by Kerry Williams
As you may know, we have just announced and are celebrating a new minister for our church. We have been working without a dedicated leader for over a year, since Glover retired last summer. And though it’s been a crazy time outside of Pilgrim’s community, we have held together surprisingly well under the circumstances. One would have expected a hiccup or two under the best conditions, and we should be proud of ourselves for making it through these rough seas intact.
The process of finding a new minister to help steer our course was long and members of the Task Force were often ready to throw up our hands as we wondered how far from “normal” every step of our journey was. It’s funny how just hearing that another has gone through similar ups and downs can serve to calm the rising panic.
The ministers we met along the way — the ones we talked with about taking the role who somehow didn’t fit — were beacons that helped light our path. They would mention a transition approach to shifting from a long-term pastorate that they thought would match Pilgrim well, or they would find pieces of our story that might be viewed as negative and show us the upside of what we were doing right, or they would forward our profile on to other clergy who might be looking to serve a church like ours.
What I appreciated most, however, was not these helpful nudges but the feedback about the way we were going about the process of moving into the next phase of our community’s life. We heard that it was productive and worth the time and effort we were putting in. We heard stories of other churches, in non-pandemic times, mind you, taking longer than we were to find their new minister. We heard about churches that had so much baggage to unravel that multiple interventions were required before they could even think of forging ahead. These prospective ministers assured us that a critical part of the process of moving into a new ministry is living the experience of the search. I can tell you that we didn’t always want to hear that. It was frustrating and time-consuming and confusing to be in the in-between, as it always is. Here’s what I came away with, though.
I had struggled with the idea that, if we could only zoom out far enough, we could see why everything falls into place the way it does. One could look at our minister search as a series of conversations with people who needed to give us wisdom along the way, and that the time we spent searching was necessary in order to line up with the schedule of the one who is meant to show up with us. I don’t dismiss that view at all. And it is true that we gained great perspective and have arrived at a good moment with a great minister.
What I feel is more important is acknowledging that along the way, as we struggled, there were people out there — relative strangers — holding us and soothing us and rooting for us. Did we have to struggle to make it here? No, I don’t believe that was a necessary component to our experience. But because that’s the experience we got, I am thankful that God was there in form of other humans to show us love and support.
Maybe God was guiding us to work through the obstacle course that was our minister search, maybe not. Either way, I’m glad God was there, and I hope you felt it too. It’s like the entire Pilgrim community was living the footsteps in the sand story that winds up with just the one set: God’s. The search involved heavy lifting for sure, and it was uncomfortable for all involved. But, but we made it, thanks to lots of patience and hope during the past year.
There are more hiccups ahead, no doubt. But I thought everyone should know that there are people all over the country cheering us on. And that no matter what form the next phase of our journey takes, God’s got us. We are Pilgrims, after all; maybe it’s in the search itself that we find where we’re going.
— Kerry Williams is a member of the Minister Search Task Force
and serves as Vice Moderator for Pilgrim Church