Social Networking

Many of our rostered leaders recently attended a boundaries workshop, which was held in Rockford. In it, we were reminded that maintaining healthy boundaries between rostered leaders (pastors, associates in ministry, diaconal ministers, deaconesses) and parishioners is very important to the life and health of a congregation. Maintaining these boundaries seems to becoming more difficult by the day. Consider the explosion in the use of social networking.

Pastor Kurt Nordby and I have just returned from an ELCA Bishops Assistants Gathering. Such a gathering is held every two years for the purpose of continuing education, networking and collegiality. One of the workshops I attended was led by the ELCA attorneys and the ELCA Consultant for Sexual Misconduct Prevention, Barbara Keller. One of the topics Ms. Keller covered was social networking.

Guidelines for the use of social networking have been developed. The following have been adapted for our use by Ms. Keller, based on previous work done by an Episcopal diocese and the United Church of Christ. I paid close attention in this workshop since I am a user of Facebook. These guidelines are for relationships or “friendships” between adults. Communication with minors involves additional concerns. Although there seem to be lots of gray areas, these guidelines are fairly clear.

1. Rostered leaders are strongly encouraged to set very stringent privacy settings on any social networking profile to shield adult and youth members from viewing content that may be inappropriate.

2. Individual personal profiles of rostered leaders are to be used to interact with real friends, family and peers. Rostered leaders should not submit “friend” requests to parishioners and others to whom they minister. The disparity of power may not give the other person the ability to decline such a request.

3. Rostered leaders who want to connect via a social networking website with parishioners are strongly encouraged to set up a group account that all parishioners may join. The purpose of having a personal profile and parish group is to create a line of privacy and maintain healthy boundaries with parishioners and real family, friends and colleagues.

4. Rostered leaders should consider the impact of declining a “friend” request from parishioners. These encounters may create tension in “real world” relationships. Rostered leaders can direct “friend” requests from parishioners to the parish’s group page.

5. Rostered leaders who work directly with youth are encouraged to establish church sponsored digital communication groups to maintain contact with youth members.

6. When a rostered leader’s ministry at a parish or other ministry setting ends, the leader should remove parishioners as “friends” or contacts in all forms of digital communication.

What do you think? Your comments are welcome on the blog site at http://niselca.blogspot.com/ or on Facebook (either my page or Northern Illinois Synod). --JC

The Perfect First Call Pastor

You have heard the old joke about the perfect pastor.

The perfect pastor

• is 29 years old and has 40 years experience



• has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends most of his/her time with senior citizens



• works from 8:00 a.m. until midnight and serves as the church's janitor



• is available at the church for anyone who drops in and spends all of his/her time out evangelizing



• is willing to be paid $100 a week and gives $75 a week to the church



• is, above all, good looking

There are lots of variations of the joke that expand on the qualities of that perfect pastor. We generally chuckle at such a description, but expectations of pastors do tend to be very high. Many years ago, I attended a retreat for pastors who were in transition between calls. One exercise required the entire group to work together to produce a list of expectations, written or unwritten, spoken or implied, that had been experienced. I remember the group getting a good laugh from the extensive list. Word and sacrament ministry seemed so far removed from the chauffeuring and plumbing that made the list.

I spend a great deal of time working with call process and I have recently been giving some thought to the qualities I like to see in our first call candidates. I have also had some discussion with other members of the synod staff and have come up with a list. I do not assign any particular order to the following.

It is very good if new pastors come to a first call

• with a deep longing to remain grounded in prayer, the Word of God, and the faith practices of the church



• with a desire to know and love the people of the congregation



• with respect for tradition and an appreciation for the history of the Lutheran church and the congregation



• understanding that an incarnational ministry builds relationships and “showing up” in places and at events that are significant to members is important



• believing that every pastor is a youth pastor and a stewardship leader



• understanding that home and hospital visitation is not a thing of the past



• with the knowledge that there are members of the congregation who are more spiritually mature than they are



• seeking to be excellent worship leaders



• knowing that their preaching requires great attention because it is not as good as it will be in a few years



• committed to self-care, family relationships and maintaining healthy boundaries



• with a willingness to listen
  


• with an attitude of humility and servanthood



• with an ability to receive criticism without becoming defensive



• understanding that they are role models in the community and people are watching



• with a desire to help a congregation understand its mission in its context and the ability to cast a vision



• with the ability to receive thanks and admit mistakes



• willing to be a partner in ministry with colleagues and the wider church



• with a willingness to ask for help



• with a sense of humor
  

What do you think? This list is by no means exhaustive. What would you add? Comment on the blog site at http://niselca.blogspot.com/ or on Facebook. Thanks for reading! --JC

The First Call

My first call was to serve St. John Lutheran Church in Massbach, a rural area southeast of Elizabeth, Illinois. The church and parsonage are located in a beautiful spot in JoDaviess County in the northwest corner of the state.

There was little in my history to suggest that I would be a good match for St. John. In fact, the bishop of the Illinois District of The American Lutheran Church, Ehme Osterbur, had me pegged for an inner-city congregation in Chicago. On paper it looked great. I was a big city kid and I had studied Spanish. But, after having a conversation with me and my wife, the bishop decided that another place might be better for us and our impending family. When he called to see if I was willing to interview in a rural parish, I recall a panicky reaction. What did I know about living in the country? But, in those days, no one said “no” to a bishop, so I said I would be willing to interview.

I have no idea if the call committee was under any pressure to take me. I never got that impression. But, as in the case of almost all first calls, I was the only person they interviewed. That is standard practice for first calls. The call committee had to decide yes or no on me before they could interview anyone else. My interview was cordial, the hospitality was gracious, and we left the interview feeling pretty good. I am sure that I was nervous. My wife was even asked a question or two. Yes, she was present, although today we strongly recommend against a spouse being present for the actual interview. That call committee took a certain chance on recommending me to the congregation and the congregation took a certain risk in calling me. I was untested as a pastor, but I must have shown some potential.

Our four years in Massbach were happy years. I worked hard. I listened. I learned the culture. I got teased a little along the way. But, there was never a day that I did not feel respected. We were in no hurry to leave when the bishop called and asked if I was ready to look at a second call. That was normal practice in those days. First calls were expected to last three or four years. I didn’t say no.

In St. John’s history, the congregation had had first call pastors before me. They had also had pastors retire from there. My predecessor was a seasoned pastor who moved on to another call. They did not necessarily see themselves as a “first call congregation,” as do some congregations. But, St. John was, in fact, a very good first call congregation for me.

The ELCA has done some study and identified best practices for congregations with first call rostered leaders. They include embracing the vocation of teaching and mentoring new leaders and providing support systems, such as mutual ministry committees. Hospitality, an openness to change, a sense of mission, and hopefulness for the future are important values.

Some congregations embrace their role as a first call congregation. Others feel as if they have been forced into the role because of finances or size. The attitude of the congregation can make a huge difference in the rostered leader’s experience.

You may find a wealth of information regarding first calls, including a best practices checklist, at http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Education/Life-Long-Learning/First-Call.aspx. Next time, I will share qualities that I think are important in first call candidates. Comments are welcome. Go to the blog site: http://niselca.blogspot.com/ or comment on Facebook. --JC