As a kid I remember
riding a small roller coaster called “The Mouse.” The primary characteristic of
it was the abrupt change of direction it frequently took without warning. Were
it not for the seat belts and grab handles one could have been easily thrown out
of the car. Today, I find it surprising we all did not suffer immediate spinal
dislocations. There were a few small hills and drops, but the sudden left and
right turns were the “attraction” of the ride. There were no smooth
transitions.
We all deal
with transitions throughout our life time. Some of the transitions are
imperceptible. Six months ago my oldest grandson was a shade over five feet
four inches. Last week he measured in a five feet six inches and wears a larger
shoe than I do. How and when did that happen? On the other hand, he’ll be
facing a big transition in September when he begins high school. For him that might be a jarring
transition.
Over the
years I have identified three major times of transition for ministers/pastors.
This identification has come from observing other ministers and from reflection on my own journey as a teaching elder. Two of the transitions, even
with the best planning, seem to be more jarring than the third in which we just
kind of find our-self there.
The first
transition is from seminary to parish. This is an especially jarring transition
for those who lived the previous twenty years in academia. From kindergarten
through seminary is a long journey under the tutelage of others and in the
acquisition of information. Even if one grew up and remained active in the
church all those years, we have to admit, upon ordination, we knew very little
about how to be the pastor/teaching elder in and for a congregation. I admit I
did not even though I had an excellent education and varied field experience
both in college and seminary. Becoming a pastor/teaching elder is one of those
abrupt turns which can cause spiritual and emotional whiplash.
The second
transition is one which creeps up on the minister. Finding one’s self in “mid-career”
is a transition about which very little is written or even talked about.
Columbia Seminary is offering a COLLOQUY
FOR MID-CAREER CLERGY in May of 2015. They state, Clergy in mid-career face challenges, both personal and professional,
that are unique to their stage in life and vocational trajectory. They have
accumulated experience, know-how, and a certain amount of confidence. Not quite
novices, many are still not “experts.” In fact, one of the paradoxes of clergy
in mid-career is serving in increasingly complex contexts that continue to
challenge their competencies. (http://www.ctsnet.edu/colloquy-for-mid-career-clergy)
Many of us awoke one day and said, “This is a far different church then I
signed up for when I was ordained. Do I really want to keep doing this for the
next fifteen or twenty years?”
The third
transition, and another abrupt one, is into retirement. The Board of Pensions of the
PC(U.S.A.) offers an excellent pre-retirement workshop. http://www.pensions.org/MembersAndEmployers/LifeEvents/Pages/Preparing-for-Retirement.aspx)
However, one should attend this workshop far, far in advance of actually
thinking about retirement. I would advise that one should attend the workshop within
the first five years after ordination and then again ten years prior to
retirement. Many teaching elders find it nearly impossible to go from one week
providing the full range of pastoral services to an “all stop” the next week.
The impact of the retirement transition really hits in two or three months,
when we realize we are not on an extended vacation. One can only play so much
golf before asking, “Is this all there is?”
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