Calling Clergy: A Spiritual and Practical Guide Through the Search Process - Softcover

Geitz, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0898695430 ISBN 13: 9780898695434

Verlag: Church Publishing, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

This clear, beautifully written tool for congregations engaged in the discernment and search process is a balanced combination of spiritual reflection and practical advice, born of the author's extensive experience as deployment officer in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. The bonus of additional Appendix material, including a sample congregational questionnaire and other invaluable resources, available for free download below, make Calling Clergy a must-read book for parish search committees, vestry members, and other parish leaders.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Elizabeth Geitz is an Episcopal priest and the author of five books on spirituality, evangelism, hospitality and women's perspectives on faith. An award-winning writer, she is a spirituality faculty member for the CREDO Institute, Inc. and works closely with the Good Shepherd Home Board in Cameroon. Geitz is a popular keynote speaker and has been a radio talk show guest. She lives in Florida.

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Calling Clergy

A Spiritual & Practical Guide Through the Search Process

By Elizabeth Rankin Geitz

Church Publishing Incorporated

Copyright © 2007 Elizabeth Rankin Geitz
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-89869-543-4

Contents

Introduction...............................................................
1
A Note for Vestry Members..................................................
5
Quick Reference Guide......................................................
8
I. BEGINNING THE JOURNEY...................................................
9
II. STARTING THE SELF-STUDY................................................
22
III. STARTING THE DISCERNMENT PROCESS......................................
39
IV. FINAL DISCERNMENT AND CALL.............................................
82
RESOURCES FOR THE DISCERNMENT PROCESS......................................
87

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

BEGINNING THE JOURNEY

Gifts for Transition

If you are holding this book in your hands, most likely you are on the vestry,Self-Study Committee, or Discernment Committee of a congregation undergoing achange in clergy leadership. The future is a question mark, uncertainty looms,and you know that somehow you are in the role of giving shape and voice to thatuncertainty, through the calling of your next rector or vicar—an awesomeresponsibility, one that will lay heavily on you at times, challenge you atothers, and fill you with joy at still others.

You are beginning a new phase of your spiritual journey, a journey to which youhave been called. The people in your congregation have seen something in you,some gift of the Holy Spirit, which has led them to either elect or appoint youto a special role in your church's Discernment Process. As others havediscerned the needed gifts in you, you are now called to discern the giftsneeded in the next priest who will lead your congregation or to discern whichcandidate best embodies those gifts.

As you begin this journey, it is helpful to be aware of your own particulargifts of the Spirit as well as of the reality that you are called to use thosegifts during a time of transition, for your congregation and for yourself. Howyou personally deal with transition will necessarily affect your role in theDiscernment Process. So first, let's talk a bit about transitions.

Simply living, being, and moving through the life cycle forces us into onetransition after another. Just think of all the transitions you have beenthrough. Transitions from home to nursery school, into the upper grades, thenleaving home for college or a job. Transitions in changing jobs, moving from onecommunity to another, saying goodbye to friends and familiar places, joining newchurches. Transitions of getting married or partnered, children growing up andleaving home, losing loved ones to death, facing unexpected illness—and thelist goes on.

As you begin this significant new role in the life of your parish, you may wantto begin by reflecting on some of the transitions you have experienced. Whatwere they? How did they affect you? What was it like for you and for those wholove you? Were any of your transition periods accompanied by great emotionality?If so, how did you deal with it? Did your faith play a role? Your prayer life?

Knowing your own transition patterns will be helpful to you as you assume aleadership role during this time of transition in the life of your congregation.If you are not clear about your patterns or the role transition has previouslyplayed in your life, you might want to discuss this with another member of yourcommittee, a trusted friend, a priest, or a spiritual director. Journaling canalso be helpful in uncovering those feelings that may not be readily accessibleto you. Whatever method works best for you, self-awareness of how you personallyrespond during times of uncertainty or loss will stand you in good stead as youbegin this new phase of your spiritual journey.

If you are currently experiencing a major transition in your own life, you maywant to discuss this with your priest, a trusted friend, or an advisor. Whereare you in that process? Is it a particularly emotional one for you right now?If so, you may want to reevaluate your role in this process. How you feel aboutone transition in your life will affect how you feel and react to the ups anddowns of the Discernment Process. It is important to focus on self-care and itbegins now, so if this is not the right time for you to be engaged in thisministry, do not hesitate to say so at the beginning.

As I write this chapter it is the season after Pentecost, a time when weChristians focus on the Holy Spirit and all the many manifestations of her giftsand grace. For many people, both in the sacred and secular worlds, the earlymonths of the season after Pentecost are a time of beginnings and endings.Traditionally, it is a time for graduation ceremonies and weddings, in which weboth celebrate and let go of a life we have known and loved for many years. Itis a time in which we might feel a sense of accomplishment and completion forwhat has gone before, along with butterflies in our stomach for what is yet tobe. It is a time of letting go of the familiar when we cannot fully embrace thenew because we have not yet experienced it. The new tomorrow that awaits us isfuzzy and filled with questions, because all the pieces are not yet in place.

My husband Michael and I are preparing to take our youngest child, Mike, tocollege next month. I know that things will never quite be the same again. Iknow that our family unit on a day-to-day basis will now be two rather thanthree. But I am also aware that I don't really know what this will mean for usas a couple, because we haven't experienced it yet. As a result, there is partof me that hasn't accepted, much less embraced, this new reality.

I realized this last week when Mike was staying over at a friend's house onenight. As we turned out the downstairs lights, I reminded my husband to be sureto leave the outside light on for Mike when he came home. Then it hit me. He'snot coming home tonight and in another month, he won't be coming home formonths at a time. He'll be away at college. And I had my first jolt of realityabout his leaving.

Our psyches have a way of protecting us in situations involving loss—whetherit's the death of a loved one, or something very happy and exciting like aloved one leaving for college or entering a well-deserved retirement oraccepting a new call. Our psyches protect us by letting the reality seepgradually into our souls. In all the grief situations I have been involved ineither personally or with others, I don't believe there is one where the newreality hit full-force all at once. There has always been some denial going onsimultaneously with the gradual acceptance and understanding of what the lossreally means.

Just as children are meant to move on to college or a job some day, so priestsare meant to answer another call or retire. It is part of the rhythm andmovement of life and I believe that it is particularly part of the rhythm andmovement of the Christian life. Why? Because in the final analysis, for all ofus, whatever our situation, there is only one being who is eternal andpermanent, and that is God. It is only God who is with us always to the close ofthe age and into eternity. It is only God who ultimately can fill that...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Church Publishing
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0898695430
• ISBN 13: 9780898695434
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 99
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: preigu; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; 49078; Deutschland