Schoeni's Letter

A recent Christian Century (June 27, 2006) includes a letter to the editor by David T. Schoeni, who is from our own backyard; Overland Park, KS. Schoeni crystallized something you and I are in the middle of wrestling with.

"I am a '30-something' GenXer and former United Methodist pastor, and the news item about the decreasing number of younger clergy caught my attention...

But is the church simply seeking younger bodies to fill the role of pastor as it has been defined by previous generations? Or is the church interested in new leadership models - ones less focused on tending a declining institution and more invested in embodying a radically inclusive gospel?

As a younger-than-GenX Millenial-in-ministry, David's words have the deep resonance of inner truth. "Tending" can drain and frustrate me on the best of days. Hope of embodying the gospel for someone else keeps me moving when nothing else would.

That's how I try to see my work here. It's not easy for ANY of us. But it's where I think I hear a still-small and still speaking voice. -h