What do Pastor’s Want?
Real Job Satisfaction
October 16, 2011
By Walton C. Forstall, II
Aldersgate UMC, Norfolk, Virginia
Somewhere in the late 1970’s I walked in to my pastor’s office deeply troubled. I had been sensing God’s presence in a new, not very clear way. I thought I might be led to be a priest in the Episcopal Church. Father John’s reaction when I shared this thought was to start tell me about all the possibilities open to me and what seminaries I might attend. I was somewhat overwhelmed. No, I was way beyond overwhelmed. Needless to say I didn’t raise the question again to myself, or anyone else.
What I suspect 30-odd years later that there was a conversation being held outside of my hearing. The topic of that conversation was speculation on the very idea that I was called to be a priest and when I would figure it out. This conversation would have been held between the important adults in my life, who were all friends socially, including Father John. The mere mention of the idea from me was enough to trigger an over-the-top response from John.
I continued to ponder the idea for several years. I shared it with Mary Ruth who thought it would never happen. (Which in a way makes me question whether it should have happen.) And as I struggled another friend heard what I said and rather than respond in an over-the-top way just asked me about the idea and what I thought. No pushing, no agenda, just a kind attentive ear responding with an invitation to say more if need be. I didn’t say much more and the idea faded back into the background.
When Mary Ruth and I joined the Methodist Church John, my former pastor and Lewis Morgan, the pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Alexandria had a conversation. If I had hoped this “call” to the ordained ministry would vanish when I changed churches and denominations I was to be disappointed. Their conversation included this statement, “I think Tony is called to the ordained ministry” which got recorded in the notes to be retrieved when necessary.
That was going on all around me. Inside my head and heart there was a different discussion. My understanding of the church then and now was extremely democratic. This means that I believe that the real power and authority of the and in the Church is vested and given to the laity. Let me repeat this in several ways. Jesus by his command calls all persons to be a holy priesthood and empowers, enables, and authorizes by the gift of the holy spirit to be his direct representative of God’s love, power, and intent to hurting persons and hurting world. This can be illustrated by a simple diagram:
Not too long ago I was in a meeting in which the bishop, a superintendent and several clergy and laity were present. As I listened to the conversation surrounding our work it was clear that all of us held the traditional view of power and hierarchy in the church. Lay persons were on the bottom, lay leaders atop and superintendents and bishops above them. We will leave the question of God and General Conference for another time.
Whether the laity have given over their divine gift and authority I can’t say. I suspect most lay persons have not understood what gifts and authority God has granted them. Or if they are so persuaded, they have given up living in to these gifts because of lack of support and encouragement.
So as I dealt with this call from God I struggled. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go to school and learn, learn, learn. I did, more than anything in the world. But I felt that a lay person who understood the power and privilege God had endowed lay folks with could have a greater impact on the world on God’s behalf rather than filling the pulpit and being a pastor of a church. When I had recommitted myself to God at the age of 24 or so, I said to God I would do anything God wanted me to do. I thought that meant I was to be a layperson serving in the world. And really by then I had seen enough church life to know one, that some pastor’s weren’t very competent and worse, many lay people weren’t nice to their pastors. You would have to be a fool to say yes to that.
Well, apparently I am a fool. God’s gracious gift to me was that I got to go to school to study what I really wanted to study as I prepared to fulfill what God had in mind for me. And what did God have in mind for me? Well, I wanted to remain a lay person who understands the great privilege and power that God has given the laity. God allowed that I understood this, but that what God really needed was clergy who understood the same thing. In the few times that I have been clear about why I do what I do, this is the answer, “I believe lay-persons have the high honor and task of filling the world with God’s love. I am called to invite, prepare and enable lay persons to be a high and holy priesthood.”
If I had to assess How I was doing in that effort, I wouldn’t be very favorable. That’s just me. I can tell you that in the 24 years I have been doing this I have had very little real job satisfaction. Some of that is in my control some not. However, if I was paid more than enough, had a doctoral degree, or served the biggest church in the district or conference, or was nominated for bishop or on the short list to be a ds I still wouldn’t be satisfied. I would be comfortable and my self-esteem (or more like my ego would) be inflated, but I wouldn’t have job satisfaction. And if every lay person I ever knew filled a church leadership position, or filled the pulpit, or filled out a pledge card or filled an envelope, or filled the choir I would be happier and grateful (and please don’t stop doing those things), but I wouldn’t be satisfied. What will give this pastor real job satisfaction is if you who are my current charge would be eager to fill the world with God’s love and invest yourself in doing so. There is more to this than what I have shared, but perhaps it is enough to share this first.
