In Polity, Practice & Mission of the UMC (2006 Ed.) the author states that "whether deacons and elders can really be peers in United Methodism remains to be seen. Deacons can initiate their place of employment, work part-time indefinitely, or work for no salary at all." The author continues to say that deacons' non-itinerate status and the expectation that elders work full-time creates tension. "How will these two orders work together in a particular local church, given that the elder is appointed as pastor 'in charge'?"

The answer is simple. The elder is appointed in charge and the deacon has a different role. As someone who looked at the role of a deacon once and has re-embraced this possibility, I accept that our system expects of elders their time and willingness to itinerate with the trade-off of guaranteed appointment and being in charge. I haven't formed a full opinion regarding sacramental authority and the orders. 

For me, itinerancy isn't the issue with respect to pursuing elder vs. deacon. If I felt (or feel in the future) a call to embrace the role of an elder I see itinerancy as a part of the package -- one that is largely a positive thing given an elder's work. Guaranteed appointment would be nice, and Lord knows there are underperforming and/or incompetent elders out there who should have this perk revoked, but I understand and respect this difference in elder vs. deacon, including the practicalities involved in deacons' work outside of the church structure.

I am appalled at the relative dearth of information about deacons in our denominational resources. The only books seem to date back to the creation of the order in 1996. The online resources are pitiful. The candidacy materials are scant. If you tell an elder that you plan to pursue deacon's orders, you may get a blank stare or some push back (I received a good comment, myself). Deacons themselves haven't been too chatty in the few outreach efforts I've made to gather information.

It is high time that the church pull its collective head out of the sand and realize that ministry happens in places other than the local church even as we affirm and protect the central nature of the local congregation. Elders and deacons can and should work together, recognizing and supporting the 'in charge' role of our itinerant elders while affirming and supporting the assisting role of the deacon in the local church and the equal role to elders in work outside the local church. God calls all types to ministerial work; some are called with gifts and graces to lead in the local church and others to different (perhaps more specialized roles). 

Welcome those whom God calls, I say. Together may the Kingdom of God be expressed in the world through the work of both of our ordained United Methodist orders.

Experiencing God 3

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I've been told that introverted folks tend to experience God during times of deep reflection, and my experiences back up this claim. I don't know how deep reflection can be and still drive down the road, but my latest God moment occurred at 45 mph on a curvy back road.

A year ago I thought that I had it all figured out (won't be the last time, I am certain). I was going to pursue candidacy as a Deacon and build upon my past education and work experiences to serve God's people and God's church in some yet to be revealed way. As I got closer to my first meeting with DCOM I spent considerable effort looking at Deacon and Elder paths and came to a decision (in consultation with a few others) about a week before the meeting. When asked if I had one or the other path in mind I answered Elder. I firmly believe that the faith community is central to Christian experience, and believed that I had discovered the people, the “who,” from my God experience a year or so before. I was going to work toward parish ministry and serve the church in a traditional manner at some future point.

For the past year each time I have answered the same question from someone I have had more trouble answering it the same way. This difficulty is not general. My perception of call is as strong or stronger than when I began this journey (praise God), and my desire to serve the United Methodist Church is also strong (God help me). It is my perception of the right vocational path for me and the best fit of me for the glory of God and the benefit of God's people that is in question.

After a couple weeks of this issue being on my mind heavily, after a good session with my mentor (this issue was not specifically raised but our topic helped me greatly), and listening to some appointed folks tell me about their normal pastoral duties, I was running things through my mind while driving. And, as God will do, my God moment came in an unexpected place at an unexpected time. I perceived that my thoughts were not just my thoughts. I was thinking that I was right the first time and that the path of an Elder is not the best fit. Each time I raised a point/idea/thought in my mind, the response was immediate and gentle: “my people need you.” This was the phrase I heard in the night a few years ago. This cycle continued a few times. The same response each time: “my people need you.” Then, letting go of control of the situation, of past statements, of others' expressed expectations, of trying to be the decider of my path, I thought something on the lines of “so I can just bring my gifts and graces to the table and we'll figure it out?” Submission. The response was strange and wonderful. It was unspoken. It was felt. All I can say is that the presence that I was experiencing moved, and it was like experiencing the joy energy that is a smile from another. The heightened energy came from outside of me, enveloped me, and left. I was alone again in the car, doing 45 mph. The whole thing, end to end, was probably only seconds, but it felt longer.

I don't pretend to understand the experiences that I have had, and I do not claim to know why God wants me, an analytical-artsy-intellectual-progressive-INTJ-former-engineer, but I am firmly convinced that God has something for me to do and that this something requires the commitment of time, energy and resources that I am putting into a Methodist Theological School in Ohio M.Div. and the pursuit of candidacy. Today my mind is at peace, and that peace comes with a feeling that my initial perception of my vocational path, as a Deacon, was most likely correct. I will explore this further in the near future.