UMC 101 - The Postage Stamp Course

Quick – what’s an Elder? Why do United Methodist pastors change churches so often? If you’re not sure about these and some other United Methodist questions, please read on.

WHY READ THIS? Maybe it’s been a few years since confirmation; perhaps you came to the United Methodist Church through a transfer from another church. Most of all, I welcome a chance to talk about the wonderful church we serve together, and some of the ingenious, quirky, and great ways that we have formed our denomination. So, enjoy finding some answers to questions that I’ve posed, and feel free to add some questions of your own. If you will be kind enough to ask your questions in writing (email or Post Office), I will try to answer them in later editions of the newsletter.

So…without further ado….a Post-It Note of United Methodist polity!

WHAT IS AN ELDER? Short answer: Pastor Bill, Pastor Weatherly, Pastor David, Rev. Callis… Longer answer: An Elder in the United Methodist Church is a person who has earned a Master of Divinity degree from a theological school/seminary, has passed all of the requirements for ordination set by the United Methodist Church, and has been ordained by the bishop of that conference (our current bishop is Bishop Keaton). To put it more personally, I graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree, entered graduate school at Boston University School of Theology, graduated with my M.Div. three years later, and completed the essays and personal interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry to be ordained as an Elder by Bishop Donald Ott in 1996.

WHY DO PASTORS TALK A LOT IN MEETINGS AND THEN NEVER VOTE? We talk a lot in meetings because pastors tend to be chatty people and fond of thinking that we have weighty things to say. J  More seriously, Pastor Bill and I, as Elders, are Members in Full Connection (goes along with being ordained as Elders) of the Detroit Conference of the United Methodist Church, and are not members of Utica United Methodist Church or any other congregation. The way that our denomination is structured, pastors serve the church; the lay members of the church are the ultimate governing body of each congregation. Pastor Bill and I have “voice,” that is, the permission to speak to any issue that comes to a church committee, but we do not have “vote,” the ability to approve or disapprove any action. You will also notice that we serve on each committee as ex officio members, meaning that we are there because of our office as pastors, not as official members of the committee. Each pastor does have the opportunity to serve as chair of the Nominating Committee (or Committee on Lay Leadership) of each church, which does give us a greater role in helping to recruit and develop our lay members in leadership roles in the church.

WHY DO PASTORS MOVE SO MUCH? Our history with pastors has a lot to do with our American history of westward expansion. We started as circuit riders, riding between settlements to preach, baptize, marry, and bury the members of the new communities. We’ve settled into serving one or two churches (sometimes more) at a time, but the last vestige of our circuit rider status remains in our appointments. Pastor Bill and I are appointed (assigned to serve) here currently from July 1, 2009 (August 1 for me) to June 30, 2010. According to the work of Bishop Keaton and our annual conference, we will be re-appointed here from July 1, 2010 until June 30, 2011. Pastors come to a church with a certain set of gifts and graces to serve that congregation, such as Pastor Bill’s gift in preaching, and my wish to work in missions and with our youth. We tend to move for two reasons: 1) Our gifts and graces are needed in a new church and the bishop asks us to go to that place, or 2) We feel that we have done the best ministry that we are able to do in a church, and that the congregation would be able to continue to grow with the gifts of a new pastor. Sometimes that decision comes after five years, sometimes after 20 years.

The great thing about the appointment system is that pastors have an opportunity to serve where our gifts are best suited to the gifts and needs of a congregation. For example, after having served as an associate pastor in a large congregation, and then as a sole pastor of a rural congregation and of a suburban congregation, I was able come here to be an associate pastor, which gives me the chance to use my gifts for ministry in a larger church again, and to have a chance to lead in new ways.

MORE QUESTIONS? I look forward to hearing more questions about how we order our lives as United Methodists. The more we know, the more we can grow as disciples of Jesus Christ in this fellowship known as Utica UMC.

 Peace to you,