For I Am Ready
John Wesley once stated that we Methodists are “a peculiar people.” That peculiarness [I know this is not a word] is never more in evidence than this time of year when pastors are moved from church to church. Methodists call this the “itinerancy system.” More and more our itinerancy system is being called into question. Longer pastorates are preferred. Some say that Wesley worked from an itinerancy mindset because there were not enough ordained elders to preside over the sacraments, and since we are now being told we have more pastors than we have congregations to serve, then the itinerancy is outdated. Still, there is something to be said for our Itinerancy System.
It is not always pastors who ask to be moved, though we do ask sometimes. Sometimes congregations ask to have the pastor moved out so that a new pastor can come in. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes a particular pastor doesn’t fit well with a particular congregation, yet when that particular pastor moves to serve another congregation it is a match made in heaven. Isn’t that what we all want for our churches—a match made in heaven?
Itinerancy did not start with John Wesley and the Methodists. The Apostle Paul was an itinerant preacher. Acts 21 offers us a heart wrenching account of Paul, while in Caesarea, was being urged by people who loved him and wanted him to stay with them, to not return to Jerusalem. Paul believed the Holy Spirit was sending him to Jerusalem. I believe the Holy Spirit was sending him too. Paul’s word to the people is powerful. “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Paul went to Jerusalem.
Moving pastors around can be, and usually is, a very emotional time for the pastor and his or her family, and for the congregation. It can also be (and should be) a time for renewed hope and for growth. Patti and I will be moving to serve St. Peter’s UMC in June. The upside is that you will be welcoming the Reverend William A. Boykin and his wife into this church. He will be your shepherd. What an exciting time. It is exciting because—Reverend Boykin and FUMC just might be a match made in heaven.
Blessings,
Pastor Steve