Dr. Henry Santana, a justice of the peace in Nieces County, is a dedicated churchman at Kelsey Memorial United Methodist Church. On Sunday, the 28th of June, the first Sunday for many pastors moving in to churches in our conference; he said, as he introduced The Rev. John Fletcher for the first time, "It's the Methodist way!" And indeed it is. And Rev. Fletcher demonstrated why it can be a good way. As we are sent into new settings, we can take the pulpit, sigh and say, "Well, I was so happy back where I was, and I still can't make sense of why I'm here...(sigh again) and then you read a manuscript sermon." Or, we can take the pulpit and confirm why the Methodist way is to bring in new preaching, new styles of preaching, new hope and new excitement for the work of Jesus Christ.
And the congregation, you too, have a role in this! You can say, "Well, we also can't make sense of why you took dear old pastor Ralph; he was here so long he knew everything about us - and we pretty well knew all his sermons - had he stayed another two years we would have heard them all twice!" Or, you can say, "We thank God for our departed pastor and his/her ministry, but we thank God and rejoice in the presence of our new pastor and we will do our best to work with him/her to bring about what God is trying to do in our midst!"
I's your choice. Careful how you decide because it may be life or death for your church and for your own spirit.
