FTE "On Call" Blog

Trace Haythorn

Former President, The Fund for Theological Education

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January 26, 2009

In the wake

A week has not passed as I write this post, and yet the pressure on the new president’s administration could make diamonds out of coal. This week, pundits expect some of the worst economic news from companies that represent every sector of the global marketplace. News stories of new atrocities to young women in Afghanistan show the renewal of Taliban strength. A tense truce continues in Gaza, but the clock is ticking. A generation of children have been recruited as warriors in central Africa, and the potential for real change seems remote. As the global economy declines, human trafficking and the seduction of profits from illegal narcotics also seem to increase. The expectations of the new president are simply overwhelming, and yet the need for immediate intervention is critical. And because the systems and processes involved in all of these matters are so complex, measures of success will largely be determined by historians.

While the issues facing new young pastors are of a much smaller scale, the expectations and hope experienced by many leaders are no less daunting. Revive the youth program, recruit new members, fix our budget (and our roof or furnace), resolve that decade old battle about Sunday school curriculum, help us figure out parking, give us a strategy for dealing with the “competition” that seems to be stealing our young families…oh, and preach an excellent sermon each week, marry-bury-baptize our loved ones, visit all of our sick and homebound, be a leader in our community, and be the model of single or family life. Oh, and help us address all of those national and global issues I listed in the first paragraph, too. And smile through it all. The cry for leadership is great, and our seminaries are in a time of critically evaluating more effective ways of equipping the next generation of pastoral leaders to meet these challenges. AT FTE, we hope to not only assist communities in their identification of such leader but also to work with those who hear the call. We want to help them develop skills and dispositions to the work of ministry that ensure their success – not just for themselves, but for the church. We need leaders who can bring a healthy critical eye to our congregations along with a compassionate, creative eye. It means that most days our leaders will feel like they’re swinging from one emotional pole to another, but they will never have good reason to doubt that what they do matters and is needed by the larger community. This wake is the context within which the church has always been called to serve. While the complexities may change, the deep needs remain constant. The church and society are hurting. God is calling. We’re here to help.