In my early years in ministry I would politely correct folks when they addressed me as "Father" instead of "Pastor" - then as I got more comfortable with my own identity I decided that it wasn't a big deal so I let it go without so much as a comment. Now, I am referred to as a priest or "Father" on a fairly regular basis and I have found I don't even notice. Even in the Confessions Luther mixed the usage of the terms Pastor and Priest.
So, I began to ask myself - is there a difference? First I took a look at The ELCA Task Force on the Study of Ministry that occurred from 1988-1993. Very little was said about any distinction as the primary focus of the document was examining the "three-fold" ordering of ministry shared by our Anglican and Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. The ELCA rejected the ordination of diaconal ministers at that time - which is interesting considering the rapid expansion of the Synodically Authorized Ministry programs in many Synods today.
Then came good old Merriam Webster which defines the following:
PRIEST: "one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God."
PASTOR: "a spiritual overseer ; especially : a clergy(person) serving a local church or parish"
Honestly, that wasn't a great deal of help - the gap between overseer and mediatory agent seems to be as wide and as impossible to cross as the Grand Canyon.
My colleague in this blog identifies himself as a presbyter, so I once again broke out Merriam Webster:
PRESBYTER: "a member of the governing body of an early Christian church"
Again, I feel the Pastoral Office is more than just part of the governance of the parish. So, I am left with the question -> Who are we who serve in the Pastoral Office? Is there a difference, does it matter?
I find myself regularly returning to the words first spoken to many of us at the time of our ordination, "According to apostolic usage you are now to be set apart to the office of Word and Sacrament in the one holy catholic Church by the laying on of hands and by prayer."
Early in my ministry I had the pleasure of hearing Carl Braaten speak to a gathering of clergy and we were scolded for falling away from our first love, namely the ministry of Word and Sacrament. For becoming Jacks (Jills) of all trades while neglecting the very thing that we are called to.
Today, I wrestle with whether I am a Pastor, a Priest, or a Presbyter or some combination of all of the above - I also know that in reality it doesn't make a difference by what we are called - but those words from the Rite of Ordination and from Braaten ring in my ears this rainy Wednesday as I have received absolution and am about to preside at Table.
May we, in the midst of things that swirl around us like sexuality studies, synod assemblies, unattainable congregational and personal expectations not lose sight of our first love and our primary call - to the Office of Word and Sacrament.
Blessings
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We all struggle with lables, our own self-imposed ones, and the ones imposed upon us by society, vocation, family, etc. I would remind You, Father, of this: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Whatever you are called, or call yourself, does not change your heart and your calling.
ReplyDeleteIndeed the nomenclature does not define us in our calling. I use the word presbyter, as it is widely used ecumenically to one who is ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, yet one who does not have oversight (a bishop) or ministry of Word and Service (a deacon).
ReplyDeleteAs for "title," in this part of the country (Southeast Texas) anyone in a collar is most likely Roman Catholic, Episcopal, or ELCA Lutheran. I even have parishioners in the ELCA parish where I serve who occasionally refer to me as "Father," usually with a wink and a smile. Even my non-Lutheran colleagues in town will do that. I see it as an honor...one which I strive to live up to on a daily basis. Pastor, preacher, prophet, father or mother, confessor, theologian, priest....we are in a sense Jacks and Jills of all trades. It is, however, in our society (and in our Church!) more and more difficult to BE and DO the work of a pastor, preacher, pastor, father/mother, confessor, theologian, or priest because we are called to be so many other things for which we were NOT ordained. I have found though that when I am given the freedom to do that for which I was ordained, then I am more fully exercising the ministry to which God has called me, and the people of God in this parish notice that as well.
I've been thinking on this latest topic for a couple of days. Being 'named' is a powerful thing. It brings to mind Moses at the burning bush asking God for a name so he could tell the Israelites who sent him. If they had a name, they had more than a description, they had a part of the one who was named.
ReplyDeleteIn one of the Genesis stories, Adam was comissioned by God to name the animals. Jesus called the demons by name.
Antagonist. Alligator. Jerk. Victim.
Joe, Fred, Bob. Abuser. Abused. Hurting ones, lost ones, clueless ones...Children of God...
What we call people in the congregations we serve or are part of also has power- power to divide or power to heal, whether we say those names out loud, or in the silence of our hearts.
I think it does matter what we call ourselves, or what we are called by others. it shapes us, inside as well as in the community. It has not been my experience to have been called priest or father, but my work is of a shorter, more temporary nature in congregations. It has mattered whether been identified as 'just an interim' or as a 'specialist in transitions'.
It seems that the naming issue also moves us again to the heart of the issues on identity in the ELCA. Who are we as leaders, even as we wonder who are we as a church?
I've been devouring Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" this week, and he has some remarkable things to say about how our heritage shapes us. I'm pondering a new thought now: that where we came from before (perhaps centuries before) makes a significant difference in how we approach issues today. If we can 'name' our heritages and those differences in this 22 years post-merger church, perhaps we could see the gifts and the curses we all bring to the table more clearly and can work together to shape a new identity as God's people called to serve in this century.
thank you all for these conversations~
RevSis
As I read this thread what puzzles me is how much control do we have over what people call us? And is policing how we are addressed worth the energy? Seems like the only name I don't have to earn is the one given me by my parents. Anything else and the title is an earned one. And does going through seminary and being called entitle one to being addressed as "Pastor_________"?
ReplyDeleteAnd why? What does this do, being addressed in this form? Does it lift up our being set apart? Is that helpful or another barrier we need to cross? Do we want to be 'just one of the guys/gals' or does that too produce and pose problems?
Yet in an age of informality and false intimacy maybe claiming a name/title is required.
Finally, might the hertitage of the church/institution we are serving have a stake in how we as clergy are addressed? If the congregations history is to address their pastors as "Pastor First Name" and we require "Pastor Last Name" what, if anything does this say and do?
Just some questions that the posts raise for me.
Theologia Crucis
I think (and this is personal) that it is important that we have a good ol' Lutheran "both/and" thing working here. Yes, we are set apart, but we are human, fallible Christians just like everyone else. I struggle with being "Pastor Joe" and being "Joe," and thankfully the parishioners in our parish work really hard when it comes to that distinction. If we are at something informal, they may call me "Joe." If not, then it is "Pastor," or "Father." I kind of like that distinction. In my ministry I do always remind the children to call me "Pastor," however, as a pastor is still an authority figure.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that how we address others reflects the relationship or the situation. I have friends from "up North," who call their parents "Mom and Dad." I'm sorry...I'm 40 years old and it is STILL "Mama and Daddy." (Good Texas boy here!) :-) But I think it reflects my relationship with my Mama, who is still a Mama to me, and with Daddy, even though he has joined the Church Triumphant. What we call people might not define the relationship, but the relationship defines the nomenclature.
It seems to me that at the heart of this question of naming are the issues of both identity and boundaries.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dos Padre Two that the relationship can define the nomenclature, but we need to make sure that the relationship itself is healthy. There are settings where the previous pastor had few boundaries and being addressed as Pastor (Last name) is important at first to set up a healthier relationship. Conversely, there are settings where the prior pastoral servant was emotionally detached and being addressed as Pastor (First Name) is appropriate in healing the breach.
To complicate it all, there is the relationship we have with ourselves. How we call ourselves can also reinforce our own understanding of our value and skills: do we downplay who we are and hide from our talents, or do we arrogantly overplay who we are for fear that our failings may be found out? Finding a healthy balance in ourselves, it seems, is an equally complex and dynamic relationship.
Add to that the identity issue of which we spoke earlier regarding who we are as a denomination, and we have a good bit of soul-searching and considering that may take place. It is not an impossible task to find balance, but it is a task that requires insight, sensitivity, reflection and humility as individuals and as a church whose ultimate identity lies in Christ.
~RevSis