Seeing with Poor Vision

I am a man of vision. Problem is my vision is often out of focus and sometime even bordering on sheer delusion. My vision does not always flow from faith but from fear. My circumstances made it seem reasonable to conclude that after I preached my last sermon in the congregation I retired from it would be the last sermon ever. It was not an illusion when I heard the General Presbyter, sitting with the Committee on Ministry around him, informed me that he could not justify recommending me to serve another congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He made it clear that, while my personal morality was stellar my “loyalty to the denomination is sorely lacking.” Another Executive Presbyter from a presbytery in a neighboring state responded to my request to consider me for an Interim position in the future with “there is no way I can do that.” It turns out that he reads this blog and did not like what he read. We had also locked horns in some of the old Presbynet discussions.  Doors for service in the PC(USA) were loudly closing. I have, since then, received one request from a PC(USA) to fill the pulpit for him while he was out of town. I have also preached in a United Methodist Church as a fill in for the vacationing pastor.

Given the facts available to me, I saw my post-retirement vocation as a greeter at Wal-Mart. I have known that God always has an alternative fact-set. I wrongly believed that I could not serve as an interim in another denomination. I received an email and subsequent phone call from a Ruling Elder in a nearby Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). The EPC is a smaller and more conservative Reformed denomination. I have sense attended their presbytery meeting and last summer I visited their General Assembly (national meeting) with my son-in-law who serves as a pastor in the EPC.  I have written about my General Assembly experience in this blog. The PC(USA) has always been an uncomfortable fit for me, while the EPC fits me like a comfortable pair of jeans. 

I am feeling like a pastor again. I will serve this small membership congregation, if our Lord is willing, for a few months until they call a more permanent (installed) pastor. Interim ministry is slightly different from the kind of pastoring I have practiced. While it is 90% identical, there is this element of preparing a congregation to meet their next pastor.  

I have been warmly received by these East Texans. They are a pleasure to know. It is ironic that part of an interim’s task to help a congregation clarify its vision and that I, a man with poor spiritual vision, would be called of God do just that. The old Jewish saying is true – “We plan, God laughs.”