Writing in Pastors in
Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry, Dean Hoge and Jacqueline
Wenger surveyed nearly a thousand clergypersons who had left local church
ministry, listening for themes in their stories as well as ways that the church
and denominations can support those who are considering this step as well as
those who have already chosen it.
My husband and I have recently walked that gauntlet/gangplank, retiring
from active Salvation Army officership 4 years before the magic age of 66,
known in the post-Gowans reform years as “retiring at your own request.” So it was with some personal interest
that I turned to the work of Hoge and Wenger, interested to see how their study
of those in the Assemblies of God, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the
United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Lutheran Church
(Missouri Synod) might speak to Salvation Army transitions.
They concluded their book with
a summary chapter, providing recommendations to the denominations. They spoke of the need for more
practical preparation for ministry through their seminaries as well as of the
need for on-going support for pastors in general and especially in times of
crisis. However, their second
recommendation was the one that caught my attention as to its relevance for the
Salvation Army: Improve the call
process (what we would call the appointment process).
A second finding of interest
was from the leadership of denominations who were also interviewed. “Young pastors are not as willing to go
unquestioningly where the denomination needs them.” As Gomer Pyle was known to say, “surprise, surprise,
surprise.” It’s not that they’re
unwilling to go, but they – and we – are used to having a multitude of choices
in our lives, at least in the Western world. We have choices as to the flavors of mustard and ice cream,
yet we are still expected to go unquestioningly (without a murmur) wherever and
whenever we are appointed. And
when we murmur we feel guilty, and when we question whether we can go we feel
guilty, and if we do go begrudgingly or because we don’t have any other
options, we resent the process and sometimes the people involved in the
process. I know – I’ve heard the
stories over the past 3 months.
I know, I know, this is the
Army, and the appointment process is one of our sacred cows that we can’t touch,
but I’m sensing that our darling heifer is turning into the elephant in the
living room that we’ve got to talk about before it’s too late. Here’s my plea – the officers, the
congregation, and the community deserve to have a voice in the process. It’s time we talked.
JoAnn Shade
Ashland, Ohio
3 comments:
And your reason for taking early retirement ?
God Bless You in your early retirement Major JoAnn. You're probably all worn out from planning, raising money and etc. for the Kroc Center in Ashland, Ohio! You and your husband probably deserve a well-earned rest!
The real question is whether or not you're going to remain soldiers.
Sadly, a small percentage of retired officers have always stayed in only because they were too old to change careers and saw "retirement" as part of their exit strategy, never to be seen or heard from again. I rather doubt from articles I've read of yours that that would be you though. Keep us posted.
Best Wishes,
Daryl Lach
USa Cemtral
USA
I am an active officer, but when I was informed of my impending move. I iniitally declined to leave where I was, as there were some issues that I felt needed to be resolved before I left. I was told if I declined, I would be terminated. Yet, I have known other officers who have declined appointments for reasons that were in my view, less noble, such as reduction in status or going to a place that was "beneath" them. The appointment system either needs to be eliminated or rethunk, since as you wrote, society has changed, and we are used to having more options and some places, people and things can be detriemntal to the success of the ministry.
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