The Itinerancy Challenge

I've started to discover the many challenges that come with being an itinerant United Methodist pastor.  I'm not just talking about the challenge of having to uproot my life every few years and living in places that I would personally never pick out for myself, having to meet and make new friends, struggling with finding new exercise classes, hobbies, and having to drive for 20 minutes to get to the grocery store, longing more than ever for contact with friends and people your age...well, those are a lot of challenges that speak for themselves...but...

I am also talking about the challenges that come within the church as the new pastor, and that calls to mind the struggles of the itinerant system itself.  I believe in it because it is so easy for churches to be in a rut- new ideas and new life are needed and come along with a new pastor (if it's done right!).  But there are also pressures put on the new pastor, and these can go several ways:

1)  The pastor before you was very loved, and it seems that nothing you do can even compare to how he/she did it before.  The new pastor is then trying to figure out how to move the congregation in a new and challenging direction that doesn't take away from what the previous pastor has done, but allows them to see that the new pastor also brings gifts and talents to the church, but they will look different than their previous colleague.

2)  The previous pastor was not so loved, and the new pastor faces the awkward situations, conversations, and snide comments about how awful the previous pastor was, the things that he/she said and did that were not so pastoral, and trying to figure out how to unify the church when many people disliked the pastor, but several people did indeed like him/her.  The challenge then, for the new pastor, is to figure out how to move the church into a new season gently, leading in a way that says, "I am not here to divide you against one another," and to try to mend the relationships that were broken or even severed by the previous pastor.  The new pastor finds herself wondering what was said, which people were hurt, what pastoral care was done or not done, what lessons were taught or not taught, what was lacking, etc. that she must now try to repair and make up for lost time and opportunity.

3) The idea of continuity is interrupted- the church as a whole might be ready for change, but some still hold onto "the good ol' days when we had so-and-so as our pastor."  The new pastor is then trying to assert his/her identity in a way that the congregation will respond and respect new leadership.

4) And, of course, cleaning up messes.  This ties in a little with predicament #2, but also includes issues having to do with money or lack thereof, the deadly phrase, "but we've always done it this way," and the realization that the new church is lacking in many areas that the new pastor must address because he/she is passionate about making sure that the church is educated, led in spiritual formation, challenged, and servant and mission driven in the community.  Cleaning up messes comes with the sinking feeling that a lot of time has been lost, a lot of opportunities missed over the years, and the fight uphill to remedy that in the undisclosed amount of time that the pastor has at that appointment.

Whew...there's a lot in there.  I am quickly learning, this being my first actual experience of itinerancy, all of these lessons and many more.  Is itinerancy good for the church overall?  I still believe that over all it is, but it also can do a lot of damage depending on the pastor, the match that the cabinet made, and the system can be very damaging to families...as Corey and I are experiencing as we struggle to find him a job, we are struggling to meet young people in a tiny town, and are rather isolated.

My goal is to do all that I can to make the most out of my appointed time here and in future appointments.  Knowing that I am only assigned to churches for a season, I need to make an impression that will last, but also will not get in the way of the next person and be mindful of not leaving messes behind.  The church can be a beautiful thing, and pastors need to remember that as we are moved around and work together as colleagues in ministry.  Sometimes that's easier said than done.