Posted by Peter from Pennsylvania on: 04.18.2006 /
I suppose I should have posted this one first.
I have been married for 19 years (it will be 20 in September) to a remarkable woman, we don’t have any kids, but we’ve got two dogs (both German Shepherds), and we live in Western Pennsylvania. I grew up Catholic, but am no longer that, although I have NO beef with Catholics or Catholicism or anything like that. I have 7 brothers and sisters (no, not a misprint), all but one of whom are married, 3 of whom have kids, and one of whom is studying for the priesthood. All in all, a pretty happy family upbringing.
I came to a real faith in 1981 after what I have to admit was one of those dramatic Damascus Road-type experiences. Even 25 years ago I can remember the sights, sounds and sensations of truly being “touched” by God. I’ve had my ups and downs with Him since, as any believer has.
I have been a multimedia professional, creating DVDs, web sites, CD-ROMs, and staging larger meetings and events since the very early 1990s. One year ago, at the age of 41, I made a drastic move to full-time pastoral ministry. I serve as a Worship Arts Pastor at a pretty large (1000+ attendance weekly on average and growing) church in a pretty small town. Our worship is pretty contemporary (much like Willow Creek) and we use drama, video, and the arts pretty extensively.
So, anyway… I’ll be your “guest blogger” for the next few days. I hope we all get something out of it!
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Comment by: Lisa
1 04/18/06 7:41 AM | Comment Link |Thanks for the ‘overview of you’. It’s great to get to know each other a little better. I look forward to your contributions here.
Comment by: Jim Henderson
2 04/18/06 8:09 AM | Comment Link |If you don;t mind - which church do you work for? and what prompted the change in work path?
Comment by: Peter from Pennsylvania
3 04/18/06 8:45 AM | Comment Link |I don’t mind at all, although it will give away my name and home town and everything… But I’ll bite.
I work at a church called Tri-County Church in Du Bois, PA. We’re on the web at http://www.tricountychurch.net. I changed work path for one simple reason. I was called. I know that’s hard to understand for those of you who don’t believe, but I can’t put it any other way. Interestingly enough, I have to say my whole life prepared me for this in ways I would never have guessed. All my work/school/religious experience… Everything.
I served on a volunteer basis as a Worship Leader and Youth Pastor before coming here, and have no Seminary training, but have read more than most pastors I know who HAVE had Seminary training. I am a pastor here, but am not “ordained” (I know that doesn’t totally make sense, but it’s not so uncommon.) So I guess you’d say I’m a professional “lay minister.”
It’s tremendously hard work, and it doesn’t pay as well as what I was doing for sure… but I absolutely love it!
It’s a bit of a risk telling you all I’m a pastor (although I think I’ve volunteered that before maybe) because often people who don’t believe shut down when they find out that you are one. I’d hate for that to happen. But by now you folks should probably know a little of what I’m like… so hopefully we’ll still all be cool with each other…
Comment by: Tom in Sacramento
4 04/18/06 9:39 AM | Comment Link |Interesting. You should PM Rick, Peter. He is in a similar role, though he came via the seminary route. And I’d be interested in picking your brain because I am less than a year from retiring and have given some thought to some sort of lay ministry.
Comment by: Siamang
5 04/18/06 9:56 AM | Comment Link |I think I’d be much more likely to be more talkative with a pastor. Not sure why. Probably because I see church leaders to be more scolarly in their approach to faith than the faithful at large.
Comment by: Ir
6 04/18/06 1:59 PM | Comment Link |Peter, I think you’re right that you’d already said you were a pastor.
Like Siamang I like talking to pastors. The hard part is usually getting them to talk to me - they tend to be busy people.
Why doesn’t your church ordain you? Do they have plans to? Is it a matter of, you’re too busy ministering to do the requisite studying?
Comment by: Julie Marie
7 04/18/06 2:29 PM | Comment Link |yeah. its kinda sad that as I’ve been going through my little “crisis” it never occurred to me to call my pastor.
Comment by: Peter in Pennsylvania
8 04/18/06 3:02 PM | Comment Link |I am beginning the ordination process now! It’ll probably take a couple years, and I’m perfectly content to do whatever studying I need for that. (In fact, I hope to get some letters after my name eventually anyway…)
You’re right, we tend to be busy people. I do things like reading and commenting on this blog as often as I can because I need to be culturally relevant in my job, and this helps me enormously, but my day is pretty regimented.
Gotta go, dinnertime! I have some more good stuff tomorrow, I think, especially for you atheists, I hope…
Comment by: Ir
9 04/18/06 3:40 PM | Comment Link |Thanks for the response, Peter.
Comment by: Ir
10 04/19/06 7:11 AM | Comment Link |It is in a way.
Although, my own experience with talking to pastors about such things is that having problems with their theology is not a concept they can grasp. They have tended to reiterate what I already have problems with.
If I was looking for some sort of emotional support, I did get a little from those I had level of relationship with.
But that was all.
And since I’ve not been in churches where I could have much relationship with the pastors, going to my friends for emotional support worked way better. Plus, some of them were able to hear my concerns and agree with them to some extent. Unlike the pastors whose raison d’etre is based on me being wrong and them being right.
Anyway, disclaimer: I am only describing my own experiences with pastors. Your mileage may vary. Feel free to wonder why I went to churches with pastors like that if you like. I sometimes do :)
Comment by: Tom in Sacramento
11 04/19/06 1:33 PM | Comment Link |FWIW, Ir, my experience has been pretty much the same. I once commented to a Christian friend that I had never had a pastor. I’ve had a bunch of preachers, but never a pastor. My “pastors” have always been lay folks.
Comment by: Julie Marie
12 04/19/06 1:38 PM | Comment Link |My church has a zillion pastors. I am not sure any of them could cope with my issue in a way that would satisfy me. I looked up the statement of faith last night, and in part:
The sole basis for our belief is the Bible, which is uniquely God-inspired, without error, and the final authority on all matters on which it speaks.
I do have a friend I’ve been sharing my shifting beliefs with, and of course, my husband. If I made a big point of a need to change churches he would support that as he does not disagree with me, but he finds enough right about our church (especially the childrens programs - we’re just about finished with a HUGE addition, all geared to the kids) to stay there and just disregard that which we don’t believe. I’ve never tried doing that. When I found myself in disagreement with Catholic doctrine, I left. But I agreed to try. I do agree, there is a lot right in my church.
I’m not sure they would let me lead the Simple Spirituality class though, unless I signed a statement of faith. But instead of assuming things, I could try discussing it with a pastor. If the answer is no; well all that means is I can’t lead the class as part of my churches small groups program.
Comment by: Julie Marie
13 04/19/06 2:05 PM | Comment Link |p.s. I’ve found you can usually get an appt with a pastor if you want to do something to help out ;)
Comment by: Ir
14 04/19/06 3:39 PM | Comment Link |Thanks for sharing that, Tom.
I guess I should say that a couple of associate pastors helped me quite a bit each time I was ill - one by meeting with me regularly and one by corresponding with me regularly by e-mail.
What pastors haven’t been much help with, is my move away from what I used to be believe.
Comment by: Peter from Pennsylvania
15 04/20/06 4:13 AM | Comment Link |Julie Marie writes
In many churches (mine included even though we are SO busy) we will totally drop what we’re doing as soon as you come by! Even unannounced and without appointment! Those interruptions are not interruptions of my work… They ARE my work!
Comment by: Ir
16 04/20/06 7:23 AM | Comment Link |I’ve never belonged to a church like that.
Anyway, there must be some conditions in which you wouldn’t ‘drop everything’ - you must have some priorities you need to stick with. What if you’re already in an appointment with someone and someone else comes by? Surely you wouldn’t throw the first person out? Or are you saying that you always have someone ‘on-call’ enough to see unannounced visitors?
Comment by: Peter in Pennsylvania
17 04/20/06 12:40 PM | Comment Link |Ir,
We don’t have somebody “on call” all the time by design, except that we never leave the office “pastorless” during regular hours, and our home and sometimes our cell numbers are public info, plus most days there are at least 4 pastors in the building. And I do NOT cram my schedule to the point where I can’t be flexible with people.
And if I’m in an appointment with somebody for planning or some such, and somebody came by who just lost their job or who just got a diagnosis of cancer or who’s parent has just died or something like that, it goes without saying that I kick the person out of my office who’s helping me plan something (NONE of those people I work with would fail to understand this!) and deal with what is really important at that time… the truly hurting individual.
And Ir, you can come by any time. I’ll drop what I’m doing to see you!
;-)
Comment by: Ir
18 04/20/06 4:12 PM | Comment Link |Peter, I like you and I’d be happy to have coffee with you and chat about - life, the universe and everything.
However, I wouldn’t come see you as a ‘pastor’. I’m done with that. I wouldn’t go see anyone for ‘counsel’ unless they were a paid professional counselor. I’ve had it with unpaid, untrained ‘counsel’ from people who have no understanding of my diagnosis. If my friends say things I listen, with discernment. But I don’t anticipate putting myself ‘under’ a pastor or any ’spiritual authority figure’ ever again.
Comment by: Peter in Pennsylvania
19 04/20/06 5:56 PM | Comment Link |Ir,
Good, because, not being a trained counsellor, I’ll often listen to someone, but I will not allow them to sit under me for “counselling”. I’m unqualified. So I wouldn’t be counselling you anyway. I’ll be your buddy, but not your counsellor. (Yes, I’m a pastor, but not really a “counsellor”… go figure…)
And we don’t really do “spiritual authority figures” here like you might have eperienced anyway.
But I’d love to show you around my little podunk backwater town!