it “Forever Beginning.”

In recent days there has been much talk about a conspiracy around the postponing of the General Conference, yet again. It is charged that it is being delayed for some political advantage and suggested that those “moderates” and “progressives” who plan to stay in the United Methodist church, successfully plotted to postpone any the General Conference until 2024, as a way to undercut the plans of the “traditionalists.” I laugh at such notions. Having spent much of my life around the corridors of authority in the denomination, I know that our church leaders have problems organizing a three-float parade! Something as dramatic as a power play to change the General Conference dates, for a power advantage, is as likely as a Southern Baptist giving up immersion. Further, the COVID pandemic that shut down the gathering of persons from around the world is not a conspiracy of anyone’s planning.

Let’s face it, we live and serve in an anachronistic institution. It is one we don’t know how to handle. We need let go of the foolish conspiracy thinking that has marked too much of our brokenness, and for too long, and which is, let me say it again – sinful.

My friend Noah was a Trappist monk who two decades after the changes in the Roman Catholic Church from Vatican II, shared with me an insight about his disappointment that there was not more renewal in denominational practices, structure, and mission. Speaking of his sadness that positive changes were painfully slow to come, Noah said, “At the monastery, we changed our dress, our leadership patterns, and the arrangement of our furniture in the chapel. We changed our music, our liturgy, and our educational curriculum.” He paused and smiling said, “We tried changing everything… but our hearts.”

There is much in our United Methodist tradition(s) that is of great value… and much that need be changed. I look and chuckle to see the multiple ways folks are trying to arrive at perfection, like the effort at that wedding service where I presided so many years ago. In remembering, I begin to laugh out loud. We who call United Methodism home are indeed more UN-TIED than we are UNITED. There are now, and will be, many plans as to how the future should be approached. We are indeed a verb — but too often in the passive tense. And knowing this, and knowing human nature, I chuckle. As God’s church, perhaps we can find ways whereby our hearts might be changed and not just our structures and ways of sanctioning. Perhaps these “Ten Turnings” offer a few ideas, hunches really, as to where we can discover the God already at work among us.

The Rev. Dr. Philip Amerson “retired” to Bloomington, Ind., then he got busy with new ways to fulfill his vocational call as pastor and community encourager. He is president-emeritus of United Methodist-related Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., having led the school from 2006 to 2014. Prior to this he was president of the Claremont School of Theology in California, 2000-2006. He has served as consultant for many groups including the Lilly Endowment and the Flourishing in Ministry project at the University of Notre Dame.

As found at: https://um-insight.net/in-the-church/umc-future/%E2%80%98untied%E2%80%99-methodism-ten-turnings/ on March 17, 2022.

Stop fighting over something Jesus never even mentioned Commentary by the Rev. Chongho James Kim March 10, 2022 | NEW YORK (UM News) Key points: •

Korean American churches are caught in the middle of the church divide over human sexuality, as many of them are theologically traditionalist congregations located in progressive conferences.

•

Jesus never addressed the subject of human sexuality, the main issue dividing the denomination.

•

Even if we are divided, we share common history and values as Methodists and still need to be mission partners.

————————Last week, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was announced that the United Methodist General Conference is now further postponed until 2024. While our denomination’s problems are inherently different from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, I see similarities between them.

In both cases, tensions evolved into a much-complicated conflict after the collapse of a buffer zone.

The current heartbreaking situation in Ukraine is the consequence of tensions and tit-for-tat strategies that have been building up for decades between “the West” and “the East” vis-à-vis Russia and China.

With another delay of the General Conference, there is now greater uncertainty around “A Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation” and increased possibilities for internal conflicts.

This is a concerning situation for Korean American churches, which make up less than 1% within The United Methodist Church. Korean American churches have strong presence in most of the progressive conferences in the U.S. However, many of them tend to hold a traditionalist theological perspective. Many fear hostilities.

Had the proposed protocol been approved, it would have been up to local churches to make the best decision for themselves. Now that the possibility of amicable separation is jeopardized while facing a greater threat of division, numbers of Korean American churches will have to decide whether to leave the denomination preemptively.

The lectionary reading of the first Sunday in Lent included Luke 4, which depicts Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus, filled and led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, fasts for 40 days and resists temptation by the devil.

The devil’s temptation comes with false promises to fulfill human desires in the most glorious ways.

A common thread connects the three temptations, whether it be turning the stone into a loaf of bread, receiving the glory of all authority of all the kingdoms or wowing the crowds by throwing oneself from the pinnacle of the temple. The thread offers a false set of expectations that God would meet the desires of our hearts if God truly loves us. But Jesus resists the temptation through the Word of God: “One does not live by the bread alone” (v. 4); “worship the Lord your God, and

serve only Him” (v. 8); and “do not put the Lord your God to the test” (v. 12).

The devil is tempting us. The temptation continues to feed us expectations that our churches will become bigger, stronger, more justice-seeking and even more biblical. We know that Jesus did not fall into the trap of the devil. Nor did Jesus respond to face the challenge of the devil. Instead, Jesus stood on the ground found in the Word of God: We are to love God and serve God without doubting God’s love for us.

Immediately after overcoming the devil’s temptation, Jesus proclaimed “the Great Ministry Manifesto” (Luke 4:18-19). This proclamation of the year of Jubilee is Jesus’ mandate for the church today. But our denomination has been held hostage by the issue of human sexuality for too many decades. Progressives will not stop the battle unless their way of “justice” prevails. Likewise, traditionalists want to see their way of “biblical value” expressed.

Of course, social justice is important. Yes, the church needs to safeguard biblical truth. But frankly, Jesus never said a word about the subject of human sexuality, which holds our denomination hostage.

Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). The word “devil” comes from the Greek word ‘diabolos,’ which means “to divide” or “to throw against.” I am afraid that the delay of General Conference will bring out devils in us. The triptych temptations mentioned above symbolize what we see in our denominational conflicts today: fulfilling our desires, accomplishing our goals and taking strategically higher ground than others to rule.

But Jesus did not want anything to do with those. Rather, he focused on saving and loving people, not political agendas.

I have been invited many times by Eurasia United Methodist Bishop Eduard Khegay to teach at pastor schools. When I taught at a pastor school in Ukraine right before the pandemic, both Ukrainian and Russian pastors came to learn, worship, fellowship and take part in the Lord’s Supper together. We were all United Methodist pastors regardless of our nationality.

It truly breaks my heart to see the Russian army invading Ukraine. We don’t want a hostile takeover of our church by any side. I hope and pray that the protocol will be honored and respected at the 2024 General Conference.

Even if we are divided as Global Methodist Church and United Methodist Church, we share common history and values as Methodists. We will still need to be mission partners. Paul and Barnabas parted ways after they experienced a disagreement, but they respected each other as mission partners. It will be a work of the devil to make us enemies with each other. Whether you go or stay, we all are given “the Great Commission” to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

Let’s focus on what Jesus said and did rather than engaging in a battle over something he never even mentioned. There must be a good reason why Jesus never said a word about human sexuality, the issue that divides us now.

————— Kim is senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Flushing, Queens, New York.

As Found At: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/stop-fighting-over-something-jesus-never-evenmentioned on 03-17-22

Clergy morale in today's time By the Rev. Dr. René Lawson Jan. 26, 2022 | GARLAND, Texas (UM News) Key points: • Reports indicate that clergy burnout is at an all-time high. Showing them appreciation would go a long way.

• Potential causes include ongoing isolation due to COVID-19, division within the church and the nation, and serious decline in church attendance.

• Clergy need to support one another, and be supported by the wider church as well.

• While each New Year raises hope for a better future, there are some practical considerations that need addressing, particularly regarding clergy morale.

—————————— A retired clergy colleague recently stated that he felt sorry for today’s United Methodist pastors because of all the enormous challenges facing the ministry. Scratching his head, he didn’t know how pastors could manage all the stressful events that have affected daily living. Indeed, it’s not the same church that it was in the 1960s and 1970s, when attendance and interest were much higher.

The unfortunate result, according to sources such as the Barna Group, Washington Post and Christianity Today, indicate that clergy burnout is at an all-time high. Up to 38% of Protestant pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry. The percentage grows even higher with mainline Protestant pastors.

There are a number of factors to consider when it comes to clergy burnout.

1. The pandemic and the impact of COVID-19 have forced the church to explore alternative methods of simply being the church. While the virus has given birth to new and creative ways of being in ministry, the church still struggles to maintain a connected presence with its parishioners. In essence, our United Methodist Church is striving to maintain its “connectional” status.

2. Our nation is terribly divided, particularly on matters regarding the welfare of its citizens. Barbara Walter, an expert on civil war affairs from the University of California at San Diego, recently reported that the United States is drawing very close to starting a civil war. Civil disobedience, mistrust and violence are an alarming trend, with political or tribal allegiances threatening to tear America apart.

3. A recent Pew Research poll demonstrated a disturbing trend in church attendance: Only 25% of the U.S. population attends church on a regular basis. Religious life has been declining for years and it continues to decline. Who can blame today’s younger generations for avoiding the church when the church fights within itself?

4. Matters regarding social justice, such as racial relations or the LGBTQ+ community, are contentious subjects. What makes matters worse are leaders who refute formal education in favor of self -proclaimed revelation … which might be totally outrageous!

Indeed, storm clouds line the horizons of our United Methodist Church. The delay of meeting as a General Conference has placed on hold important matters that desperately need discussions and decisions. It feels as if the church has been placed on pause. Who knows what tomorrow will bring to our

beloved church? Indeed, these are anxious times.

What are clergy to do during these turbulent periods? How can they survive what seems to be a freefall?

First, they can be inspired by reading how the prophets and disciples of old overcame their difficult times.

The Bible is filled with stories of God’s people overcoming all kinds of adversities. It was challenging during biblical times and it continues to be challenging today. No one said that being a clergyperson in the church would be easy. There will be moments when God expects leaders to stand up against all hard times. The Good News is that the church of Jesus Christ will always prevail!

Second, clergy need to support and care for one another. They should take care of each other by offering prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. They should focus on lifting morale. Being a clergyperson is one of the loneliest occupations in the world. Consider the following observation as noted in the Harvard Business Review: “The solitude of the ivory tower seems to be a real phenomenon. Graduate degree holders … reported higher levels of loneliness and less workplace support than those who had only completed undergraduate or high school degrees.”

Clergy often feel isolated, as if no one cares. Many wander around aimlessly, trying to keep their churches together. And truth be told, many clergy persons compete against each other, which further isolates their capacity to support one another.

Here’s one thing I learned while serving in the military: If your people feel wanted and appreciated, they will work extra hard to complete whatever mission may be before them. If they do not feel wanted or appreciated, and simply left on their own, morale will suffer and efforts to fulfil the mission will be diminished.

Perhaps some may remember a term known as a “steel beach picnic.” Navy ships and submarines out at sea for long periods of time sometimes have a steel beach picnic on the topside of a ship. These moments often featured grilling food and playing games. Sometimes sailors even engage in a dip into the ocean. These moments are designed to boost the sailors’ morale. Why does the commander allow such behavior? He/she knows that a high level of morale is needed to effectively fulfill a mission.

Looking toward the future, clergy members need to feel appreciated in order to stay true to the task before them. They need a morale booster. They need words of encouragement and understanding. They need something to keep them moving forward, even if it is just one foot in front of the other. Clergy need and appreciate your support if they are to continue to fulfill the mission of ushering in God’s Kingdom in a conflicted world.

—— Lawson is senior pastor of St. Philip’s United Methodist Church in Garland, Texas.

As Found At:: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/clergy-morale-in-todays-time on 03-17-22

Break the Bias

by Rev. Leah Burns

As I write this essay, it is Women’s History Month 2022. The theme this year is #breakthebias. I have seen friends, colleagues and leaders across the country proclaim their respect for and commitment to women. Indeed, it was inspiring to see. But for me, above all else, Women’s History Month is like all other months and days: every day I am a woman…I am a Black woman…and every day is my day.

Dismantling Racism

Among the many things to lift up during Women’s History Month 2022 is the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Harriet Tubman. Because of her courage to lead many people along the Underground Railroad out of the bondage of enslavement to the land of freedom, she was given the nickname of “Moses.”1 It is said that she relied entirely on the voice of God for direction … just like Moses. Mark Ellis wrote in his article entitled “Harriet Tubman Followed the Voice of God”: “She would listen carefully to the voice of God as she led <enslaved people> north, and she would only go where she discerned God was leading her.”2 Harriet Tubman died on March 10, 1913. Just before she died, she told those in the room as she had so many times before: “I go to prepare a place.”

I believe Harriet Tubman’s activism prepared a place for so many more “Harriet’s” after her … on the road to freedom, citizenship, status, worth, and independence. All the “Harriet’s” of the world deserve to be in all places and all spaces. They deserve to play central roles in leading others to racial equity in the workplace, in education and academia, in churches, and now most recently — for a potential seat as Supreme Court Justice. Black women belong in every room they step in. And that’s on Harriet. Because of Harriet there is no reason I or you can’t “go and prepare a place,” too.

But there is another significant anniversary date in March that I must lift up. It is the two-year anniversary of the murder of Ms. Breonna Taylor. Just in case you have forgotten, in March of 2020, the police kicked in the door of Ms. Taylor’s home while she was sleeping and shot her multiple times and then said they were “justified” in doing so. Anger over her death spread around the world. But it affected no one more than Black women like me who see themselves reflected in her.

To Black women, Breonna Taylor was more than a name on a search warrant. From what has been written about her, she was young and ambitious, she had dreams of starting a family and pursuing a nursing career. But she became yet another harsh reminder of how vulnerable Black women are in this violent society.

Two years after the murder, Black women still are saying her name, and still have a lot to say about her life and her death. The women of her hometown speak of not feeling valued as a Black woman, of feeling vulnerable, of still being outraged at the ugly truth of racism and more.

And yet will not give up the fight.3 Old prophet Habakkuk called out to God in words I love for this time (Habakkuk 1:2-4):

“God, how long do I have to cry out for help before you listen?

How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!” before you come to the rescue?

Why do you force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day?

Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place.

Law and order fall to pieces.

Justice is a joke.

The wicked have the righteous hamstrung and stand justice on its head.” (The Message) Breonna Taylor’s killing and so many others are deemed legal in a judicial system not having been designed for the protection for the descendants of the enslaved. We, the contemporary prophets, must cry out like Habakkuk “Violence! How long?” Cry out until there is a change. That is what I plan to do. And then I will continue to work for change in the Church and in the community.

References: 1

Harriet Tubman: Life, Liberty and Legacy | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)

2

Harriet Tubman followed the voice of God | God Reports

3

Why Black women in Louisville are still saying Breonna Taylor’s name (indystar.com)

EDITOR’S ADVISORY NOTE: After reading Leah’s article I searched for a video that could help explain the events surrounding the shooting of Breonna Taylor. This video does a good job at presenting the facts of this situation. I caution you that some of the scenes in this video may be disturbing. Click on image to view.—TDG

Mental health and the Black church Commentary by the Rev. Dr. Ron Bell March 15, 2022 | ST. PAUL, Minn. (UM News)

Key points: •

Barna research shows that 15% of Black church attendees experienced direct loss as a result of COVID-19, compared to 7% of white church attendees during the same period.

•

Black leaders and church members are experiencing high rates of depression, burnout and anxiety.

•

The church must invest in the emotional health of its Black members.

I am a master at packing suitcases. I organize all my belongings ahead of time and, like playing Tetris, I fit each article of clothing into a designated spot.

In fact, some weeks ago, when an airport security agent opened one of my bags for inspection, she paused, looked at me and said, “Wow.” I only travel with carry-on luggage, and I have perfected my craft so well I can get three suits, several pairs of shoes, my travel steamer and multiple other items into one carry-on suitcase. On the outside you may see a small bag, but inside it’s filled with so many items, each of them giving the bag additional weight and taking up limited space.

That’s sort of what is happening in Barna’s recent study, “Mental & Emotional Well-Being of Black Americans Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

The study was conducted from November 2019 to May 2021 as part of the Barna Group’s larger report, “Trends in the Black Church.” The report sheds light on the emotional and mental baggage Black leaders and churches are carrying today. What we discover through the study is unsettling but perhaps not completely unexpected.

As a Black leader of a mostly Black church, I can tell you that Black leaders and Black churches are carrying a lot and that those bags are close to bursting.

There is a way forward, but it will require a strategic investment from the church in the emotional health of its Black members. It will require creating safe spaces for Black pastors and leaders to express their grief and trauma, as well as creating spaces for those same respondents to learn critical tools for resilience and encouragement.

One of the first really interesting findings of the study was the sheer number of Black people in the Black church who are dealing with loss and grief as a direct result of someone they know having died from COVID-19. The study found that 15% of Black church attendees experienced direct loss as a result of COVID-19, compared to 7% of white church attendees during that same time.

This is significant in many ways. In thinking about how we engage with others, do we wear masks or not? Do we shake hands or embrace physically or not? Do we sit close or stay six feet apart? All those questions take on a much more dire and anxiety-producing reality when you consider that twice as many Black Americans have died than their white colleagues.

The conversation around COVID-19 mandates and decorum shifts from being just a health-centered

conversation to now being a justice and equity-centered conversation, with an underlying question: “Is this fair to all?”

When asked about how often one feels burned out, 42% of Black respondents shared that they feel burned out at least once if not more a month; 52% said they feel stressed once or more a month; 39% said they feel depressed once or more a month; and 44% shared that they feel anxious once or more a month. If you were to use a Venn diagram to plot each of those responses, that would give you over 16 different regions for possible overlapping. Possible combinations could include Black church respondents feeling burned out and anxious, or stressed and depressed, etc.

It is the intersecting and overlapping of these complex emotions that are most troubling to me. Our Black leaders and church members are carrying a lot of weight, with limited space and, according to Barna’s findings, the bag is breaking. When asked to rate their emotional stability, with zero being the least and 10 being the greatest, 46% of the respondents rated themselves at or below a 7 in terms of feeling emotionally stable. The bag is breaking.

My field of study and passion is trauma, grief and emotional health, but at my core, I am a preacher.

Scripture provides an excellent framework for what to do for Black leaders and churches today. In 1 Samuel 30, we find a depressed, anxious, grief-stricken and burned-out David. He’d lost everyone and everything that was important to him and still was expected to lead.

I love this text because of verse 4. David and his men grieved. They wept until they had no breath left, and once they were done grieving, then David, in verse 6 of that same text, encourages himself.

Two factors appeared in that story that are relevant for embracing Black leaders and Black churches today: a space for grieving and a space for encouraging. We need a theological understanding of grief and trauma as well as a practical space for sharpening tools of encouragement, such as resilience practices, mindfulness training and bodywork.

There is a way forward, but it will require a strategic investment from the church in the emotional health of its Black members. It will require creating safe spaces for Black pastors and leaders to express their grief and trauma, as well as creating spaces for those same respondents to learn critical tools for resilience and encouragement.

Barna’s study was helpful in sounding the alarm for Black leaders and churches’ mental health. The question is: Will the church hear it and respond?

——————— Bell is lead pastor of Camphor United Methodist Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His book, “The Four Promises: A Journey of Healing Past and Present Trauma,” is published by Space For Me LLC.

As Found At:https://www.umnews.org/en/news/mental-health-and-the-black-church on 03-17-22

Further Resources as Chosen by the Editor: Black Mental Health Alliance Black Mental Health Matters: A Resource Guide Mental Health Resources for the Black Community African Americans Have Limited Access to Mental and Behavioral Health Care

Anxiety & Depression Association of America: Black and African American Communities

Raising my children to be anti-racist Commentary by Liz Shadbolt Feb. 18, 2022 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News)

Key points •

White Christians must move from being non-racist (“colorblind”) to anti-racist, actively working to dismantle oppressive systems.

•

Children need to see their parents modeling anti-racism behavior in their daily lives.

•

John Wesley’s three rules apply to anti-racism work.

Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten came from Maya Angelou. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

This timeless wisdom has gotten me through many difficult times but has been especially invaluable to me as a parent.

As a child of the ’70s, I was raised by loving parents to be colorblind: to not see race, to treat everyone as simply “human,” to see everyone as a child of God. When I became a parent, this attitude stuck with me. My spouse and I worked to be sure our children were in diverse communities and knew people of many backgrounds, but we didn’t fully grasp the disservice and harm we were doing by continuing colorblindness as a stance toward race.

When my sons were in elementary school, I read an article that challenged what I thought I knew about talking about race with my white children. It told how historic inequities continue to impact people of color, especially Black people, in the United States. It detailed the ways enslavement, Jim Crow and structural acts of violence have impacted family systems for generations.

That was when I realized that I knew better and needed to do better. That was when I discovered the idea of not just being non-racist (read: colorblind), but being anti-racist (read: active in recognizing and dismantling systems of oppression).

As a Christian parent, we taught our children to treat others with lovingkindness and used that as a barometer to measure our behavior. Hitting your brother with a truck, for example, is not an act of lovingkindness. This worked well for small children, and I see this reflected still in my teenagers’ behavior.

However, lovingkindness is not the only Christian value needed to become anti-racist. In fact, one of the guiding principles I have used to work toward anti-racism has been John Wesley’s maxim of doing no harm. I realized that when I made declarations to our children about everyone being equal and loved in God’s eyes but did not identify the ways in which we are still unequal in terms of rights, access and safety, I was doing harm.

As I have worked to become anti-racist and share those values with my family, I realize more and more the lifelong nature of this work. This is not something that can be done with reading one book or attending one workshop. I feel it is crucial that white Christians do this work and commit to keep doing it.

If we truly hope to bring God’s kin-dom to this earth, if that is the focus of our work and our devotion, then we must have a deeper understanding of the harm oppressive systems have on our siblings in Christ. This will not be easy and it will be uncomfortable. Prepare yourself for the pain that

accompanies growth. We must practice holding tension between our belief of the holy dignity of each human life and the racial disparities that still exist around us.

It’s much easier to gloss over the sins of the past — slavery, Jim Crow, segregation — than it is to name the ways those sins are still impacting our communities. We must go further with our kids than “Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white.” This means naming and identifying the ways in which white supremacy and racism impact our daily lives — where we live, where we go to school, the routes we drive, our opportunities to vote, to work and to worship, to name a few.

So how does one begin and continue the work of anti-racism? As a parent, I work to surround my children with books, people, experiences and media that reflect the many races and cultures of our community. But I too need to read, learn and reflect. And my children need to see me doing this work in daily life, in my professional life and within the church.

As families, we need the courage to tackle difficult conversations, to enter into discomfort and to identify our areas of privilege. This is the work of knowing better so that we can do better. This is the work of doing no harm and staying in love with God. This is the work that leads us to doing good.

Wesley’s three rules are so apt for anti-racist work. Here are some concrete ways they can be applied. This is by no means a complete list, but can be a starting point for Christians ready to do anti-racism work: Do no harm: Learn about the history of racism in our country and be aware of the continued impact it has on our daily lives. Get out of our bubbles of privilege by reading, studying and listening to the lived experiences of our Black siblings in Christ. Avoid white “saviorism”; ask for what is needed instead of assuming you have an answer. Be able to offer sincere apologies when you are wrong.

Do good: Be teachable and willing to learn. Stand in solidarity with Black communities — for example, spend money at Black-owned businesses. Seek out diverse voices in your media consumption, social media platforms and news. Work toward equity and equality for all of God’s children in your community. This means engaging with core issues of housing, food security, education, health care access and incarceration.

Stay in love with God: The words of Micah 6:8 tell us how to do this: “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” Keep learning more, keep doing better.

As we do this work ourselves and engage in deeper learning about the impacts racism has in our society, we will be equipped to lead our children into more meaningful and real understandings of the world around them. We will dispel the myth of colorblindness by doing better. We will move toward a kin-dom of God for all people.

———————————-

Shadbolt is a United Methodist deaconess residing in Nashville, Tennessee.

Aa Found At: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/raising-my-children-to-be-anti-racist on 03-17-22.

MINISTRY MATTERS A look at ministry related concerns of the Annual Conference

Coming Events April 21-BOM Spring Meeting 1000am—IN PERSON at the Conference Center in Alcoa, Tennessee April 28-29, 2022: RIM Retreat (In Person)

May 17, 2022– Day Apart with the Bishop –In Person at the Conference Center in Alcoa, Tennessee. All Provisionals, Associate Candidates, and Full Connection candidates must attend.

May 18—BAC Review Day 10:00 am— Conference Center, Alcoa Tennessee June 5-8, 2022: Holston Annual Conference at Lake Junaluska

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6 (NIV)

Reflections on Convocation Dear Colleagues in Christ, We are thankful for all our fellow clergy who participated, either online or in-person, at our Minister’s Convocation 2022!

After a year of being virtual, it was a joy just to be together again. It was good for our souls to see one another, eat with one another, share with one another, and pray with one another. Our time together reminded us of how good it is to be a connectional church where we can share in the life of ministry together.

Each of our speakers helped us explore the theme of Boundless Hospitality in different ways.

Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis, the President-Dean of Gammon Theological Seminary, did a terrific job leading us in worship by preaching impactful messages about hospitality. She shared some of the important history of Black Methodism that helped open our eyes to the work that still needs to be done if we truly are a hospitable church.

Greg Atkinson, the Founder of Worship Impressions, invited us to think about the more practical ways that we can be hospitable to people who walk in our churches on Sunday morning. He encouraged us to see our churches with new eyes.

Dr. Amy Oden, a Professor of Early Church History and Spirituality, encouraged us to consider the Biblical and theological components behind our call to be hospitable. She lifted up the Scripture and welcomed us into a more meaningful understanding of the Gospel message when it comes to hospitality.

Our hope is that we will continue to ponder the ways that God is calling us to be hospitable in a day and age that is often inhospitable. May we continue to lift one another up and remember that we are all God’s children.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware Hebrews 13:2 In Christ, Convocation Design Team

Sue Weber Announces Her Retirement All good things must come to an end. Sue Weber has announced her retirement as of May 31st. She says she will, though, be helping at annual conference. She has began her service with the annual conference more than 25 years ago, when the conference offices on Western Avenue in Knoxville. For many years she has served the Office of Clergy Services and the Wesley Leadership Institute. She has worked mainly with CEU certification, Course of Study issues, and with the Ministerial Education Fund. If you get a chance, please thank her for her work on behalf of the clergy of our annual conference.

Just What is an Ordained Deacon?

By Rev. Glenna Manning

From the Deacon’s Perspective Since the formation of the early Israelites and on through the formation of the gathered body, the church, leaders have been appointed to lead and guide the people. The title for these leaders as noted in Scripture are elders, deacons, and priests, and they served in work within the community and in the world at large to worship God, proclaim the name of Christ, and bring healing, justice and hope to a hurting world.

Throughout the ages, we have continued to have elders, deacons and priests/bishops; and within church traditions, the titles, job description, educational requirements and ordination process differ depending upon denomination and/or affiliation. In the United Methodist Church, there are two distinct orders for ordained clergy (those set apart by the church to “personify or focus the servanthood to which all Christians are called” - BOD, ¶305), and they are an Order of Elder and an Order of Deacon.

Often there is confusion about these two distinct orders but they are designed to be in partnership with one another in the leadership of the church but function in different capacities. To borrow from medical terminology, Elders are generalists while Deacons are specialists.

Elder’s primary calling is to lead and administer the church and connectional structures and focus on the gathered community and as such, they are Ordained to: Order – an administration role Sacrament – a priestly role Word – a teaching/preaching role Service Deacon’s primary calling is to be a bridge between the church and the world and to lead the church into ministries of compassion and justice and as such, they are Ordained to: Word – a teaching/preaching role Service – especially called to the marginalized Compassion Justice Interpret to the church the world’s hurts and hopes The candidacy process is the SAME for both Orders. Elders and Deacons both attend seminary and are interviewed with the Board of Ordained Ministry to be Commissioned.

Once Commissioned, candidates: are granted PROVISIONAL conference membership. become Residents in Ministry, and meet together in cluster groups. become eligible after three (3) years to be considered for election to FULL conference membership, and Ordination.

The Order of Elder and the Order of Deacon are parallel in status and each are members of the annual conference, rather than members of a local church.

One major difference between the two orders is Ordained Elders are itinerant (move appointments as directed by the Bishop and the Cabinet) and are currently guaranteed an appointment, while Deacons find their own ministry setting and then request the bishop’s approval and appointment to that ministry setting. (If the ministry setting is beyond the local church, the bishop grants the Deacon a secondary appointment to a local church so that the deacon can connect the local church with the needs of the world). Additionally, Deacons wear a stole that crosses their body to model servant leadership as Jesus did when he wrapped himself with a towel and washed the disciple’s feet and offered it as example that we should go and do likewise. (John 13:1-17).

Deacons serve in various settings from the local church to the extension ministries of the global church, and also in educational facilities, prisons, hospitals and parachurch organizations and other non-profit organizations. Ultimately, they serve in partnership with the Elder to bring the church to the world and the world to the church.

Editor’s Note: In February, representatives from the Order of Deacons were invited to meet with the Bishop and her cabinet during appointment week. During their presentation, valuable information was shared about the roles and activities of Deacons with the Holston Conference. From that presentation has come the inclusion of this article, which I hope to be the first in a regular quarterly article from one of our deacons.

Reflections on My Time as a District Superintendent

From the District Superintendent’s Perspective By Rev. Jeff Wright Appalachian District

When I received a phone call on a late Monday afternoon in March of 2014, the voice on the other end of the line was Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. She had a question for me. Would I be willing to come onto the Cabinet? I had to answer that question before she would tell me which District I would be appointed to. I said yes and she told me I was going to be the District Superintendent in the now former Big Stone Gap District.

To say it was a shock is an understatement. I was in my third year as Senior Pastor at State Street UMC in Bristol, Virginia. The ministry was going well.

We had overcome turmoil experienced prior to my arrival. Our Contemporary service, which had restarted in my first year was going strong. We were experiencing growth in attendance, membership, and participation. We were planning and preparing to launch a Recovery Service in May. I had no idea that question was coming.

I went to tell my wife, Sandy, who did not believe me at first. Then I rearranged my schedule for that week because Bishop Taylor invited me to join the Appointment Cabinet as it was meeting in Gatlinburg. I packed and drove off on a new journey. I arrived at the hotel just as they were finishing their session for the evening. Was I nervous? Yes, especially when a few of the DS’s walked into the hotel lobby and greeted me by telling me that Sandra Johnson, my DS at the time, was not happy. Turns out she was fine, and they were only joking.

Now, I am finishing my eighth year as a District Superintendent, which is the disciplinary limit for a person to serve consecutively in this role. I will be receiving an appointment to a local church again in June.

I will say upfront, I have loved my time as a DS. It has been exhilarating, stressful, challenging, rewarding, draining, and frustrating. Two expressions I have used frequently is that I have had to repent about everything I have said about a DS before I became one and I have learned how to be a DS from every DS I have ever had. I learned what to do from some and what not to do from others.

When you are not a DS, it is easy to say what a DS should do. “If I were the DS, I would do this or that or do things this way.” I was guilty of that. I have learned you do not know what it is really like until you sit in the seat. It is easy to make assumptions about the role. When you are actually in the role, it is a little different story. Things don’t always work the way you expect them to, and you don’t have time to do everything you thought a DS should do. Reality does not always match the perception.

It can be arduous dealing with so many people, both clergy and laity. When you work with people, you work with personalities. Naturally, some personalities are easier to work with than others. And each church has its own personality. Honestly, there are times when you cringe when you see the Caller ID when the phone rings, but you answer it anyway. In this role, you see the best and worst in people, even church people. You learn so

much about people, including pastors. You see the good and the ugly. You see God working. But you also see God stifled by human agendas. You see churches wanting to reach out and grow and others content with what they have now.

I have enjoyed working with my pastors and my churches, although I have had more interactions with some due to situations and needs. I am a peopleperson and a pastor at heart. When I went to the DS Training in August of 2014, it was emphasized that a DS should not be a pastor to the pastors. The thought was you cannot be a pastor and a supervisor at the same time. That aspect of the role is not something I have held myself to because that is not who I am.

There have been times I’ve had to change hats and have tough conversations with someone, but I hope they all have seen I cared.

baptizing their baby. I have done other baptisms as well. I got to participate in the Jonesville Campmeeting again and preach there. I have enjoyed working with my office staff who have been extremely capable and such a blessing to the district. They have been such a blessing to me as well.

One of the biggest blessings I have had is working with the other DS’s on the Cabinet. I know many people have differing opinions about how things work on the Cabinet, but I have found it to be a supportive group, which works together with the best interests of the Conference, our people, and our churches. The camaraderie has been tremendous throughout each of the different compositions of the Cabinet. We have rejoiced, laughed, cried, grieved, worked, prayed, and served together and I am a better person, pastor, and have been a better DS because of that camaraderie.

When I started, I was of course, one of the newest The prevalent role of a DS is supposed to be a DS’s. Now, I am the longest tenured DS and have been Missional Strategist. I found it is hard to fully live into privileged to serve as the Dean of the Cabinet for the that role because of the other obligations. It would be last couple of years. fine if another resource person was in the District Office. From conversations with DS’s in other Another highlight been working to merge the former Conferences, that seems to be the best model to Big Stone Gap and former Kingsport Districts when allow the DS to live into being a full-fledged Missional the Annual Conference approved redistricting several years ago. Both areas of the district were so gracious Strategist. and helpful in birthing this new reality called the One of the highlights I have enjoyed in the past eight Appalachian District. I felt people were willing to put years has been returning “home.” My father was a aside old feelings from the failed attempt to merge local pastor in the former Big Stone Gap District for 21 the two districts in the late 1990’s and work to do years. From the time I was in the seventh grade until ministry together in the name of Christ. I was really his retirement, I was associated with this District. I amazed and blessed by how well the transition went. graduated high school, college, and seminary while There were challenges as could be expected. But the my father was still serving here. In many ways, being spirit of working together was refreshing and appointed here was coming home for me. I have touching. former teachers in my churches. I have friends from high school and college in my churches. I have people There have been struggles along the way as well. In who have watched me grow up in my churches. It is this role you sometimes deal with challenging an area I was familiar with and loved even before situations where you must make tough decisions that you cannot shy away from: removing a pastor, closing becoming the DS. churches, and trying to mediate local church I have enjoyed renewing old relationship and building disagreements. Another struggle at times has been new ones. Many of these relationships are long finding enough pastors for churches in the smaller, standing relationships that will continue beyond my more rural settings. I have always put a lot of energy tenure here. I have enjoyed working with new pastors into appointing good pastors for all my churches. Why and helping them determine their calling or get would you not want that? Sometimes it has worked settled into their work as a minister. I have enjoyed well, very well, but not in every case. preaching in many of the churches as well as doing a (Continued on Next Page) wedding for one pastor and then a few years later,

(Continued from Previous Page)

Then, how could I forget COVID-19. That was not an easy time for anyone on any level and we are still dealing with the effects from the pandemic. The Virginia area of the district was already dealing with decreased populations and economic struggles. Seeing churches that you knew which were once thriving congregations, dwindle down to barely surviving has been disheartening. COVID just continued to magnify those situations. The debates over closing churches or limiting access and activities were difficult. Not everyone agreed on the decisions, even if the decisions were made with a goal of keeping people safe.

We Welcome our Newest District Superintendent

To be a DS, you must like spending time in meetings because you are going to be in a bunch of them. During COVID, Zoom meetings became abundant. They are helpful and you do less driving. But Zoom fatigue is real. I joked with my Administrative Assistant Beverley that I was going to change my middle name to Zoom.

On a personal level, having had three back surgeries during my tenure has not been easy.

Part of the issue has been degenerative issues but there is also more of me now than when I started. I will own that. But when you sit a lot, drive many miles, eat on the run quite a bit, work long hours, and struggle to find time for self-care, it can wear you down physically and emotionally.

Overall, serving in the role of a District Superintendent has been a wonderful experience. It has been challenging but also rewarding. I have grown from this appointment.

I see ministry differently than before and I appreciate the opportunities I have been afforded. I greatly appreciate Bishop Taylor seeing something in me that convinced her I could serve in this role. I have tried to not take the role too seriously or too lightly. I hope I have helped more than hindered. As in serving in a local church, my goal has been to show Christ in how I have conducted myself and my work.

Jeffery L. Lambert has been chosen to be the District Superintendent for the Appalachian District.

Rev. Lambert currently serves as the pastor of First UMC, Sevierville. He began his ministry on the Browder-Forkners Circuit back in 1984. He has additionally served: Jones Chapel UMC; Oakland-Blue Ridge Circuit; St Mark’s UMC (Louisville); First UMC, Marion; and Red Bank UMC. In addition to pastoring the above named churches, he has also served as a recent Chair of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration.

My goal is to have him write one of the upcoming From the District Superintendent’s Perspective columns.

Please be in prayer for him as he, and his wife Tammi, make this transition and he takes on the responsibilities of the District Superintendent for the Appalachian District.

Faith & Finances

Annual Conference Highlights Perhaps the biggest highlight is the announcement that we are planning on meeting again on the Lake Junaluska campus. It has been three years since we were able to make our annual pilgrimage to the lake.

Many are looking forward to the return of a sense of normalcy to our annual conference proceedings. Two years of virtual and/or virtual-hybrid are enough for me and I look forward to gathering in the familiar environs of Stuart Auditorium and gathering for meals with friends I may not have seen in quite a while.

The Program Committee is still in the process of ironing out the details so I can’t share a lot of specificity about the structure, but we hope to bring in some preachers and speakers that will challenge us as we gather to conduct the business of the annual conference. Please note some of the items below:

Dates: Sunday June 5, 2022 through Wednesday June 8, 2022 Don’t forget that ministers will gather on Sunday afternoon for the Clergy Session. Currently, that is scheduled to take place in Stuart Auditorium. We are still deciding on the exact start time, but it should be no earlier than 4:00 pm. So, you should definitely try to be on site and ready for this important meeting of the clergy. The session will approve the Business of the Annual Conference (BAC’s) and will also approve those persons coming for full connection and provisional membership so that they can be ordained and commissioned at the evening service.

We begin on Sunday night with a Service of Credentialing wherein we will ordain, commission, and recognize the various men and women that have reached that phase of preparation in their journey.

On Monday we will begin our business session that should run through noon on Wednesday.

In preparation for your attendance at annual conference, there are some materials you need to get.

The Book of Reports will be provided in print format only to those that order a copy ahead of time. The deadline for placing your order is ?????? And the online order form can be found at this address. If you fail to place your order ahead of time, you will have to download a free pdf that will be available at least 30 days prior to the start of the annual conference. The Book of Reports will contain all of the submitted reports from the various groups within the annual conference.

In addition, you might want to download a copy of the Members Resource Guide. This should be available by the Tuesday May 31, 2022. This will contain various sorts of information about annual conference. Please note, that it will contain the last minute errata that always seems to happen regardless of how well you plan in advance. There always seems to be a mistake or correction that is needed.

Holiness in Times of Conflict and Change

NUMINOUS

Healthy conflict and change are good things; however, they can be stressful and distracting. In our humanness, we may think conflict and change demand immediate action, but the desire for action can lead to knee-jerk reactions that are highly emotional and even volatile. We can become so engaged in cycles of conflict and change that we neglect (or even forget) our Wesleyan tradition of holiness.

As Wesleyans, we have a deep respect for tradition, but we also think. We wrestle with the differences among us as we work through challenges. We seek righteousness and social engagement, trusting the Holy Spirit is at work. We understand our calling to deliberately live into holiness, knowing that it’s a process.

13

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16, NRSV

“having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of divinity.”

Written by Renni Morris

Holiness Defined Our pastor recently said that “Holiness does not mean flawlessness.

Holiness for followers of Jesus refers to living in unity with the Holy Spirit over, above, and beyond the worldly influences that would divide our hearts and minds.” We strive to imitate Christ in our love of God and neighbor. We accept the invitation to experience a holiness that comes to life in our values and work.

John Wesley embraced holiness and happiness as goals of spiritual grace right here, right now. He encouraged Christians to move toward the goal of holiness in this life, with the fullness of holiness in the life to come. It demands “the perfectionism of the pietists, the moralism of the Puritans, and the devotionalism of the mystics in a pragmatic approach.” It is the focus for Wesley’s theology. Richard P. Heitzenrater says “The ‘one thing needful’ was a soul renewed in the image of God.” When our hearts and minds are divided, soul renewal slips away from us. Holiness demands that we love, be humble, seek the good of others, and honor God. We cannot do that in our own strength.

Real holiness has love for its essence, humility for its clothing, the good of others as its employment, and the honor of God as

its end. Nathanael Emmons (Congregational minister, 1745-1840) Steps Toward Holiness We are ordinary people who are imperfect, doubt-filled, weak, lonely, and sometimes fearful. We are both the sinners and saints of this day yet called to remain faithful witnesses to the gospel. Ted A. Campbell reminds us of our ongoing need for repentance, faith, and holiness.

What steps can we take to reclaim our holiness tradition in a divided world?

Embrace the practices of prayer, scripture reading, and silence.

Make praising God a priority. Worship leader/pastors can be so focused on leading worship that it is helpful to find times to worship with another congregation, in nature, with a small group, etc.

Spend time with a spiritual friend/director or participate in an accountability or covenant group.

We need to hear other trusted voices as well as voices that bring a fresh or challenging perspective.

Understand there are expectations for discipleship in this life that we can only pursue through God’s grace.

Accept the need for real change in our hearts and lives.

Develop a willingness to become broken in a way that makes us whole.

Kathleen Norris encourages us to make loving God and neighbor our extraordinary choice day in and day out as we step out in faith.

Listen for and choose God regardless of what’s going on around us.

Remember that as saints, we are called to be shining examples of God’s spirit of love.

It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannon to call attention to their shining – they just shine. Dwight L. Moody (evangelist 1837-1899)

What Can We Trust?

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God among us, energizing and sanctifying us while teaching us about God. Holiness is a mind-set about life that has God at the center. We consider God’s will in our lives, trusting that God has a plan. We watch for the things in our lives that are out of character with Jesus.

Such actions help us seek holiness in every circumstance.

Our desire for holiness changes our natural and human behavior. That makes all the difference as we live in a world of conflict and change.

References/Suggested Reading • Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, Kathleen Norris • The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation, Keith Beasley-Topliffe, Editor • Wesleyan Beliefs: Formal and Popular Expressions of the Core Beliefs of Wesleyan Communities, Ted A. Campbell • Wesley and the People Called Methodists, Richard P. Heitzenrater

Take My Life (Holiness) Scott Underwood, ©1994, Mercy/Vineyard Publishing Holiness, holiness is what I long for Holiness is what I need Holiness, holiness is what you Want from me So, take my heart and form it Take my mind and transform it Take my will and conform it To yours, to yours, oh Lord To yours, to yours, oh Lord Faithfulness, faithfulness is what I long for Faithfulness is what I need Faithfulness, faithfulness is what You want from me

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. —Psalm 42:1 (NLT)

Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for Brokenness is what I need Brokenness, brokenness is what You want from me What you want from me It's what I want

Grieving the Shift and the Power of Reframe Listening to pastors every day, I continue to hear their lament about falling church attendance. The pandemic and current trends speak to less people being in worship each week. This raises anxiety among congregants and their leaders about a number of issues including financial sustainability.

The world has changed and yet we want church to go back to the way it was.

Unfortunately, it would seem that ship has already sailed. We are faced with loss on many levels. Unprocessed grief can lead to a container of several repressed feelings such as apathy, depression, fear, and anxiety. So it is important to acknowledge losses and encourage people to express their grief with one another. Then as a pastoral leader, it would be helpful to offer a path forward.

Reframing in the therapeutic sense is about looking at a situation, thought, or feeling from another angle. This shift in perspective can help you feel better and uncover new ways to manage situations. For example, what have been the positive aspects of the pandemic? Shifting your focus from negativity to a more positive frame will help congregations to get “unstuck.” Being positive does not mean you ignore reality. You are looking at the same picture realistically, but you have changed the frame.

Holston Center for Well Being Rev. Kathy T. Heustess Director 2507 Mineral Springs Road Suite B Knoxville, TN 37917-1549 O—(865) 692-2390 F—(865) 692-2393 C—(843) 421-3536

Admiral Stockdale, a prisoner of war in Viet Nam, authored the now famous “Stockdale Paradox.” The Stockdale Paradox says you “confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be, while at the same time retain faith you will prevail in the end, regardless of difficulties.” As we enter the season of Lent, give space and time for reflection, penitence, and lament. But also stand firm in knowing that Easter is coming! With hope, let us point to the Risen Christ – God’s power reframe!

Reverend Kathy T. Heustess, Director Holston Center for Wellbeing

PotLuck Stories from Varied Sources on Varied Topics

EDITOR’S NOTE: One of the things I miss most about serving in the local church are the potluck suppers. It was always a great time to get together with your parishioners and share a meal and a few stories. I always appreciated the variety of food and conversations that came with these potluck suppers. I introduce a new section to The Clergy Connexion called: Potluck: Stories from Varied Sources on Varied Topics. Some quarters I have stories and articles that just don’t fit into one of the magazine sections. This month, I had several so, a new section was birthed. I can’t promise it will be in every edition, but should be in most. By the way, I am always interested in knowing what you are reading. If you come across a great article, then send me a link. I just might share it in an upcoming edition so others might benefit from it. By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, each section gets its own color code based on the stripe found on the left hand page. This is a simple way to let you know that you have transitioned to a new section in the publication. - TDG

Don’t Succumb to the Great Resignation.

Make Ministry Meaningful Again.

of ministry, or a different position in ministry.

Is this reshuffling healthy? For some, I’m sure it is.

But not everyone considering something new needs to leave their current assignment. What if you should stay? Here are six ways you can renew the purpose of your ministry and make it meaningful again.

Progress. Create ways to grow every week. Build in time to learn something new. Go back to school.

Not everyone has lost their sense of meaning in Start reading a magazine in an area of ministry. But the Great Resignation is teaching us interest. Pursue a self-paced certification to give you many people would rather do something else that fresh ideas about ministry. Even slow progress is brings more fulfillment. encouraging. When you are consistently taking steps What is the Great Resignation? In the United States, forward, you are less likely to dwell on the what-ifs people are quitting their jobs at incredibly high rates. of the past.

As I write, over four million people a month are Variety. Make work more engaging by varying tasks. resigning. These unusually high rates apply to people Variety can make ministry more interesting. Look at in ministry as well, but I don’t think most ministers your weekly schedule and shake it up. When the are resigning from ministry. I will call this pandemic was at its peak, most people had to phenomenon the Great Reshuffling. change how they worked. But the rhythm from 2020 is not the same one you need now. So, move some How is a Great Reshuffling occurring in the items around on your calendar and create a newer, church? Many pastors and church leaders are better work pattern. considering some other form of ministry—a new

by Sam Rainer: President & Senior Consultant

church, a different geographic location, a new type

Significance. Within your congregation, celebrate

how each person’s involvement contributes to the whole of the church’s mission. People will feel devalued when they do not understand how their role helps accomplish the overarching objective.

Every person’s contribution to the church matters, and they should know how and why. When you regularly celebrate with others, your sense of meaning increases.

Recovery. Embrace your vacation! Use all your vacation days and ask for more if you need them.

People are more connected to their work than ever.

Winding down each day can be difficult when you see the emails multiplying late in the evening.

From podcast co-host to full-time Pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church, Sam’s heart for ministry and revitalization are evident in all he does.

As Found At: https://churchanswers.com/blog/dont-succumbto-the-great-resignation-make-ministry-meaningful-again on 03-17-22

Changes in Young People I’ve Seen Over 25 years

Margin. Reserve at least one day a week for free thought. Or build a couple of hours into a day where you do not have anything specific scheduled. We can get so busy with our tasks that we do not allow our minds to roam through ideas. The best ideas often need space to form and time to mature.

by Chuck Lawless—Church Answers Consultant

Harmony. Work-life balance is a misnomer. The implication is one will weigh on the other, as if they are competing. I prefer the term harmony over balance. The work of ministry and the ministry of the home should harmonize.

There are times when one requires more time than the other, but they should always blend in harmony.

Ministry can lose its meaning quickly when you view it as competition to your home life.

1. They show a stronger desire to be part of a multigenerational church. They genuinely want to hang out with older people and learn from them.

They don’t see older believers as old-fashioned; they see them as wise.

copy today!

5. They are more open to serving with churches in the Bible Belt. That’s a significant change from

I’m in my 26th year of seminary teaching, so I’ve been working with young people for many years.

Over the years, my sense is that this generation has changed. Here are some changes I’ve seen:

2. They want mentors to help them walk with Christ and lead their families. Requests for a mentor are some of the most common requests I hear among Not everyone needs to derive meaning from their young people today. They know they need guidance work. For some, their sense of purpose is fulfilled outside of their jobs, and the job is a way they can in life. support their outside endeavors. But many in 3. Yet, they are less relational in a face-to-face ministry have a distinct need to find meaning in way. That, I think, is because their relationships are what they do. The call to minister in a church is based on texts, emails, and instant messages. They often connected to the meaning the role provides. carry on conversations without spoken words and Will a great resignation occur among pastors? I hope without anyone else in the room. not. A return to meaningful ministry is likely to reenergize many who are considering leaving.

4. They are more open to attending churches with a traditional worship style. They like a return to I take a deeper dive into leading your church with yesterday, a “retro” experience in worship as long as hope in my book, The Church Revitalization Checklist: A Hopeful and Practical Guide for Leading it’s done well. They even like hymns—if they are theologically strong and well sung.

Your Congregation to a Brighter Tomorrow. Get a ————Posted on March 2, 2022 As President of Church Answers, Sam Rainer wears many hats.

students years ago who had no interest in returning to the lifeless churches of their hometown. Now, they see the same places as a mission field.

6. They’re more willing to ask their questions, even if those questions suggest doubt or wondering. They live in a culture that questions almost everything Christian. They want to know why we believe what we do and do what we do— including why we trust the Bible is God’s Word.

“We’ve just always believed that way” doesn’t work for them.

7. They’re less informed about what’s happening around the world. That’s odd, since they have almost immediate access to global news. They simply don’t share the burden to be aware of the world beyond their own. That’s problematic, in my opinion, because it leaves them uninformed.

8. They prioritize time with genuine, life-on-life small groups. The small group is their primary connection to their church, and they really do share life with others in the group. There, they find friendships, accountability, service opportunities, and prayer support.

So, what does this evaluation say to leaders of a church? We need to invest in this generation, model genuine faith, answer their questions, and help shape them for God’s glory.

———Posted on March 1, 2022 Dr. Chuck Lawless is a leading expert in spiritual consultation, discipleship and mentoring. As a former pastor, he understands the challenges ministry presents and works with Church Answers to provide advice and counsel for church leaders.

AFA: https://churchanswers.com/blog/8-changes-in-youngpeople-ive-seen-over-25-years/ on 03-17-22

The Ten Commandments of a Pastor’s Vacation

by Sam Rainer — President & Senior Consultant

I realize vacations are a luxury. Plenty of bivocational pastors do not get vacations. Some fulltime pastors get so much grief from their churches over vacation, they simply skip them. Time away is essential. Every pastor needs it, and every church should give it. If your church is gracious enough to provide vacation time, you should use the time to recharge.

For fun, I’ve put together a list of “shalts” and “shalt nots” for the pastor’s vacation.

1. Thou shalt take a vacation every year. It’s good for the soul to rest. Most of us need at least one week each year to unwind.

2. Thou shalt get off the field. While I understand the concept of a “staycation,” getting off the field makes it easier to take a break from the stresses of ministry.

3. Thou shalt leave clear instructions before you go. Your church or staff will call you if you don’t give them a heads up about who is leading in your absence. Don’t ruin your vacation by being sloppy the week prior.

4. Thou shalt relax. Make sure whatever you do on vacation does not invite more stress.

5. Thou shalt enjoy your family. I’ve heard of pastors taking time off without their families. If you do that regularly, it’s selfish. Ministry can pull you away from your family, so a vacation should be when they receive focused attention from you.

6. Thou shalt read something fun. Put down the systematic theology volume and pick up a good work of fiction.

7. Thou shalt not skip church. If you miss a Sunday in your home church, then visit another church. It’s good to experience other churches. And Jesus’ From the wordpress blog of Rev. John Meunier, United resurrection is kind of a big deal—worth celebrating Methodist pastor in Indianna every Sunday!

I am fully aware that there are things other people 8. Thou shalt not skip devotional time. You need a can do that I cannot.

An undivided life

short reprieve from ministering to others. You don’t I cannot knit or play guitar or remove a gall bladder.

Just because I cannot do these things, it does not need a break from God. mean I am judging people who can.

9. Thou shalt not feel guilty. Taking a vacation does I hope you can keep that in mind as I write what not mean you love your church any less, but it does follows, because, you see, there is something I see show your church how you love your family more many of pastoral colleagues do that I cannot.

10. Thou shalt not return unless in an extreme emergency. It’s tempting to rush back because a key member is having hip replacement surgery. If you must, then take ten minutes for a phone call.

Only return for the most extreme emergencies.

I know clergy who live two lives. There is the life they live when they are pastors, and there is the life they live as “normal” people. To them, this kind of distinction not only makes sense, but it is seen as crucial. It helps them preserve boundaries and a sense of self. If I have heard them properly, it helps If you do not have vacation days, it’s time to ask for them to remain authentic and even sane.

I’m sure I am not doing justice to why people do them. The downtime is critical to longevity in this. I struggle to explain it as much as I would ministry. You are better for your church when you struggle to explain how it feels for a fish to breathe have time to rest, relax, and get away for a water. vacation.

Here is the source of my problem in comprehending ————— this strong need some of my fellow clergy experience. I cannot see this distinction within As Found At: https://churchanswers.com/blog/the-tenmyself. There is no “me” that needs to be protected commandments-of-a-pastors-vacation/ on 03-17-22 from the impinging demands of my vocation. There EDITOR’S NOTE: The author writes from a is only one me, and that me is a pastor. congregational perspective, but I feel that this All of us Christians are supposed to live our whole translates quite well into our system. If you find that lives as an outflowing of our baptism. We do not you are having issues with the church allowing you have parts of our lives that are Christian and parts appropriate time away for vacation, I suggest that that are something else. We are Christians on Sunday morning and at home and at the ball game. you bring this topic up with your District Superintendent who should be able to intervene on We are Christians when we go to the doctor or when we are haggling with government bureaucrats your behalf with the SPPRC. -TDG about something petty and annoying. We are a new creation, the old has passed away.

For a small number of Christians, our baptism finds its expression in our call to pastoral ministry. My teachers told me that a pastor is merely one kind of Christian, a person set aside to do certain things in (Continued on Next Page)

(Continued from Previous Page)

the life of the church. Being a pastor is not a separate thing from being a Christian. It is the way some of us are Christians.

Indeed, to be completely honest, my observation is that being a pastor relieves me of many of the strains that other Christians suffer. My work does not conflict with my faith. I do not have to navigate the tensions that so many Christians experience when they live huge chunks of their lives in settings and under rules that have nothing to do with the Gospel or may be hostile to it.

Being a pastor — for me at least — is an opportunity for work and faith to overlap in ways that the great majority of my brothers and sisters in Christ do not get to experience. Far from being a burden to carry, being a pastor has given me a way to live with integrity.

Yes, I can imagine that I could cease to be a pastor and still be me, but I don’t think I could cease to be a Christian without being a radially different person than I am. I can’t take that part of myself off and just be “normal” me. Being a Christian may be abnormal, but it is who I am. And, therefore, at least as long as the church and the Lord deem me worthy, being a pastor is who I am, as well.

——— As Found At: https:// johnmeunier.wordpress.com/ on 03-18-22

Join the Holston Conference Children’s Ministry Team in this new season of hope as we partner with you and launch a new initiative - CULTIVATE FAITH. Throughout this pandemic, we experienced new ways families have grown in their faith together.

With limited programming in our church buildings, families worshiped together in their homes, participated in driveway and outdoor visits, used seasonal faith kits in their home, and served together in their communities.

It is the Children’s Ministry Team understanding of reading scripture, especially in Deuteronomy and in Philippians, that God creates and calls families to be the primary place of faith formation for children.

“Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7, NIV) “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me - put into practice.

And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9, NIV) As we move beyond the pandemic, our goal is to provide pastors and children ministry leaders with resources, ideas, networking opportunities, and training that provide parents and families with tools to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ; build relationships and community with families; and encourage each other in faith.

Cultivate Faith is leading children in their faith journey every day, even in the mess, even in the chaos, even in the middle of a busy schedule. Cultivate Faith is incorporating faith into our daily practices, that grow spiritual habits that last a lifetime. Cultivate Faith is modeling your personal relationship with Jesus Christ with children. Cultivate Faith happens in conversations with children that make a big impact. Cultivate Faith is the small daily and weekly faith steps with children that leads to big faith. Through this initiative, our focus is to help families grow and develop spiritual practices and daily habits to cultivate faith in their own lives and the lives of their children.

You can partner with the Holston Conference Children’s Ministry Team to Cultivate Faith by: •

Like and Follow the Holston Conference Children’s Ministries Facebook page, https:// www.facebook.com/groups/45209001884. We invite you to ask questions and/or share ideas and resources as you Cultivate Faith with families.

•

Bookmark www.connectionaljourney.com. This a playlist of resources designed not only for pastors and leaders but also to share with families in your congregation. For churches using Read Together, it includes a weekly family devotion experience for each Sunday’s Gospel reading.

•

Join us in using the hashtag - #cultivatefaithhc,

•

Join the Cultivate Faith initiative and share with us what you need as you minister with families by completing the following survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K5N8MY6 by May 1, 2022

How One-to-One Conversations Reintroduced a Church to its Neighbors

By Travis Norvell On March 8, 2022—Leading Ideas

Travis Norvell, pastor of Judson Church in Minneapolis, describes the blessing and insight that flowed from his decision to schedule 110 one-on-one conversations with neighbors and community leaders.

The result was ministry more focused on what people actually need and want instead of what the church thinks they need and want.

I have tried door-to-door evangelism and found it wanting. I have found neighbors and families who are exhausted by front-door solicitors. I have found neighbors and families distrustful of anyone from a religious institution. But all is not lost; there are alternatives, and the most effective alternative is intentional, one-to-one conversations. Rather than meet people when it is most convenient for the church (a door-to-door visitation program), meet neighbors when it is most convenient for them (intentional one-to-one scheduled conversations).

For years I sat in my office and dreamed about what I thought the community wanted or needed.

Never did I think I could just ask them.

In 2018 I heard the Rev. David Van Brakle, who at the time served as pastor of Wilmette Community Church outside of Chicago, describe how he conducted 100 one-on-one interviews with people from the community. As Judson Church’s 110th birthday approached, I thought I would like to conduct 110 conversations. I contacted David to see how he did it. His only advice was this: Start with one community/neighborhood leader, and when you end the conversation, ask the person for two or three recommendations for who you should talk with next. With this information in mind, I set out to mark Judson’s 110th year of existence by conducting 110 one-on-one interviews with community members — specifically, those who were not from Judson Church. I gave myself a year to complete this endeavor; unfortunately, the pandemic prevented me from doing the full 110. Normally I would have been upset about not reaching my goal, but the results from the conversations outweighed any feelings of disappointment.

Four questions After three or four initial interviews, I centered on these four questions.

• Do you know where Judson Church is located? Because most people from the neighborhood had no idea where Judson Church is located.

• Do you know anything about Judson Church? Because if they knew anything about the church, it was either that we were the church with the playground or we were the church with the preschool.

• What are your biggest worries about life and living in this neighborhood?

• If you had a chance to tell the church where they should direct their energies, what would you wish they would focus on? (I still cannot believe how earnest and sincere the respondents were to this question).

I finished each interview by asking for permission to take their picture and asking whom they would recommend I talk to next. I conducted all the interviews in the same coffee shop.

Sobering insights What I learned was sobering and insightful. I learned that neighbors who live on the same block as the church had no idea where it was or anything about it! They knew where Judson Preschool was, but they had no idea a church was associated with it. One neighbor who lives within a nine-iron shot of Judson talked about how much they liked the yellow Adirondack chairs in our front yard. Two problems with that: One, we don’t have any yellow Adirondack chairs, and two, we don’t have a front yard. This neighbor mistook Judson Church for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. In normal circumstances, mistaking a Baptist church for an Episcopal church would be the highest compliment. In this circumstance, however, it was not a compliment; it was a serious problem. The neighbor’s mistake proved to me that Judson Church had identity problems. Not only was our building not communicating our values, our building wasn’t communicating at all!

I once heard someone quote Paul Tillich, who said, “The culture asks the questions and the church provides the answers.” My research at the coffee shop proved that the church was answering questions no one was asking. I also discovered a generation of neighbors who couldn’t tell the difference between Baptists and Lutherans; not surprising, but they didn’t know the difference between Lutherans and Catholics either. In their minds, they were all part of one big institution. One neighbor did not know Christians could be proLGBTQIA+; another neighbor loved the rainbow flags hanging from our building, but thought we were naive Christians who did not know the symbolism of the flag and instead just liked the colors.

New possibilities The conversations showed me that if Judson Church continues to venture into the neighborhood, the possibilities for growth (name recognition, trust, ministries) were endless. Because the data collected emerged from a conversation, Judson Church had the ability to go deeper than the usual ministry plan. For example, when I asked the neighbors about their worries, they freely listed their worries and fears: gentrification, rising home prices, racial disparities, youth mental health, environmental issues. All would be at the top of the list in any neighborhood in America, but when I asked if they could flesh out these fears and worries, I received pain-filled responses: “I don’t know my neighbors,” “I’m alone,” “I want my kids to be able to walk to school safely,” “I feel helpless to do anything about the environment or racial justice,” “I’m exhausted.”

Every month I would compile a list of who I talked with, what I learned, and who I hoped to talk to next and reported it to Judson Church council. At first, they didn’t believe our neighbors didn’t know anything about the church. They couldn’t believe someone thought we didn’t know what the rainbow flags meant. And they refused to believe our neighbors knew more about the playground than what went on in the church building.

But each month I kept sharing these stories in emails, newsletters, sermons, and council minutes. The meeting before the pandemic ceased in-person worship, three members of the council offered, “I think I’m going to start doing this, too!”

For years I sat in my office and dreamed about what I thought the community wanted or needed. Never did I think I could just ask them. For years, the church councils and I cooked up programs and messages we thought would attract the neighbors. Never did we think to just ask them. The conversations were an exercise in slow church. They took many hours over the course of months. Each conversation took at least an hour to conduct, plus the time it took to set them up via email, texting, and phone calls. But they were worth every second. Our ministry at Judson Church is now more focused and is directed not by what we think others need and want, but by what they have told us they need and want.

This material is adapted from Church on the Move: A Practical Guide for Ministry in the Community (Judson Press: 2022) by G. Travis Norvell. Used by permission. The book is available at Cokesbury and Amazon.

Related Resources

It is our privilege at Holston Camp & Retreat Ministries to work with you and your church family in sharing the love of Christ. With your prayers and support, our camps remain a wonderful place for young people to experience God’s love. It is amid the trees, under the stars, and by the campfire that lives are changed.

Rev. Mary Thompson Executive Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries POB 850 Alcoa, TN 37701 (423) 667-8269 marythompson@holston.org

In 2021, 1,804 of your children and youth arrived at our sites for summer camp, learning about God’s love for them through Christ. Their lives were changed. 300 of these campers made first-time faith decisions and 381 rededicated their lives to Christ, returning to you and your church family with a new spiritual vitality.

While most campers arrive at camp from a loving church family, many come from inner city programs, from foster care situations, and from lives of need. Each child simply wants to come to camp. Each child needs to know that he is not alone and that she is loved. And each child appreciates the gifts that a week at camp offers: fun, adventure, faith, and laughter, in the majesty of God’s great outdoors, where stars, campfires, and creeks speak of God’s creativity. The good news about camp can be shared, so please help promote summer camp ministry with your church family. If you would like any promotional materials, you can call our camping office at (423) 929-9037 to request the specific camp materials you’d like for us to send.

CAMP LOGOS ARE CLICKABLE LINKS

Out of 1,804 campers, more than two-thirds of them attended camp on some form of scholarship. I expect the need to be even greater this year. Thus, camp needs your support. Please give the gift of camp so that every child who wishes to attend can experience the love of Christ in a unique way. Every gift in any amount makes a difference. Each donation of $375 provides a full week of camp for a child. To assist you in offering this vital gift, we conveniently provide for online contributions. Simply click “Donate” at www.holstoncamping.com and choose the campership option for any Holston camp listed. You can also mail your contribution to 262 Bart Green Dr. Gray, TN 37615, or send it through your Conference Remittance Form as an Advance Special (Holston CRM- 870).

Every child should have the chance to experience the beauty and wonder of God’s creation at camp. Your church’s strategic support for camperships will make a lifechanging difference, not only for each child you send to camp but also for the vitality of your church family. Thank you for prayerfully considering making your campership gift so every child, regardless of ability to pay, can experience the love of Christ this summer.

Holston Camp your guidance, and forward to celebrating theme “Light

our camps without generosity, love. We look summer 2022 and Jesus with our of the World.”

A Different Perspective:

Voices from Outside Methodism

Editor’s Note: I like to share ideas from a different perspective. Dr. Thom Rainer comes from the Southern Baptist perspective. He has been a local church pastor and CEO of Lifeway (the Baptist publishing house).

He currently is a consultant on matters of church growth. I have followed his writings and podcasts for several years. He offers sound advice that often, but not always, translates well to the Methodist way of thinking.

—TDG

25 Unbelievable Things Search Committees Said to Pastoral Candidates 1.by Thom S. Rainer It began as a conversation at Church Answers where we have 2,000 church leaders interacting almost 24 hours a day. They can ask questions about their churches, or they can just interact with one another about the hopes and travails of ministry.

I read as many of the comments as possible. This one caused me to pause. A pastor was interviewing with a search committee when one of the committee members asked him if he would be on 24/7 call 365 days a week. Taken aback, the pastor then asked the search committee member how many hours a week he was expected to work. The response? Up to 120 hours a week!

Seriously.

As other pastors and staff members interacted with this pastor, I decided to take the question to social media. I wanted to ask the question specifically to lead pastors, but I included church staff as well. Here was my question: “Pastors and church staff: What is a question you’ve been asked by a search committee (or its equivalent) that told you the church is not a good fit for you?”

We got dozens of the expected responses like, “Does your wife play piano?” But we got many more that shocked us. By this point, you would think that I couldn’t be shocked how some churches treat a pastor or staff member.

Here are 25 of the shocking questions or comments in no particular order: 1. Our last pastor preached for 18 minutes. Can you keep it under 20 minutes?

2. The salary is low, but we will pay you a commission for each new tithing family that joins the church.

3. What is your political party affiliation?

4. What is the least amount we can pay you to come?

5. We do monthly cleaning inspections of the parsonage. You will need to make sure your wife keeps it clean.

6. Do you mind if we have a Christmas tree in the pulpit?

7. Your wife can’t take a job outside the home because she will be too busy at the church.

8. Are you a Calvinist? (several times) 9. Will you preach out of the King James Version? (several times) 10. What do you think about coloreds in the church? (Sadly, several racist questions were asked, including one church that used extremely inappropriate racial language.)

11. Will you play at least two hymns a week? The old hymns?

12. Would you be okay if we parked another single wide by the existing one as a parsonage for your whole family?

13. Do you own a weapon?

14. We want you to preach for a month and see how it works out. (The candidate lived out of state.)

15. What is your position on interracial marriages?

16. If you came here, we would want you to fire the youth minister. Would you be willing to do that?

17. Do you let the singers hold the microphones themselves?

18. Have you ever held a rattlesnake?

19. Would you be willing to shave your facial hair?

20. You have to mow the parsonage lawn at the same time they mow the church yard.

21. The pastor’s office hours are 9 to 5 Monday through Friday.

22. When discovering the pastoral candidate had a physical disability, the search committee person said, “Oh, we don’t want a pastor that’s disabled. You have to stand while you are preaching.”

23. What are your views on mixed bathing?

24. Boxers or briefs?

25. How’s your sex life?

Unbelievable. So unbelievable. Feel free to add your own.

As Found At: https://churchanswers.com/blog/25-unbelievable-things-search-committees-said-to-pastoral-candidates/ on 03-1722

Projected 2022 Pastoral Moves Yes. You correctly read the title of this article. What follows are the projected moves for the 2022 annual conference year. This is the same list that was posted online on April 3, 2022. That is one of the reasons that this publication is a few days late. I wanted to wait so that I could publish this information. Please note that this is ONLY a list of projected moves. It does not contain those projected to remain at the same church. These appointments, as well as additional appointments to be announced at a later date, will be officially fixed during the 2022 Holston Annual Conference that will take place at Lake Junaluska Conference Center June 5-8.

Please pray for these pastors, their families, and their churches as they all prepare for this transition in late June.

CONFERENCE OFFICE Congregational Development ......................................................... Susan N. Arnold

APPALACHIAN DISTRICT District Superintendent .................................................................. Jeffrey L. Lambert East Stone Gap ............................................................................... Jacob William Herron Hiltons Memorial............................................................................ Randy Mutter Kingsley/Hermon ............................................................................ Sean Glenn Midway/Prospect ........................................................................... Cindy Paxton Salem ............................................................................................. Bradley Brown Vermont ......................................................................................... Kimberly Isley-Selby

CLINCH MOUNTAIN DISTRICT Anderson Street/Aldersgate ........................................................... Donna M. Hester Shady Grove/Meadowview ............................................................ Dalton Richardson

HIWASSEE DISTRICT Decatur/Concord ............................................................................ Joseph W. Manis Keith Memorial .............................................................................. Melissa R. Smith Wesley, Etowah/Carlock ................................................................. Andrew Lay

MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT First UMC, Morristown ................................................................... Jason McIntosh United Heart Circuit ....................................................................... Matthew Wright Shady Grove, Dandridge ................................................................. Samuel Dzobo

NEW RIVER DISTRICT First UMC, Hillsville......................................................................... Jason L. Ratliff

First UMC, Pulaski ...........................................................................Joshua D. Kilbourne Mt. Vale/Savannah .........................................................................Paul T. Griffith Oakland ..........................................................................................Brandon R. Berg Rural Retreat ..................................................................................David Payne West End, Wytheville ......................................................................Natalie Drummond

SCENIC SOUTH DISTRICT McKendree .....................................................................................Jeremy McMillan St. Elmo ..........................................................................................Walter P. Weikel Signal Crest .....................................................................................David W. Graybeal

SMOKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT First UMC, Sevierville ......................................................................Jeffrey W. Wright Gatlinburg .......................................................................................Rusty Glasgow Kodak..............................................................................................Bradley K. Stapleton Mountain View ...............................................................................Gracie Ellis Clark

TENNESSEE VALLEY DISTRICT Bearden ..........................................................................................Bradley K. Hyde Concord .......................................................................................... Robert Wilson Cantrell, Senior Pastor Designate, July 1, 2023 Concord / Susannah's House ...........................................................Sabine Collins, Provisional Deacon Kern ................................................................................................William Joseph Conner Powell .............................................................................................William R. Shelton Trinity UMC, Knoxville ....................................................................Barbara A. Clark

THREE RIVERS DISTRICT Blountville.......................................................................................Laura Blair Plaster Bluff City/Weaver ...........................................................................Lewis Kizer Centenary, Erwin ............................................................................Linda W. Rozar Elizabeth Chapel .............................................................................Clayton R. Farmer First UMC, Elizabethton ..................................................................J. Robert Countiss Munsey Memorial...........................................................................Kip Laxson Munsey Memorial, Associate ..........................................................Elizabeth Sullivan Wesley Memorial ............................................................................Alice Virginia Isom

We Welcome Rev. Susan Arnold as the new Director of Congregational Development and Revitalization Rev. Susan Arnold will be appointed as the Director of Congregational Development & Revitalization. Rev. Arnold currently serves as pastor at Blountville United Methodist Church in Blountville in Blountville, Tennessee.

Rev. Arnold has also served St. Luke United Methodist Church as the associate pastor in the E.L.M. Tree Parish, and the Ebbing & Flowing Springs, Meadowview, and Kincaid Circuit. She helped plant a new missional congregation and worked as the Director of Connectional Ministries in the Kingsport District. During her pastoral career she has gained much experience serving and working with a variety of congregations.

“My greatest passion is seeking God in prayer, which is the heartbeat of all we will do together. I am excited and deeply committed to missional church development and church renewal as an integral part of serving and resourcing Bishop Debra-Wallace Padgett, the Cabinet, and Holston Conference pastors and congregations,” said Rev. Arnold.

Rev. Arnold's first calling into ministry was as an elementary educator. She holds a BS in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Church Renewal and Fresh Expressions at United Theological Seminary. She and her husband Mike have been married for 31 years, and they have four children, one daughter-in-love, and two grandsons.

Friday June 17, 2022 5:00 pm-7:00 pm Help with set up needed beginning around 1:00 pm

Cabinet to Host Juneteenth Celebration Again This Year at Lennon-Seney UMC The extended cabinet will once again host a Juneteenth Community Celebration at the Lennon-Seney UMC in Knoxville, Tennessee. Last year just over 100 persons from the community were invited to a community cookout on the grounds of the church. Music was provided and stories and laughter were shared.

As with last year, local churches are invited to send volunteers to the event to help with cooking and distributing food for those in attendance. If you, or a group from your church would like to volunteer, then place contact Rev. Terry Goodman at terrygoodman@holston.org.

This year, our goal is to prepare hot dogs and hamburgers for 150 persons. In addition, we will serve chips, baked beans, desserts, and drinks.

If your church is interested in donating any of these items, please contact Rev. Goodman. Funds for the purchase of these items will also be accepted.

Further Reading

Sometimes articles have suggested Further Reading resources. This page pulls together those items from articles within this edition. Feel free to follow up and learn something else.

Coffee Shop Conversations by Scott Chrostek 4 Shifts for More Authentic Community Engagement by Dan Pezet Connecting with the People God Has Placed in Your Pathway by Ann A. Michel Church on the Move: A Practical Guide for Ministry in the Community (Judson Press: 2022) by G. Travis Norvell.

The Church Revitalization Checklist: A Hopeful and Practical Guide for Leading Your Congregation to a Brighter Tomorrow by Sam Rainer

www.connectionaljourney.com.

Children’s Ministries Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/45209001884.

Harriet Tubman: Life, Liberty and Legacy | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu) Harriet Tubman followed the voice of God | God Reports Why Black women in Louisville are still saying Breonna Taylor’s name (indystar.com)

Black Mental Health Alliance Black Mental Health Matters: A Resource Guide Mental Health Resources for the Black Community African Americans Have Limited Access to Mental and Behavioral Health Care Anxiety & Depression Association of America: Black and African American Communities