The facilitators of the event were George Anderson, senior pastor at Second Presbyterian, Ed McCleod from First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Ken McKayden, professor of ministry at Union Seminary. Pastors were selected from Arkansas, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to explore many of the practical elements of ministry over five days together.
I knew two of the other participants going into the event, but I also looked forward to meeting other pastors from other seminaries serving in a variety of locations in the Presbyterian Church. I love to play the "who do you know" Presbyterian game to see how many ways we are already connected even when we first meet. College connections, seminary connections, Montreat connections, all of these we were able to share as we got to know one another.
Over five days we explored many of the ins-and-outs of daily life in a congregation, considering many elements of church life we ignored in seminary, vying instead for that extra biblical studies course or theological seminar. This symposium was something I deeply needed, as we explored pracitces for sustaining a pastor's prayer life and working on weekly sermon preparation to stewardship campaigns and capital campaigns, conflict management and tools for Christian Education.
It was such a gift to hear from pastors who have spent a career seeking to respond faithfully to God's call who are now seeking to share that gift with a new generation of church leaders. In a time when many people seek to cling to power and privilege, the men who organized this event and the church members they enlisted to guide us through these various parts of church life, were truly looking to give something away for the benefit of the larger Church.
In his sermon on Sunday, Dr. Anderson spoke about having a "Benediction Ministry," calling on those of us in the symposium to serve the Church with the end in mind. There was both a challenge and a comfort in that message. He challenged us to use our gifts and equip our churches for ministry that is focused on Christ. Whether leading worship, engaging in financial and hands-on mission, working in the presbytery, or studying together, we are to remember that our goal as Christian people is to participate in God's transformation of the world. There are no perfunctory tasks when it comes to being the body of Christ; all our lives are proclamation. The comfort, however, is that we do not have to do it all; all of our ministries will come to an end, and we must be prepared to hand off the mantle to those who come after us who will continue to seek God's will for the world.
I felt that this experience celebrated what I love most about being a Presbyterian Christian. I had the opportunity to learn from mentoring pastors; I was given the gift of ministry colleagues from a variety of contexts whom I hope to engage and support for a lifetime of ministry; I was equipped with practical knowledge that can help me serve our congregation better. I left both exhausted and energized, filled with hope that despite our consistent failures and shortcomings at being Church, God continues to work through us and build us up into Christ, for the end of all this life is ultimately God's, and not ours. Our response is grateful obedience.
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