The Real Thing

Happy Halloween/Reformation Day. Yes, October 31 is the very day that Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on a door at Wittenberg. It's good stuff!

Today was a momentous day for and the rest of the senior class at seminary for another reason. Bishops from six different synods and regions of the ELCA from all over the country were here visiting. Now, after we graduate from seminary we do not go out and get to look for a call as a pastor at anyplace we want. Instead, we are asked to put down preferences of where we would like to take our first call. Some people are allowed to restrict depending on medical conditions, spouses with jobs, houses, etc. I am not one of these people. So, I put my life in the hands of the ELCA Bishops who will pick me from a pool of seminary candidates from all eight different ELCA seminaries. They will decide where I do ministry for the next three or so years of my life.

So today I put on the power suit (taking a page from my East Coast friend who said that their fear was always being the least dressed up person in the room) and came to seminary not quite knowing what to expect. What I found were six individuals who were very dedicated to God, the church, the mission of the church, and outreach. We did a panel discussion, ate lunch with them, and then got a chance to talk with them on a more individual basis.

The experience was invigorating! There were so many creative ways that people were doing ministry that it was a breath of fresh air. The bishops also seemed very supportive of those called to their area for first call. They wanted to talk to us and get to know us. They were well spoken, patient, and passionate.

So here I was, staring at my future in the church: hearing about what opportunities there were out there in the church, hearing about the challenges that were facing the church, and some of the creative ways that people were looking to reach out to those who had never heard about God or Jesus. I should have been terrified. Instead, I couldn't wait to start! In a semester full of case studies, scenarios, and missing being in a church, here was a hard dose of reality. You're going to be out there in less than a year. It's not school. It's not going to be easy. It's actually going to be really hard. But, I finally saw myself in someplace new, I saw myself at these synods, I saw myself at places like NW Washington, Delaware-Maryland, and even Eastern ND. I was no longer just thinking about these preferences as geographical points on a map, instead, they were places that need pastors, that need people who are passionate about preaching the Gospel, that need leadership that will raise up leadership among the people.

Today, I got a glimpse of my future in the church and I can't wait!