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Char Cox 5/2/24 Char Cox 5/2/24

Ascension Ponderings

Rev. Dr. Char Cox fondly reflects on her Sunday School exprience in this poem.

***Photo by*** ***Jeremy Perkins*** on ***Unsplash***

I have never really thought about the Ascension,
the Ascension of our Lord,
I mean.
In 33 years of ordained ministry,
I can count
on one hand
the number of times
that I have presided at an Ascension Day liturgy,
or preached on the Ascension texts,
or led a Bible study on the Ascension story.
Perhaps,
it is because Ascension falls on a Thursday,
and, well –
Thursday liturgies are hard.
Thursdays just aren’t days
that we typically gather,
or worship in community,
or think about “church things” –
And who wants to celebrate
an exit
when entrances
are so much more captivating,
and haven’t we already celebrated
the only exit that matters –
the earth-shattering exit,
from the tomb,
I mean,
and wasn’t/isn’t
that the point –
the Resurrection –
the culmination
of the Incarnation,
so who really needs Ascension,
anyway?

Perhaps,
it is because I have served much of my life
in academic contexts,
and Ascension Day always seems to fall
in the midst of
end-of-the-school-year-type-things –
banquets,
and parties,
and Commencements –
and who has time or interest
in celebrating
the leave-taking of Jesus
when there are so many other important
milestones,
and so many more
present-tense leave-takings to acknowledge?

Perhaps,
my lack of attention
and contemplation
on the Ascension
has something to do with
my own
incomprehension
of the significance
of the apprehension
of the enfleshment
of the Holy
into the Trinity
that is the Divine –
and if I don’t really get it,
or think it is noteworthy,
or even mystically grasp
its contribution
to the thinning of the veil
between what is
and what will be,
then, well –
how would I ever
accompany my people
in a liturgical immersion
in the
day,
and the time,
and the experience
when the One
who came
to dwell among us
takes a holy leave?

But this year,
my Holy Week discipline
was not focused
on the footwashing,
or the meal,
or the torture at the hands of the state,
or even on
that holy waiting
between Friday and Sunday
when the whole world
holds its breath,
even if it doesn’t know that it is –
waiting to see
if the belly of whale,
or in this case,
the earth,
emblematically stylized as a tomb,
would expel its holy inhabitant
so that
that which once was,
would be again,
and that which is
would be made new.

No –
this year,
while the Church
in all of her perfect imperfection
was drawn into the
holy upside-down-ness
of the logical consequence of
Incarnation,
And the death-interrupted
of Resurrection –
I was deep in the throes
of wonderment
and prayer –
about the Ascension.

This contemplation grew,
not so much
out of holy curiosity
as it did out of
practical necessity.
You see,
as a part of my call
to steward a project
that leans into how we
Nurture Children through Worship and Prayer,
I have committed to crafting
child-attentive,
arts-enriched,
liturgies for every Festival.
Every includes Ascension.
Every includes
this least celebrated,
most forgotten feast day
(thank you for those words, Barbara Brown Taylor)
That always comes
40 days after
the great exit from the tomb
and 10 days before
the holy winds
and tongue-loosing fire
that made the Word that became flesh
become words once again.

This odd juxtaposition
of the Great and Holy Week
and the lifting up
of the raised-up One
opened up the mystery
of the Ascension
for me
in ways that have felt akin
to the tomb bursting open anew.

Here is where my Holy Week-Ascension-ponderings
have led.

First,
It is the Enfleshed Word that ascends.
That may seem obvious,
but bear with me.
The Word –
enfleshed in the earthly stuff
of blood and bones,
Risen –
still wounded and scarred –
that same, yet made-new-yet-same body
is
who and what that ascends.
The stuff of earth becomes
a part of not just heaven,
but of the Divine.
It is the Ascension,
therefore,
not the Resurrection,
that completes
the Incarnation.
The Word becomes flesh
and the enfleshed-One –
takes the stuff of earth,
our own flesh,
into the unity that is the Trinity.
That has to say
something
about the goodness
of BODIES.

For me –
mind blown.

Second,
and for this, I have the artist Albrecht Durer
to thank.
In his depiction of the Ascension,
most eyes are looking upward
at the disappearing Christ,
yet one figure
is clearly looking
at the ground that had been under Jesus’ feet –
where it is marked
by the footprints of Jesus.
The Enfleshed Word has left –
AND his footprints are left behind –
Footprints, it seems
that are not
simply scars in the sand
to dissipate on the winds
of that holy hilltop,
but FOOTPRINTS
that we
who are called to be witnesses,
we who are now the Body of Christ on earth -
                not metaphorically,
                but literally –
                as in, we really are Christ’s body,
                Enfleshing Jesus -
                Enfleshing
                Love Divine
                In the world today –
we are called to continue to make
the footprints –
                and dare I say
                hand prints
                and heart prints
of Christ on earth.
Begging the question,
of course,
what kind of footprints
                and hand prints
                and heart prints

are we leaving?
Are we –
Are you –
imprinting the world
With DIVINE LOVE?

Mind blown again.

And finally,
Luke tells us
that Jesus led them out –
Out of the city,
Out of their comfort zones
Out beyond
where they were
what they knew
what they understood
what they imagined
what they comprehended.
Out.
Ascension is,
therefore,
about movement –
not just up
– but OUT!
Out –
for those
who first lived this story
and for us.
How are we –
How are you –
Called OUT?

Mind blown one more time.

BODIES
FOOTPRINTS
OUT

There is so much good news in
all of this
that I cannot quite
comprehend
how I missed it
or ignored it
all these years,
probably assuming
that Ascension
is unnecessary,
or inconvenient
or that, like those earlier followers
gaping after the place
where Jesus used to be,
there is nothing to see here.

How wrong I was!
And how captivated
I now am –
by this least celebrated,
most forgotten feast day
that I never used to think about
and now
cannot seem to stop thinking about –
and wondering
and imagining
ways that
the Ascension
can come to life,
not only as a feast day,
but as we seek to
faithfully
be the Body of Christ –
in,
and through,
and with our own bodies –
leaving footprints of Divine Love
Out –
Out beyond where we are
what we know
what we understand
what we imagine
And what we comprehend
so that our lives
as Resurrection people
become lived out
as Ascension people.

If you are interested in receiving the Celebrate! Worship for Every Festival Processional Liturgy with Holy Communion for the Ascension of our Lord from Nourishing Vocation with Children at St. Olaf College, email nourishing-vocation@stolaf.edu

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Rev. Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox (affectionately known as “Char”) holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, with an emphasis in Spirituality; a Master of Sacred Theology Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, with an emphasis in Preaching and Worship, a Master of Divinity Degree from Luther Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Augustana University, Sioux Falls. She has served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for over 28 years, serving in seminary, collegiate, and congregational settings. She loves reading – especially memoirs and historical fiction, and enjoys writing poetry, travelling, and all things winter.

Facebook | PrChar
Website | Charlene Rachuy Cox

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

As an ecumenical and inclusive ministry of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, the content of each Church Anew blog represents the voice of the individual writer and does not necessarily reflect the position of Church Anew or St. Andrew Lutheran Church on any specific topic.

Char Cox 3/26/24 Char Cox 3/26/24

Nurturing Children in the Faith

Rev. Dr. Char Cox fondly reflects on her Sunday School experience in this poem.

***Photo by*** ***Ben White*** on ***Unsplash***

I can still smell
the sweet musty scent
of the church basement
where I went to Sunday School
as a child.

I can still see the
white plastic, church-light-coin-box
in which we deposited our pennies
on the Sundays
closest to our birthdays –
one penny for each year of our age.

I can still hear the old upright piano,
slightly out of tune,
and so familiar
as we sang our Opening songs
every Sunday –
He Leadeth Me,
O God our Help in Ages Past,
Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.

I can still see the little chairs
on which we sat,
the tables around which we gathered,
the steps that we climbed to the sanctuary,
and the clusters of children and adults
throughout the one big room,
learning Bible stories
and Luther’s Small Catechism,
and that there are people of faith
who love you
and care about you
and who want the best for you in life
and want you to know
and trust
and believe
more than anything else in the world
that God loves you
as God’s own beloved child –
full stop.
No exceptions.

And I can still see Eunice.
Eunice was my Kindergarten Sunday School teacher.
Eunice played the guitar
and she sang songs
and she wore white fashion boots
and smiled a lot
and she taught us about Jesus.

I remember one Sunday
in particular.
It was a day that we left the basement
for Sunday school.
We didn’t have to sit
on the little wooden chairs that day.
We didn’t have to sit still
for the whole hour that day.
Instead,
Eunice led us up the steps
that came in the back of the church,
and we went up the aisle
and got to sit on the floor
inside the altar rail.
We never got to go
inside the altar rail –
But that day we did.
And Eunice told us
to look up –
Look up at the picture that
was above the white and gold-trimmed altar.
Look up,
She said.
What do you see?
She asked,
when you look at the picture?

I was a shy five-year-old,
so I kept my thoughts to myself,
But someone said what I was thinking.
A man sinking in the water.
Someone else said,
Jesus standing on the water.
Someone else said,
Jesus pulling the sinking man up.

And Eunice smiled and nodded.

After she heard
everything we had to say about the picture –
the picture of Peter sinking
in the water
and Jesus holding on for dear life –
Eunice asked us
if we knew what the name of our Church was.
I thought it was a trick question
because our church had two names.
And somebody said “Rosehill.”
Somebody else said, “Emmanuel.”
And Eunice told us
that both were right.
Our church was
Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Rosehill Township.
And then she said,
Today I want to talk to you about
Emmanuel.
She asked us if any of us
knew what “Emmanuel” meant.
When we all shook our heads,
She said,
Emmanuel means “God with us.”
It is one of the names of Jesus.
She had us say Emmanuel
with her several times,
And then she told us to
look up at the picture above the altar again.
Look up.

As we did so,
Eunice told us the story of Peter,
stepping out of the boat,
and trying to walk toward Jesus
on the water.
She told us
how he started to sink
and how Jesus reached out to save him.
She told us
that there would be times in our lives
when we would feel like Peter,
when we would feel like we were sinking,
but to always remember
that Jesus is always with us,
that Jesus will always reach out to help us,
to pull us up to his safe arms.
She told us
to always remember
that whatever happened to us –
whatever we experienced –
good or bad –
happy or sad –
Jesus would always be with us –
just like Jesus was with Peter
that day on the water.

I can still see Eunice –
the passion in her eyes,
the smile on her face,
the joy in her voice
as she told us about Emmanuel –
God who is always with us.

I have frequently thought
about that day
over the years –
how formative it was,
how it has stuck with me,
how often I return to it,
and how,
when I close my eyes,
I can still see that picture
that was above
that old church altar –
and if I let myself
imagine it –
I can feel the arms of Jesus
reaching out
in both gentleness and power
to hold onto me,
especially when life is hard.

Eunice
is in her eighties now,
and I am fortunate
that I still have a relationship
with this one who taught
me the faith
so many years ago.
In many ways,
I am still a Kindergartener
and she is still my teacher.
Eunice continues to embrace life,
to be full of laughter,
love, and joy,
still singing about Jesus,
still reminding me
that more than anything else in the world,
Jesus is always with me.
God loves me.
as God’s own beloved child.
full stop.
No exceptions.

Several years ago
when my wife and I
were getting married,
there were some
in our small, rural community
who were less than kind,
and Eunice sent us a card
and to let us know
how much she loved us both,
to congratulate us,
to speak a word
of acceptance,
love,
and grace.
It was a holy,
life-giving,
sacramental gesture.

Every once in a while,
we will get a letter in the mail
with a clipping
from the newspaper,
or rainbow bracelets,
or a simply profound word of kindness,
And when those missives come –
We got one such letter last week,
prompting me to write this reflection –
it is as if I am five years-old again,
sitting at the foot of that old wooden altar,
staring up at Peter sinking in the water –
Jesus holding on for dear life –
and hearing again
and anew –
Jesus is always with you –

And I am reminded
how utterly important it is
to keep on speaking
words of
acceptance,
grace,
and love
into people’s lives.
No one can ever hear too many times,
Jesus is always with you.
No one can hear too many times
God loves you.
No one can hear too many times
You are God’s own beloved child.
Full stop.
No exceptions.

And so, dear readers,
If you are a Eunice
in other people’s lives,
thanks be to God for you.

If you need a Eunice
in your life today,
I’ve got a word for you:
Jesus is always with you.
God loves you
as God’s own beloved child –
full stop.
No exceptions.

And finally,
thank God
for sweet, musty church basements
and the messages of grace
that get planted there.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Angela Denker 10/5/23 Angela Denker 10/5/23

Multi-Vocational Ministry: Part 3 - Profiles in Multi-Vocational Ministry with Rev. Natalia Terfa

For the next few columns, I want to start sharing with you profiles of other folks who are engaged in Multi-vocational Ministry. Their examples will add depth and breadth to how we see multi-vocational ministry, and we can also see through their stories real-life examples of how people are living out these callings, as well as areas where they need more support and guidance.

***Photo by*** ***moren hsu*** on ***Unsplash***

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back to my musings on Multi-vocational Ministry. You can read parts I and II here and here.

In Part I, I shared a bit about my journey into multi-vocational ministry, and why I think this is such an important conversation for us to be having in the Church right now. In Part II, I delved a bit deeper into some of the background for multi-vocational ministry, how it’s sometimes used as an excuse to pay pastors less, especially pastors with marginalized identities. I also talked about what’s maybe the most complicated/difficult part of multi-vocational ministry: making it work financially, especially when it comes to benefits like healthcare and retirement accounts.

I’m looking forward to sharing these stories and interviews with you! If you would like to be featured in this series, or if you know of someone I should profile, please send me a message!

And, as always, if you have a topic in multi-vocational ministry that you’d like to see addressed here, or questions and case studies, send those my way, too. I can always mix in more topical columns in the midst of our profiles.

Thanks for reading - here’s our first profile!

Multivocational Ministry Profile

**Name:** Rev. Natalia Terfa
**Location:** Minneapolis/Brooklyn Park, MN
**Years of Ordained Ministry:** 8
**Years of Ministry (total):** 20(+)
**Official Job Title:** Associate Pastor, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
**Un-Official Titles:** Project Manager, Church Anew; Podcast Host: Cafeteria Christian; speaker, teacher, presenter, convener; collaborator, dreamer

I’ve known Rev. Natalia Terfa for a few years now, but it wasn’t until we sat down together for this interview that I learned she was an author! And just that fact showed me that even those close to multi-vocational ministers often have little idea of the breadth and depth of their work. So much of multi-vocational ministry gets done behind the scenes, in the margins, with small, incremental pieces of hard-fought progress only much later on resulting in visible accomplishment and acclaim.

Terfa has seen that truth lived out in her own work and ministry, first following a calling into Children, Youth and Family ministry as a longtime Director of Youth Ministry at Prince of Peace, as well as a singer and musician in her own right as a member of the Morning Glories singing group. She then completed a Master of Divinity degree and became ordained to serve as a Pastor of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. While serving the traditional church, Terfa noticed that many people around her no longer felt comfortable in traditional church spaces, especially those who’d experienced abusive church cultures. She eventually teamed up with bestselling author and podcaster Nora McInerny to develop a ministry of their own to reach those very folks, called Cafeteria Christian, which started as a podcast in August 2018 and now boasts 241 episodes (and counting!), 5,000(+) weekly downloads, and an active Facebook group of more than 1,300 members - plus live events and community gatherings online.

Here’s what Terfa had to say about her life as a multi-vocational minister (answers edited slightly for clarity):

Q: How did you become a multi-vocational minister?

I would say … I got asked to write this devotion for our cancer support group (at Prince of Peace). It turned into a book (titled Uplift), which one of my friends gave to (bestselling author and podcaster) Nora McInerny. After that, she and I started meeting and having conversations.

One night, at a fundraising bingo event, she told me: “I came up with a name for our podcast!” Then, we did an episode together on the Alter Guild podcast, and it was just magic … we started Cafeteria Christian in August of 2018.

I’ve also been helping with Church Anew; I started writing for their blog first, and I ended up writing their #1 most-read blog, called An Open Letter to those who haven’t come back to church after COVID, which tells you something about where people are right now.

Since I went 3/4 time (at her pastoral job) in October of 2022, I’ve been doing more of that “side hustle” work, writing curriculum, organizing and managing projects like Stewardship in a Box.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of being a multi-vocational minister?

I like expanding the view of what a pastor does. So often we think pastor = something at church. It’s fun to be like, “But we do this, too!” I really love singing with the Morning Glories. We just have so much fun singing. I get to show people, “Pastors do this, too!” It’s about widening the view of what ministry is, and helping people see that my only pulpit is not in the church.

Q: What has been the most challenging part of being a multi-vocational minister?

Definitely fitting it into all the time. Because of the expectation that pastors are working at church all the time, it was really helpful to go to 3/4 time in my pastoral call. That way I know: 1/4 time is spent doing this, and I can really give it the time and energy it needs.

One thing I learned on sabbatical (this past summer) is how good it is for me, and my family, to devote time and energy to that part of my life as well, and I don’t want to give that up.

When I first went to 3/4 time, I knew how much pay I was giving up, and I try to keep that in mind to make it up, like how many extra weddings I need to do, or how many articles I need to write. That part has gotten a little bit easier, though I don’t always make it all up. The hardest part too is that health care is attached to your job, and retirement savings.

Q: What’s your advice for others who are considering multi-vocational ministry, or who are doing it right now?

It’s really worth setting time aside from your steady income-paid job or call. I can’t believe I’m going to say that I’m grateful to have gone 3/4 time, but I am. I wish I would have been willing to do it on my own sooner. When I think about the things I love doing most each week, it’s recording the podcasts and spending time with “Cafeterians.” I wondered why I wasn’t giving those things the attention they needed.

I do really get the concept of golden handcuffs, and how everything is often tied to full-time work in a congregation. But there are ways to benefit your congregation through multi vocational ministry. Three-quarter time has been great for my church and for me; if you can set aside a chunk of time to work on your other vocations.

(Note: Pastor Terfa and her pastoral colleague went to 3/4 time in October 2022 for budget reasons. They each take one full week off each month to meet this new schedule).

To learn more about Rev. Natalia Terfa’s multi-vocational ministry journey, and follow her work, check out:

www.nataliaterfa.com

IG: @nterfa

www.cafeteriachristian.club

And subscribe to Cafeteria Christian anywhere you get your podcasts.

Thanks for reading this edition of Pastor Angela Denker’s column on Multi-Vocational Ministry. If you’d like to be featured or share your story, or share an idea you’d like Angela to address in this column, please message her at https://angeladenker.com/contact.

Angela Denker

Angela Denker, author of Red State Christians: Understanding the Voters who elected Donald Trump (Fortress: August 2019), is a Lutheran Pastor and veteran journalist who has written for *Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, Christian Century,* and Christianity Today. She has pastored congregations in Las Vegas, Chicago, Orange County (Calif.), the Twin Cities, and rural Minnesota.
Twitter | @angela_denker
Facebook | @angeladenker1
Blog | https://angeladenker.substack.com/
Website | https://www.angeladenker.com

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Angela Denker 6/8/23 Angela Denker 6/8/23

Multi-Vocational Ministry: Part 2

Churches, leadership, and denominations should begin by seeing ministers as complete human beings with a variety of gifts to offer inside and outside the church, rather than sort of widgets to fill in to particular parish settings, while adding in a part-time job or “bivocational ministry” heading to pay the bills.

Dear Readers,

Welcome back to the second edition of my column on Multi-Vocational Ministry!

I was so grateful to read the many responses you sent to the first column, as Church Anew seeks to open a space for us to talk about the many pressures, new ideas, and challenges of doing ministry in this ever-changing era.

In my first piece, I wanted to begin to expand our thinking from the more commonly heard “bi-vocational” ministry to see all of our work in the world as multi-vocational, a term that for me more accurately reflects the way so many of us ministers and leaders move throughout the world.

As part of my last column, I shared the many vocational roles that I’m balancing in my life, whether it’s working on a new book, writing my Substack, speaking about my previous book, preaching in my local congregations, and of course serving in multiple family caregiving roles as a spouse, parent, daughter, and sister.

At least one of you reached out to say that initially as you read my different vocational roles, it made you feel a little bit overwhelmed, or like I didn’t fully grasp the financial challenges of bi-or-multi-vocational ministry. Even as you said you’d re-read the article to realize that it’s probably because of those financial challenges that I’m doing so many things at once (you’re right!) I still thought it was important to use this second edition to talk about the very real financial realities and challenges of doing multi-vocational ministry in a Church world that too often sees vocation in a narrow way.

Additionally, quite a few of you who reached out shared personal stories of marginalization and limited opportunities in traditional parish ministry work, and most of you who shared these stories occupy distinct identity spaces that have often been marginalized and even disallowed for leadership in the church. There’s a reason why many of us who are blazing new trails in multi-vocational ministry are women, LGBTQ+, people of color, and/or people with disabilities.

For a long time in the history of America and most of the world, and still in many American Church settings, ordained ministry roles were open only to straight (or closeted) men. In my own denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it’s only in the past 15 years that churches have officially been able to call LGBTQ+ people as pastors, and it’s still the case, again, in my denomination, that women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people have longer waits for parish calls than straight (or closeted) white men.

It’s important to acknowledge that, particularly for Mainline denominations in the U.S., the denominational push toward bivocational ministry came at the same time as pulpits were being opened to formerly marginalized folks.

As the Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath wrote to me on Twitter: “We see this happen in other professions as well. When it is painted as "a woman can do it," it becomes less valuable societally. The Church is not immune from it.”

Absolutely. I’ve traced similar trends in my other profession, journalism, which as it opened more to women and people of color, wages tended to increase and more job responsibilities fell onto journalists, who were soon expected to not only write stories, but also take photos, make videos, and post on social media. All for diminishing wages, of course.

So I think it’s important for ministers ourselves, as well as denominational and church leadership, to distinguish between a trend toward bivocational ministry as a solution to a financial problem in the Church, and the reality of multi-vocational ministry as the Church becomes de-centered in most communities and ministers find ample ways to use ministerial gifts inside and outside church walls.

Let me be clear: I don’t think bivocational ministry works as an urged strategy from denominational and church leadership. I don’t think pushing ministers to be bivocational is the role of church and denominational leadership. Rather, as we all know, vocation is a complicated discipline, resulting from deep discernment, within prayer and community, between an individual and God. Vocational choices are a response to the needs of the world and the leading of God, rather than a response to financial need, increasing health insurance costs, and dwindling church budgets.

The results of pushing overworked parish pastors into “bivocational” ministry situations simply to pay the bills - rather than as a result of looking for ways their ministry gifts could be used in multiple vocational situations - are dire. I heard a few stories from burned-out parish pastors, many of them working in rural churches on a tight budget, who were sharing full-time positions with their clergy spouses, as well as parenting young children. They wrote about trying to hold down multiple part-time jobs as well as attempting to meet the needs of a church that in the past had been accustomed to a full-time, well-compensated pastor who had a stay-at-home spouse who often spent a lot of time volunteering in the church - as well as a large stable of likewise stay-at-home spouses (mostly women, of course) to fill volunteer roles at the church that, increasingly, pastors are expected to do themselves.

One woman pastor wrote: “There isn't much time left for family at the end of the day. Any ‘day off’ I might've had was filled with other jobs or sometimes vocations. This constant 'going' leads to burnout, even when doing things I'm called to, and things that inspire and bring life. I seldom feel I have enough time to do anything well because there is always something else calling for my attention.”

Does this sound familiar to any other readers? This pastor shared a sentiment I’ve heard before from other overworked pastors, saying that she rarely felt creative or free on her “work” days, and thus had to move her sermon writing to her one precious “day off.”

As everyone reading this knows, there’s no easy solution to these problems. Health insurance costs and benefits costs in general for clergy continue to rise, pricing out many small and rural congregations. Many clergy continue to graduate with seminary and educational debt, necessitating a paycheck that can afford basic needs as well as loan bills. And most churches still have expectations for a church that ran like it did decades ago, with requisite programming, despite large drop-offs in staffing, volunteers and attendance.

Where does multi-vocational ministry fit into this mix? For my contribution, I think it’s important that we see multi-vocational ministry as a starting point - sort of a preexisting condition. Churches, leadership, and denominations should begin by seeing ministers as complete human beings with a variety of gifts to offer inside and outside the church, rather than sort of widgets to fill in to particular parish settings, while adding in a part-time job or “bivocational ministry” heading to pay the bills.

And not only this, but people who are not “professional church leaders” or ordained clergy should also be reminded that they too are full, multi-vocational human beings, with many gifts and roles they play each day of their lives. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Church could take the lead in valuing the fullness of what human beings bring into the world, rather than just their capitalist-centered financial output?

Thanks for reading the second edition of Pastor Angela Denker’s column on Multi-Vocational Ministry. This column will be taking a summer break in July and August and will be back in September with more personal stories from multi-vocational ministers, as well as practical information, data, and trends about how to integrate multi vocational ministry and ministers into the Church at-large. If you’d like to be featured or share your story, or share an idea you’d like Angela to address in this column, please message her at https://angeladenker.com/contact.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Angela Denker 5/2/23 Angela Denker 5/2/23

Multi-Vocational Ministry

Many people think I’m “not working” since I left my most recent parish call, and in my denomination, our practice of placing multi-vocational ministers “on leave from call,” reinforces this misunderstanding.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Dear Readers,

Hello and welcome to my new series on Multi-Vocational Ministry for Church Anew!

You might be thinking “multi-vocational” - hm - what does that even mean?

Maybe you’ve heard the word “bi-vocational” thrown around. Maybe, like me, you heard that word spoken a little bit in seminary, likely as a way to supplement ministry salaries that have been decreasing for years and often aren’t enough to afford basic necessities.

Maybe you’ve heard “bi-vocational” ministry compared to the Acts 18 passage about the Apostle Paul also working as a tentmaker, suggesting that those who serve the Gospel must also have a trade in order to afford their lives.

That model may have worked better in the days before most churches required their ministers to have a graduate degree, and, for seminary grads over the past 20-30 years or so, a graduate degree that necessitated taking out student loans, which would then take out a chunk of that aforementioned-often-paltry church income.

Or maybe you’re reading this passage as a lay leader in a church, a church council member or elder, and you’ve spent years struggling to balance your budget around skyrocketing costs for clergy and family health insurance and benefits. Maybe you’ve thought about a model of bivocational ministry as one that might help your church survive, but you’re not sure what that might mean for the minister’s availability to serve your church.

I’ve heard the word “bivocational” tossed around as a solution in both of these situations, and still, as an ordained clergy member and also a former church council member looking to balance a small, rural church budget, I find “bivocational” ministry sorely lacking in its ability to address the current challenges facing both ministers and churches.

That’s why, in this semi-regular column for Church Anew, I’m hoping we can explore together the idea of Multi-Vocational Ministry.

One of the presuppositions I’d like to carry into this work is the reality that most ministers, and most people in general, are already living multi-vocational lives. Certainly, those of us who are parents and home caregivers already have another vocation in addition to our paid work. Naming and honoring this work as a vocation helps lay leaders to better relate to the multi-faceted lives lived by clergy, and it helps to recognize the major shift in clergy lives since the former reality of predominately white, male ministers who lived in parsonages and were married to women who did the primary work of raising children and taking care of tasks of cleaning, cooking, and running the home.

A necessary caveat here is probably that Roman Catholic priests are among the few religious leaders who still take a singular approach to vocation, eschewing marriage and family and taking vows of poverty to serve the church.

But parenting and care-giving is not the only other vocation many Christian leaders follow. “Multi-Vocational” ministry honors the reality of 21st Century American life, that the church is no longer at the center place in most communities. Therefore, clergy leaders must define their vocational calling not primarily as one to a particular parish or even denomination but rather - as in the Early Church - to the Gospel. I personally happen to think this is a healthy and necessary change in orientation, but it is one that has been stubbornly resisted by denominational leaders and church councils alike.

To be called to serve the Gospel means that ministers must use all of themselves to serve the Gospel, as Paul advises in 1 Corinthians 9:

“For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.”

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Paul recommends flexibility for clergy and ministry leaders. This flexibility means clergy can embrace multiple vocations that honor their gifts and talents and time. I know ministers who operate craft and design shops on Etsy. Others work as substitute teachers and serve their local school boards. Others work in social advocacy organizations or serve as volunteers for shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Some ministers might use their math skills and financial acumen to help people establish a household budget. Some ministers might coach youth sports teams or play in a community band.

Maybe you’re wondering about me, and why I am the minister writing this column for you.

Well, I was the woman in seminary 13 years ago who thought bivocational ministry was a scam, set up so that churches could pay pastors less, and ministers could lower our expectations despite coming out of four years of post-bachelor’s education and a year of barely-above-minimum-wage pastoral internship.

I thought pastors should run our churches like CEOs, and we should make sure our churches functioned financially so that we could pay our bills and count on a middle-class existence.

Whew, was that woman wrong - and likely following a failed 1980s megachurch model for Corporate Church, a model that has since been complicit in the rise of white Christian Nationalism. While I do know there are some who might suggest bi-vocational ministry as an excuse for lowering clergy wages, uni-vocational ministry, especially for mainline Protestant pastors in modern-day America, is just naive and unrealistic, and it also fails to meet the needs of modern-day Americans and modern-day Christians.

Today, I am a fully bona fide multi-vocational minister who has not served a full-time parish call since May of 2017. Since that time I have served a below-50-percent part-time interim staff call at a large metro congregation, and I have also served a 3/4 time solo call to a small rural congregation. I have also spent periods of time officially “on leave from call,” which I am currently on now. During those periods, I continued to serve as a fill-in pastor and preacher, including for pastors on sabbatical or churches in a short-term clergy transition.

Throughout all this time, I have continued to serve my other vocations as a mother to two young children, and also as a writer, speaker, author, journalist, and teacher. My first book, Red State Christians, came out in 2019, and Broadleaf Books published an updated version in August 2022. I host a thrice-weekly newsletter on my Substack, I’m Listening, at https://angeladenker.substack.com. I have taught courses for seminaries and universities, served as a guest on countless podcasts, and even appeared as a news pundit on CNN, the BBC, and SkyNews in 2019 and during the 2020 Presidential Election. I give keynote addresses and talks on Christian Nationalism, and I often work with pastors to support them on ministering in a divided political world, where political and religious-based violence and rhetoric is on the rise. I also speak on racism and the part it plays in white Christian Nationalism in America, and about the role of women in the church.

To support these passions, I have also done a variety of side jobs. Occasionally, I serve as a substitute teacher for Southwest High School and Lake Harriet Community School in the Minneapolis Public School district. I serve on a board for an organization promoting education on domestic violence prevention in Minnesota schools, based in rural Minnesota. I write articles for websites and magazines, and I also get to partner with organizations like Church Anew - which has fostered the multi-vocational writing and speaking skills of ministry leaders for several years now. Other organizations such as Red Letter Christians and Sojourners have also been fruitful places in which to grow my multi-vocational work.

Still, this path is one that many of us are forging for the first time, and we often face stereotypes and misunderstanding. Many people think I’m “not working” since I left my most recent parish call, and in my denomination, our practice of placing multi-vocational ministers “on leave from call,” reinforces this misunderstanding.

I am encouraged by the pioneering work of some Lutheran synods, who have made room for calls to “public theology” or other ways to affirm the work of ministers serving outside traditional parish or seminary professor calls.

Perhaps the most challenging part of being a multi-vocational minister (and you don’t have to be an ordained person to fit in this category! I know several incredible multi-vocational ministers who are not ordained) is the loneliness and the anxiety. You’re never quite sure where your next paycheck is coming from, and you never really have coworkers in the traditional sense. You might also feel a wondering if you’re doing the right thing - or if God has affirmed your call - or if you’re letting the Church down.

I’m hoping this column can serve as a place for encouragement and growth for all of us exploring this uncharted path. As part of that work, I want to address your own particular questions and concerns and wonderings about multi-vocational ministry. I’d love for you to share your stories with me and with Church Anew, and with your permission, I’ll address your questions in my column. You can submit them to me here: https://www.angeladenker.com/contact.

We can talk about your practical questions, like, how do you handle multi-vocational income during tax season? How do you start a practice of writing or speaking? How do you handle your social media platforms as a multi-vocational minister?

We can also talk theologically, about expanding the Church’s view of vocation and how it can operate in modern-day America. And we can talk about your struggles, emotions, and joys when it comes to this work. I hope through this page that we can meet one another, support one another, and continue to gain a deeper experience of Christian community.

I’ll be back in a couple of months with another column - don’t forget to send along your thoughts and questions! I’m also planning profiles of multi-vocational ministers among us: so think about sharing your story!

Rev. Angela Denker

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Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 3/30/23 Char Cox 3/30/23

Vocare: Called to Regret

You are invited to focus on your personal regrets by both naming and reframing them, and by so doing, nourish in a particular way, God’s call for both your present and your future.

The following Vocare spiritual practice is featured in Church Anew’s Lent in a Box for 2023 and was developed by Rev. Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox as part of the Nourishing Vocation Project of The Lutheran Center at St. Olaf College. We will be offering one piece of the Vocare practice each week.

Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your various callings so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good.

Through guided reflection on personal life experiences via the lenses of values, openness, call, attentiveness, regrets, and experiences of God’s presence, the Vocare practice nourishes discernment of three primary questions. Who am I called to be? What am I called to do? Why am I here?

Vocare Practice: Called TO Regret

You are invited to focus on your personal regrets by both naming and reframing them, and by so doing, nourish in a particular way, God’s call for both your present and your future. When carefully tended to so that hindsight becomes insight, our regrets can be powerful and lifegiving voices of call for us. Use the time between the following guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind a circumstance or experience of regret from your own life. Is this a regret that still has you dwelling in hindsight, or is it a regret from which you now have gained insight? How has this regret shaped your life and its horizons?

Reflect upon your regrets

How easy it is for me to name and learn from my regrets?
What are my regrets from today?
What insight do I gain from them?
What do I need for tomorrow?

Prayer

Help me, O God, to learn from my regrets so that I might live more faithfully in each tomorrow. In Jesus name, Amen.

Check out our Instagram reel for a video version of this reflection.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 3/23/23 Char Cox 3/23/23

Vocare: Called to Attentiveness

You are invited to focus on where you regularly invest your attention by considering what captures your time, energy, thoughts, and imagination in everyday life.

Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your various callings so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good.

Vocare Practice: Called TO ATTENTIVENESS

You are invited to focus on where you regularly invest your attention by considering what captures your time, energy, thoughts, and imagination in everyday life. By so considering, you are invited to nourish in a particular way, God’s present-tense call in and through daily living. Use the time between the following guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind a specific day, or season in your own life. Is this day or season fairly typical for you, or is it an anomaly in the rhythm of your life? How has your attention in this specific day or season shaped your life and its horizons?

Reflect upon your attentiveness

How do I typically decide where I invest my attention?
What captured and held my attention today?
Where do I wish I could have invested my attention today?
Did my attention align with my values?
What do I need for tomorrow?

Prayer

Turn my attention to you, O God, that I might recognize you at work in my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Check out our Instagram reel for a video version of this reflection.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 3/16/23 Char Cox 3/16/23

Vocare: Called by God

Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your various callings so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good.

Vocare Practice: Called BY GOD

You are invited to focus on the many and varied voices that call to you each and every day. Some of those voices are literal. Others are metaphorical. Some are external, and some are internal. Some of the voices that call to us are life-giving, and while others are life-draining. Some are worthy of our attention. Others distract us and merit being silenced. Reflecting upon the voices that call to us helps us understand which voices we listen to and why. Likewise, it helps us consider which voices we would do well to preference and which it would be wise to dismiss or ignore. Use the time between the following guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind a one of the voices that speaks loudly to you. Is this a voice that builds you up, or is it a voice that tears you down? How has this voice shaped your life and its horizons?

Reflect upon your openness

How do I typically decide which voices I listen to?
What voices called to me today?
Which ones did I listen to?
Which ones did I not listen to?
What do I need for tomorrow?

Prayer

Inspire me, O God, to trust in your call upon my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Check out our Instagram reel for a video version of this reflection.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 3/9/23 Char Cox 3/9/23

Vocare: Called to Openness

Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your various callings so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good.

Vocare Practice: Called to Openness

You are invited to focus on your own experiences of openness. Openness summons us to dwell in “holy indifference,” focusing our hearts and minds not on outcomes or results, but rather concentrating on being sustained in every present moment by God who works all things for good. Use the time between the following guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind an experience from your own life when you needed to be open to something. Is this an experience of openness that has reached a conclusion, or is it an experience of openness that is still unfolding? How has this particular experience of openness shaped your life and its horizons?

Reflect upon your openness

How do I typically respond to invitations or expectations to be open?
To what was I asked to be open today?
To what did I say “yes?”
To what did I say “no?”
What do I need for tomorrow?

Prayer

Open my heart, O God, to the mysteries of your saving love. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Check out our Instagram reel for a video version of this reflection.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 3/2/23 Char Cox 3/2/23

Vocare: Called to Values

Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your various callings so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good.

Vocare Practice: Called to Values

You are invited to focus on your own values.

Values are the things that we most hold dear, those principles or commitments that guide how we think, what we believe, and how we act. Values can be both tangible and intangible. They can be consciously present in our actions, and they can contribute unconscious influence upon our choices.

Considering personal values with intention helps us to name what our values really are and to determine if what we aspire to value is actually demonstrated in our everyday lives. Use the time between the following guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind an experience from your own life when you had to choose between conflicting values. Is this a value-centered choice that has been resolved, or is it a value-centered choice that is unresolved? How has this particular experience of value-centeredness shaped your life and its horizons?

Reflect upon your values

What do I value?
How have I lived my values today?
How have my values been in conflict today?
What do I need for tomorrow?

Prayer

Lead me by your Spirit, O God, to value what you value. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Check out our Instagram reel for a video version of this reflection.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 2/22/23 Char Cox 2/22/23

Vocare: Called to Renewal

Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your various callings so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good.

Vocare Practice for Ash Wednesday

You are invited to focus on God’s call to renewal for you. Renewal comes in host of different forms and through a variety of times and experiences in our lives. Sometimes, renewal comes through unexpected, unplanned, or even undesired circumstances. At other times, renewal is a conscientious and intentional choice. Either way, seasons of renewal are “between no longer and not yet.” In these “in between times,” we are changed. Use the time between the following guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind an experience from your own life when you experienced renewal. Is this an experience of renewal that is in the past, or is it an experience of renewal that is ongoing? How has this experience of renewal shaped your life and its horizons?

Reflect upon how God is calling you to renewal in this season

Who am I called to be – in this “not yet” time?
What am I called to do – in this “not yet” time?
Why am I here – in this “not yet” time?
What do I need for this “not yet” time?

Prayer

Turn me toward you, O God, to Lenten practices that call me from death to life. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Check out our Instagram reel for a video version of this reflection.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Dr. Michael J. Chan 9/27/22 Dr. Michael J. Chan 9/27/22

Disembarking the Heroic Path

Instead of asking us to descend into the caverns of our innermost selves and excavate our authentic identities, [Ecclesiates] offers alternative questions that point us back to the perceptible world: “What is my responsibility to the world around me?” “What does my hand find to do?”

There is an ancient and widespread genre of story whose plot goes something like this: Once upon a time, there was a hero. She was an ordinary person from an ordinary place. She discovers, however, that she is in possession of a special gift, a remarkable object, or an extraordinary burden that makes her stand out among her peers. Our hero goes on a quest that involves danger, self-discovery, and sacrifice--often alongside important companions or mentors. At the end of the story, she returns home a changed person.

You might recognize this narrative echoed in some of the most beloved characters filling our screens today. Think about the vibrant and brilliant story of Kamala--not the VP but Ms. Marvel—who discovers an ancient family heirloom that activates a nascent power within her and mystically connects her to her grandmother. Through Obi Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker learns about an ancient power that gives him a special connection to the Force. Tolkien’s Frodo, from Lord of the Rings, happens upon an ancient ring of power that he must bear, suffer under, and ultimately destroy. Even the vibrant and charming Disney film, Encanto, both inverts and perpetuates this genre in the character of Mirabel—an unremarkable girl in a family of exceptionally gifted members. Her ordinary life is ultimately what allows her to help her family in a crisis. The story of the hero’s tale is an ancient one, and it shows no signs of waning—especially if Disney has anything to say about it.

Many of these stories are beautiful and moving. They resonate in a particular way at this moment in American history that Charles Taylor has rightly called the “age of authenticity.” (1) In the age of authenticity, the Zeitgeist summons us to undertake our own hero’s journey in search of our true and authentic selves, and in the process discover that special gift we can share with the world. The age of authenticity ultimately asks adherents to look within and excavate—beneath layers of psychological trauma, oppression, false consciousness, and scar tissue—in order to uncover one’s identity, definition, and purpose. The age of authenticity still summons us to an epic hero’s journey. They only difference is that the geography we travel is ultimately internal.

Andrew Root has recently addressed these topics from the perspective of youth ministry in his insightful and creative volume, The End of Youth Ministry. (2) There he argues that the redemptive and heroic story adopted by so many in our contemporary culture involves a number of necessary steps. As a starting point, you must discover your “thing” in this world (identity) and gain external recognition and acceptance for that identity—even if only from others who share that identity. The promise at the end of this journey is the all-American reward of “happiness.” It’s the new white picket fence.

Here’s the thing about stories. Well-crafted ones in particular have a way of seeping into our souls, where they shape our sense of possibility, inform our compassion, and nourish our imaginations. But all stories—even the best and most virtuous ones--also cultivate our sense of threat, anxiety, and peril.

What if I don’t discover “my thing?” What if I turn left down the path when I should have turned right? What if I miss my one, true calling? What if I ultimately cannot find my authentic self? What if no one wants to join me on the journey? What if I never find my one, wild hope for this life? What if tragedy stands in the way of vision?

The very real impact of these anxieties is all the more apparent to me now as I spend time among college students who are often fully engaged with these questions.

The book of Ecclesiastes also has something to say about the purpose of a human life and what we should be about in this world. But in stark contrast to the genre of the hero’s journey, Ecclesiastes is decidedly anti-heroic. This is ironic given that the book associates the authorial voice with none other than Solomon, the last great king of a united Israel. Ecclesiastes is written in the voice of a sagely and royal teacher who is at the end of a storied life, reflecting on what it all means.

In the 9th chapter of Ecclesiastes, Koheleth offers this advice about how one should go about living in the world:

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom (Eccl 9:7-10).

For Ecclesiastes, the true nature of this world—including God’s will—are largely hidden from the powers of human perception and reason (see, e.g., 8:16-17; 9:12). We may be able to perceive something of reality, but it will always be out of focus and opaque. Given the limitations of human reason, Koheleth calls upon his readers to bask in the approval of God and to throw themselves into what they can confidently see, touch, and taste. He instructs them to enjoy the fruits of their labor, delight in the love of a partner, and do whatever their hands find to do.

In a critical article on Ecclesiastes, William Brown rightly notes that Koheleth’s advice removes human toil from the realm of achievement and places it instead into a discourse of enjoyment. Enjoyment in Ecclesiastes “has the power to redeem the notion of toil amid (rather than over and against) the vicissitudes of life, the elusiveness of gain, and the ravaging power of death.” (3)

And with this clever insight, the ancient Koheleth calls us to walk a path that is quite different from the one we find on the hero’s journey into authenticity. Instead of asking us to descend into the caverns of our innermost selves and excavate our authentic identities, Koheleth offers alternative questions that point us back to the perceptible world: “What is my responsibility to the world around me?” “What does my hand find to do?” Work belongs to the realm of daily life, where we encounter the needs of those around us, and where we bump up against a myriad of things for our hands to do.

In an interview with Krista Tippett, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen makes this important statement concerning the Hebrew phrase, Tikkun Olam (repair/healing of the world): "It's not about healing the world by making a huge difference. It's about healing the world that touches you." (4) All of us inhabit particular, intersectional contexts where suffering, joy, hope, and trauma are tangled up in complex ways. It is in that messy matrix—that vocational womb—where we are summoned into service of the world, and where our hands find good work to undertake.

Sometimes we will do this out of fiery passion and sometimes out of cold obligation, sometimes out of visionary desire and sometimes out of a sense of responsibility. In all cases, we are called into this world—not as a savior or a hero—but as a co-creator of hope, as a particular in repair, and as a partner in the building of a more trustworthy world?

When we disembark the path of the hero’s journey and begin to walk, instead, the path of vocation, we inherit a different—and I dare say better—set of questions. On the journey of vocation, the path before us goes from narrow to broad, from restrictive to free.

Footnotes:

Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007), 473.
Andrew Root, The End of Youth Ministry? : Why Parents Don't Really Care About Youth Groups and What Youth Workers Should Do About It (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2020).
William P. Brown, “’Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do’: Qoheleth's Work Ethic,” Interpretation 55:3 (2001): 271-284.
https://onbeing.org/programs/rachel-naomi-remen-how-we-live-with-loss/ Many thanks to my colleague, Dr. Matt Skinner, who introduced me to this interview as part of our co-taught MDiv class, Scripture and Its Witnesses, at Luther Seminary.

Dr. Michael J. Chan

Dr. Chan is the Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Work at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. Prior to this position, he was associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University and is a graduate of Luther Seminary (M.A. in biblical theology) and Pacific Lutheran University (B.A. in elementary education).

Host: Gospel Beautiful Podcast

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Char Cox 9/8/22 Char Cox 9/8/22

Six Words

I have long been fascinated

By the six-word story –

Six words to tell a complete tale,

Six words to capture an experience,

Six words to engender emotion,

Six words to draw the reader in,

And

To leave the reader changed,

Six words to say everything there is to say,

Six words –

Succinct,

Carefully chosen,

Complete.

I first discovered the six-word

Phenomenon

several years ago

when I was reading memoirs.

My goal was to read

a book a week,

And in the process,

I searched for titles

by reading reviews online.

One day,

when I was scrolling through the results for

“must read memoirs,”

I stumbled upon

The Six Word Memoir ® project.

After finding the website,

I ordered and read,

“Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs,

by Writers Famous and Obscure,”

edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith.

By page 20,

I was hooked.

As I read

Entry after entry,

I was amazed

at how just six words

spoke volumes.

Six words

told complete stories.

Six words

captured

Moods

and memories.

Conflicts

and crises,

People

and poignancy.

“Born in the desert, still thirsty.”

-Georgene Nunn

“Savior complex makes for many disappointments.”

-Alanna Schubach

“Joined Army. Came out. Got booted.”

-John Baumeister

“Followed rules, not dreams. Never again.”

-Margaret Hellerstein

“On the playground, alone. 1970, today.”

-Charles Warren

“Everyone who loved me is dead.”

-Ellen Fanning

“Time to start over again, again.”

-Dan Petronelli

And, still one of my favorite –

“Asked to quiet down; spoke louder.”

-Wendy Lee.

It wasn’t long

before six words

became a regular spiritual practice for me.

Review the day

in six words.

Portray the experience

in six words.

Process the feelings

in six words.

Succinctly summarize

both joys and sorrows,

trials and triumphs,

hopes and fears

in six words,

Day after day,

Week after week,

Month after month -

It became a framework

to put things into a healthy perspective,

to both celebrate

and let things go.

Before I knew it,

I found myself

thinking in six words

about things both

humorous

and serious.

It even became a part of my

sermon preparation –

Write the sermon in six words –

and then write the whole sermon.

It was –

and is –

Both life-giving

and life-saving.

When the pandemic descended

upon

and engulfed the world

in early 2020,

I found myself

wondering what I could do

that would give people

a space,

a place,

and community

amid lockdown

and isolation

to not feel so alone.

We couldn’t be together,

but we needed each other.

With so much

Upended

And suspended,

I – we –

Needed some way to

Articulate,

Put into words -

Name

what we were

Thinking,

Feeling,

and Experiencing

amid so much fear and uncertainty.

Late one night,

In March of 2020,

I formed a Facebook group -

“Six Word Snapshots.”

The timeline photo

said then,

And still says now -

“Staying home

Washing hands

Praying more.”

The invitation is this:

In six words only,

write about what you are doing

amid these changing times.

What brings you joy?

How has your life changed?

What are your challenges?

How are you passing the time?

How are you

"making the best of it?"

What are you thinking about it?

Remember –

six words only –

no more, no less!

I invited a handful of my friends.

They invited more.

And it grew exponentially

In a matter of hours.

People wrote -

People responded

And with one six-word post

after another,

a community was formed.

People wrote of their sorrows:

And suddenly tears, despite the sun.

People wrote of their exhaustion.

I miss my motivation. Too tired.

People wrote of their loved ones who were sick:

Rest eternally, Dad. Kick COVID, Mom.

People wrote of strained relationships:

Painful relationship with mother. Weird day.

People wrote of unemployment:

Husband’s job loss is permanent. Sigh.

People wrote of the unsettled-ness of time:

Really? It’s not Friday? Who knew?

People wrote of the everyday things that were keeping them going:

Warm, delicious homemade cinnamon raison bread.

People wrote

and wrote

and wrote,

and they are still writing.

The posts are more infrequent now

and are often not related to the pandemic –

Prayers, friend's heart valve surgery tomorrow

Friends' happiness makes my heart giggle

Yippee, back to work at 80

Making play dough tonight! Kneading …Therapeutic.

But there is something profoundly holy

about this

six-word experience

and the ongoing way that

it meets people’s needs

to speak

and be heard,

to name something –

anything, really -

and have someone respond.

In recent months,

my personal six-word practice

has taken on

yet another

a new form.

Through my work as the

Program Director for Congregational Thriving

at St. Olaf College,

I have the privilege of

stewarding

The Nourishing Vocation Project,

a project through the

Lutheran Center

for Faith, Values, and Community

with generous support from

Lilly Endowment Inc.

The Nourishing Vocation Project

is a four-phase experience

that invites individual participants

and whole congregations

to deepen their understanding

of God’s call

upon their life and work

so that they can thrive.

Foundational to this project

is a spiritual practice

that I have created, called

Vocare.

Vocare,

from the Latin,

meaning “to call,”

is designed to

help you discern

and embrace

your multiple vocations

so that

you can more intentionally

live life on purpose

for the common good.

Vocare

invites ongoing reflection upon

six words –

Values,

Openness,

Call,

Attentiveness,

Regrets,

Experiences

of God’s presence.

Vocare

invites you to regularly

dwell with these questions –

What do I value,

and how am I living my values?

To what am I being asked to be open?

How do I respond?

What voices are calling to me?

Which ones do I listen to, and why?

Where am I giving my attention?

Does my attention align with my values?

What are my regrets?

What insight do I gain from them?

When, where, and how have I experienced

the presence of the God in my everyday life?

Values

Openness

Call

Attentiveness

Regret

Experience –

Six words

that can

nourish ongoing discernment,

Six words

that can

nourish the pursuit of purpose,

Six words

that can

nourish the living of

our multiple vocations in daily life,

Six words

that can

lead you to more intentionally

live life on purpose for the common good.

I commend this practice

and its six words

to you.

Incorporate it

into something you are already doing –

Put these six words

in your head

and write them on your heart.

Think on them

when you go for a walk,

Commute to work,

Have your devotions,

Mow your lawn,

Sit down at table with your family,

Take a shower,

Plan your budget,

Lay out your monthly calendar.

Give them space in your thoughts

when you go to bed at night.

Let them greet you

when you wake

In the morning.

Welcome them

as a companion

on your daily journey –

whatever that journey may be

and wherever that journey

may take you.

You just might be surprised at how

these six words

lead you to clarity

when life is confusing –

Point you toward intention

when meaning is allusive,

And deepen your understanding

of God’s call

upon your life and work –

in the everyday moments

of everyday life

so that

you can

more intentionally,

live life on purpose for the common good.

And who knows,

You may even end up with some

Amazing six-word stories along the way!

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Amar Peterman 8/11/22 Amar Peterman 8/11/22

Am I A Progressive?

We want to introduce you to Amar Peterman. Amar is a writer and public theologian. He is also going to be speaking at our 2022 Enfleshing Witness gathering in October. To get you better acquainted we share the following, originally published on Amar’s blog, “This Common Life.”

In a recent essay for Sojourners, Josiah Daniels offered several explanations for how his experience at a conservative Christian college made him a “leftist.” Daniels notes that after a year in college, he didn’t identify as a conservative Christian. Seeking an alternative, he found an emergent church that met in an old mall. “I knew friends and professors who identified as “progressives” had found a home there,” Daniels comments. “I started attending as well. But eventually, I realized ‘progressive Christianity’ was just as vacuous as conservative Christianity.”

While I am not a “leftist” like my friend Josiah, his concerns regarding progressivism resonate with me. I, too, knew that whatever “conservative” Christianity was, it was not for me. And, like Josiah, I ventured into the realm of “progressive” Christianity only to find it just as performative and empty.

The problem I see today is that “conservative” and “progressive” as identifying labels denote space and proximity to an idea or object. They are relative terms.

Let’s take my education as an example: While Moody Bible may be considered “conservative” in most contexts, placed next to Bob Jones University or Pensacola Christian College, it is far left. Similarly, Princeton Seminary may often be seen as “progressive” but placed next to Union Seminary or even Harvard Divinity, it may be labeled as conservative. Neither place is “conservative” or “progressive” on its own. It can only be defined as such when placed in context to something else.

The conservative-progressive spectrum, I believe, is a false binary used to categorize and make assumptions about those around us. Both “conservative” and “progressive” are handcuffs that align us with an in-group and ultimately distract us from thinking and acting with charity, nuance, and love. When we take on these identities as our own, we allow them to form our imagination of faith, our world, and the ideological “other.” We also place ourselves within the social commitments that these labels hold which limit our ability to speak truth in love.

While I do not think that this binary will ever go away, I do believe that our society and the church would do best to break free of these chains that bind us to ways of thinking and being that are rooted in the secular rather than the sacred. Our communion ought to be marked by Jesus Christ, not these false identifiers.

My hope in both my writing and faith practice is to follow the Spirit in our world today. At times, this may align me with what is “progressive;” in other circumstances, I’ll be “conservative.” But what is most important to me is loving my neighbor as I seek to follow and testify to God’s sacred and redemptive action in this diverse, complex, dynamically alive world.

Amar D. Peterman

Amar D. Peterman (M.Div., Princeton Seminary) is an emerging Indian American scholar working at the intersection of faith and public life. A widely published author, his writing and research have been featured in Christianity Today, the Christian Century, Shared Justice, Georgetown University's Berkley Forum, and more. You can follow his writing through his column in Sojourners Magazine and his weekly sub stack: This Common Life.
Website | https://amardpeterman.wixsite.com/home
Twitter | @amarpeterman
Instagram | @amarpeterman

Join us for Enfleshing Witness 2022, a free, virtual event featuring Jeff Chu, Kirk Whalum, Kim Jackson, and others.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Deanna A. Thompson 7/26/22 Deanna A. Thompson 7/26/22

Where Our Deep Sadness and the World’s Deep Hunger Meet

This is an excerpt of an article written by Church Anew contributor, Dr. Deanna A. Thompson. You can read the full article on the Christian Century website here.

In spring 2009, I taught what I thought was going to be my last class ever. The mysterious breaking of two vertebrae in my back had led to a stage IV cancer diagnosis, and the year had begun with me resigning from virtually every aspect of my life. I went on sabbatical the following fall, intending to try to bring closure to my life before it ended.

Instead of dying, however, I went into my first remission. I’m not naturally an anxious person, but life-threatening illness can mess with one’s equilibrium. As my sabbatical came to an end, I didn’t know if I could handle returning to teaching. What if I signed back up for life only to have to resign from it all again?

Stanford neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, author of the heartbreakingly beautiful book When Breath Becomes Air, lived just a few years after his diagnosis with incurable cancer. In that short period of time, he too went into remission and gained back much of his strength. His oncologist suggested he go back to working as a neurosurgeon. When he reminded his doctor he was dying, she responded, “True. But you’re not dying today.”

Of course, we’re all dying. But some of us know this more acutely than others. When that’s the case, it can be really hard to opt back into the life you’ve already had to opt out of. What does it mean to integrate trauma and death into our lives, even to make it part of our vocation, to figure out ways to go on?

In conversations about vocation, Christians often refer to Frederick Buechner’s observation in his book Wishful Thinking: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” This has been a sweet spot for many of us who have come to see our calling as the place where our passions, our joy, and our gifts can be put to work in service of the suffering and needs of the world. But now, in my fourth remission living with incurable cancer, I know that conversations about vocation must also make space for the deep sadnesses that fill our lives. Our grief, too, can and does intersect with the world’s hunger.

We don’t talk of vocation in terms of sadness, perhaps because we often lack the language to talk about what we’ve been through and how our bodies respond in divergent ways to traumatic events. Theologian Shelly Rambo defines trauma as “the suffering that remains.” I like this definition because it extends the language of trauma to those without a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, a disorder that can be debilitating and life-threatening. Invoking this language can open up ways for people without PTSD to talk about their deep sadness and how it relates to their sense of meaning and place in the world.

Copyright © 2022 by the Christian Century. “Where our deep sadness and the world’s deep hunger meet” by Deanna A. Thompson is excerpted by permission from the July 13, 2022 issue of the Christian Century. To read the full article, click here.

Dr. Deanna A. Thompson

Dr. Deanna A. Thompson is an author, speaker, and the *Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community* and the *Martin E. Marty Regents Chair of Religion and the Academy* at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Thompson’s writing and speaking covers on topics ranging from Martin Luther and feminism, scriptural interpretation (Deuteronomy in particular), cancer and faith, and being the church in the digital age. When she’s not writing, speaking, or teaching, Thompson can be found hiking in a national park with her husband and two children.
Website | deannaathompson.com

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

Church Anew 8/27/20 Church Anew 8/27/20

Policing and the Church: an Interview with an Officer

In part two of Church Anew’s series on policing and the church, we interview a police officer serving a community near Minneapolis on the intersections of his job, faith, and current events. Read part one of our series here.

Why did you become a police officer?

Growing up in the late ‘60s and ‘70s in a mid-size community, I was a part of a family that had a strong sense of service. My father was a college professor and a veteran of the Korean War. My grandfathers both served in WWI. They all were committed to making their country better and helping others through involvement in the community. This had a tremendous impact on my life and choices. Also when I was a young person, I loved watching TV shows on policing, such as Adam 12 and Columbo. I liked the activity and action of policing, helping others and holding people accountable. Even as a child, I had a strong sense of right and wrong.

How does your faith influence your work as a police officer?

My grandfather was a minister as was his father and his father before him. I grew up in the church and have been an active member my entire life. In policing, I try to apply what I have learned from my faith over the years, for example how I interact with people, the decisions I have to make, how I carry myself, how I want others to see me and how hard I work. My faith is an important part of my life.

Christians often talk about vocations as callings from God. Do you see your work as a calling from God? How so?

Yes, as I think about it, I do see my work as a calling. I have been blessed with a strong family that had a moral compass and was involved in community service. Many of the gifts God has given me that led to policing came through what I learned in my family: my heart for and desire to help others, my courage, the healthy body I have which is important in law enforcement. Everything that is a part of “my wheelhouse,” all these things that work together and fit for me in serving as a police officer are gifts from God. Over the years, I have fine-tuned these gifts and built upon them. I appreciate what I have been given and want to use these gifts for better. I do not want to squander them.

One of the things police sometimes say is they see people on their worst or hardest days. How do you live out your calling in serving the community and helping others during these difficult moments?

I came into law enforcement at age 22. Looking back, I think I had some strengths and a desire to help others and do the best I could. But honestly at 22, I didn’t have a lot of life experience. I have learned a lot over time with the experiences I’ve had in policing. This has caused me to do some honest introspection about what I am good at and not good at. I’ve become better at listening, understanding, being patient, bringing wisdom to difficult situations, and showing self-control.

Many police departments across the country have condemned the killing of Mr. George Floyd, both in public statements and personal conversations. How has the death of George Floyd impacted your daily work and life as a police officer since May?

Initially, our immediate focus as police officers was supporting our community in a time of unrest. We adjusted our schedules and put more officers on the street to be proactive in serving and protecting those who depend upon us. After the first few days when things calmed down, there were more peaceful protests and gatherings addressing what happened to George Floyd.

The initial turn of events made it hard for officers, both seeing the death of George Floyd and the grief of his family but also what happened to long-time businesses being burned down in Minneapolis, for instance, and the struggles these businesses’ owners were facing.

Since May, there has been a lot of discussions between officers and the citizens of our city. We have engaged in conversations about what happened to George Floyd. There has been pushback from some in our community about police brutality. There also has been support from our citizens. Some brought in food for us and said, “We are with you.”

As a police department, we’ve spent time discussing the future. The death of George Floyd has been very significant. We ask ourselves, “What does this mean for us?” There already have been some changes in laws regarding police training and our licensing. We are licensed based on many factors, one being how many hours of training we receive. The number of training hours have increased, such as in crisis intervention and autism training. The use of a chokehold has been limited, but our department did not use this tactic before. We have never done that.

After what happened in Minneapolis this spring, some people look at all of us differently and skeptically. While we are human and make mistakes, it is not possible for us to be accountable for the actions of every police officer, just like in any other profession.

There is an ongoing concern in the general public about what some view as a pattern of unfair treatment by police, often based on race. The latest example is a police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this week. You have been trained in crisis intervention, de-escalation, use of force, and implicit bias. Would you share a bit about the training you've received around implicit bias and race relations?

Our department requires implicit bias training and many hours have been devoted to it. Our most recent training was led by a facilitator who encouraged us to talk about the issues of bias and race relations in particular in small groups with one another. He gave us the space to bring forward issues of implicit bias in a way we could discuss openly. Those who walked away from that training left with a lot of food for thought and introspection on our own lives and how we bring equity and fairness to our daily work and interactions. Our city also offers training on implicit bias and provides great resources to us. The community we serve represents a rich variety of cultural backgrounds and many different races. Our police department is also very diverse so we learn a lot from each other.

As a police officer and person of faith, how do you live out your commitment to equity, fairness, justice, and inclusion for all people?

I consciously practice what I have learned, been taught, and developed over the years as a police officer committed to equity, fairness, justice, and inclusion. It starts with the oath I took, what I’ve been taught through my faith walk, talking with others, reading a fair amount, listening to others’ views, and always trying to grow. There is a lot to learn. For example, 15 years ago there was a week-long crisis intervention training with an emphasis on working with individuals who are experiencing mental health challenges. I wish that training existed early on across our society, because it was an eye-opener for me. It made me understand the spectrum of mental health and that those who are experiencing difficulties are God’s children and need to be treated with the utmost respect. They are humans who should never be labeled in some way. This training was transformative for me and changed the way I dealt with all people.

What would you like your pastor and community of faith to know about your vocation and how we might work together, perhaps in a new and different way?

Officers in general are truly wanting to help and do what is best for the individual but also the city and society. Many police officers are very talented and caring people in a difficult job with our society asking more and more of us every day. We need prayers especially in these times. I believe prayers make a difference. If someone you are talking with has questions about police brutality, reach out to your local police department to discuss these concerns. As a pastor, when someone in your congregation is struggling with questions about police activity, connect them with a cop to sit down and discuss together. Many people do not know a police officer personally or do not have access to police. Faith communities are a great place to bring together police and citizens to talk over questions and concerns with one another.

Church Anew is dedicated to igniting faithful imagination and sustaining inspired innovation by offering transformative learning opportunities for church leaders and faithful people.

As an ecumenical and inclusive ministry of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, the content of each Church Anew blog represents the voice of the individual writer and does not necessarily reflect the position of Church Anew or St. Andrew Lutheran Church on any specific topic.

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Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Multivocational Ministry Profile

Name: Rev. Natalia Terfa

Location: Minneapolis/Brooklyn Park, MN

Years of Ordained Ministry: 8

Years of Ministry (total): 20(+)

Official Job Title: Associate Pastor, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

Un-Official Titles: Project Manager, Church Anew; Podcast Host: Cafeteria Christian; speaker, teacher, presenter, convener; collaborator, dreamer

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Vocare Practice: Called TO Regret

Reflect upon your regrets

Prayer

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Vocare Practice: Called TO ATTENTIVENESS

Reflect upon your attentiveness

Prayer

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Vocare Practice: Called BY GOD

Reflect upon your openness

Prayer

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Vocare Practice: Called to Openness

Reflect upon your openness

Prayer

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Vocare Practice: Called to Values

Reflect upon your values

Prayer

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Dr. Michael J. Chan

Host: Gospel Beautiful Podcast

Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox

Amar D. Peterman

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Dr. Deanna A. Thompson

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