Dear Church Family, This pastoral e-note will be the first of many that I send to the congregation with updates about our church. I hope these notes will be helpful to you. However, if you want to opt out of these emails, please see the instructions at the end of this email for getting off this mailing list. Today’s e-note will cover the following questions several of you have asked me: 1. What are our pastor’s plans for his first year at BUMC? 2. Why doesn’t our pastor use the pulpit? 3. Why does our pastor drink so much water when he’s preaching?
1. What are our pastor’s plans for his first year at BUMC? Beyond my routine pastoral duties such as leading staff, officiating at weddings and funerals and making hospital visits, I have four major priorities for year one at BUMC. First, I will prioritize worship. This will not only be true for my first year at BUMC, but every year. Second, I will get acquainted with the staff, congregation and community, primarily by holding extensive listening sessions with all staff members and all demographic groups in the congregation. Third, I will, with the help of many others, make an overall assessment of the church. Finally, after getting acquainted and making a comprehensive assessment of the church, I will—in concert with lay leaders, staff and our consulting firm— develop a plan of action for the next several years at BUMC.
2. Why doesn’t our pastor use the pulpit? I have great respect for the tradition of the pulpit. However, for the following reasons, I choose not to be a pulpit preacher. The first reason is my strong affinity for incarnational theology. For the “word to become flesh” in preaching, it’s important to be bodily present to folks. Jesus obviously didn’t use a pulpit, and even John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, gave up the pulpit at times to better connect with people. Second, communications studies that have shown that physical barriers between a speaker and audience greatly diminish the communication loop. Finally, on a more personal note, the pulpit doesn’t “fit” me. I feel cut off, frustrated and ineffective in the pulpit. I’m reminded of the story of David fighting Goliath. At first, King Saul put David in Saul’s armor. But David could not fight in someone else’s armor. David had to be himself, the way God created him. Like David, I can’t fight in Saul’s armor but must be myself, which, at least for me, means not using a pulpit. For these and other reasons, I’ve not used a pulpit for decades. The one exception is that I usually use the pulpit for funerals. (NOTE: if you are having a hard time seeing me during the sermon, you might try sitting near the front of the sanctuary where you will have no problems with sight lines.)
3. Why does our pastor drink so much water when he’s preaching? You need to know that I struggle with a serious vocal chord disorder. That’s why I keep water with me at all time when I speak, and why I spray throat lubricant into my mouth throughout the worship services, and why I have to use a larger more powerful head set microphone than the other staff, and why I use a portable PA system when talking to small groups. The bad news is that I live in chronic vocal pain, often struggle to talk, and have to put limits on my vocal use. The good news is that in spite of having this serious problem for thirty years, I’ve always managed to carry on with my work. Well, that’s more than enough for this first e-note! I hope to see you at one of our worship services this weekend as I preach from one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Let me say once again that I’m delighted to be your pastor, and look forward to many years of ministry at BUMC. In Christ’s Love and Service, Martin