I wear lots of hats. In addition to the “hats” worn as a pastor, I wear other “church” hats as well. Among them are serving on our Conference Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM), on our District Committee on Ministry (DCOM), as the chair of the Ministerial Education Fund (MEF), and finally, as a member of the License to Preach School.
The License to Preach School is a program offered by the Board of Ordained Ministry, in which lay people are instructed and prepared for deployment as licensed local pastors. In the License to Preach School, I have the privilege of serving as an evaluator of exercises submitted by the students. For instance, today was spent reading 11 lesson plans for a United Methodist 101 course. Not thrilling reading by any standard, but extremely rewarding. Allow me to explain.
As I read and assess each assignment, I not only get to refresh my memory on such things as United Methodist structure and polity, but I get to catch a glimpse of God’s work in each of these student’s lives. I get to sense God’s Spirit calling them to challenging and often scary new seasons in their life’s journey. I get to sense the excitement they feel as they respond to questions posed by educators, and more importantly, to the call of God’s Holy Spirit to take on this sacred work.
From my vantage point as a pastor, it’s easy to be disheartened by the contraction of the church, the secularization of society, and general disinterest in the pursuit of true discipleship. What a blessing it is to be able to see God moving in the hearts and minds of these diverse students, called from various places in life’s journey, to step into this special role of Licensed Local Pastor. It is an encouraging glimpse into our future. From its inception in the 18th century, Methodism has been rooted in the faithful response of people such as these. May God bless these contemporary respondents to be the root of something new and extraordinarily fruitful, for the glory of God and the growth of God’s kingdom! I’m honored to be part of their journey.