Merging is an Ongoing Journey - My Pastor is Unique

I guess you could say that about a lot of pastors.  They all have something about them that makes them different (or unique) from other pastors.

But here are just some of the ways my pastor is unique.

PUMC 9/19/2021

You see that upper left-hand corner?  That's a screen.  With my pastor sharing a sermon.  That he prerecorded.  While he was away on a trip with other church members.  That we played during our worship service.  That also got played over Zoom and YouTube.  All because he didn't want to overwhelm the lay servants and leaders who would be there to support the service.

Sometimes being the only person who comfortably and easily ran services (including giving a sermon), I've had pastors who have just said "I won't be there on this date" and I'd say about 95% of the time, I could cover without an issue.  Even if I covered multiple weeks in a row.  Or multiple times over the course of a few months.  I'm not complaining about it at all!  Each time was another opportunity to connect with God's Word that week and learn something new and share what God showed me to others.

But it was first strange for me to be added amongst a good sized group of laity who are also leaders in the church and have no issue providing a sermon or running a service.  So, it's not always me who has to step up.  But that is part of our job, is to be able to step up and cover when our pastor wants to take a weekend off to do something fun.

My pastor is unique in that he also cares for his laity and worries about overburdening them, while we the laity worry about overburdening our pastor.

So you saw the technology right?  Well, that's nothing really new because since the pandemic I'm sure a lot of pastors have created messages that they either gave live or prerecorded and posted somewhere for their congregants (and others) to see.  But, we played this prerecorded message during our service.  So it was like our pastor was there with us.

My pastor is unique in that he can be with us and still teach us in that way that we learn so much from, even when he isn't physically with us.

There are many other ways that my pastor is unique.  But these two reasons in particular are ones that I wanted to write about today.

I feel like I keep saying this, but as hard as the merging process was for me, it has also helped me grow.  Not just in musical ways.  Or gaining new friends.  Or new perspectives.  But also for expanding my knowledge in different areas, like how to use technology to reach all that we can.  And also for helping me learn how to be a better leader at church and a guide at church and a presenter at church.  Not just from my pastor but others in leadership positions as well.

I am so glad that every pastor is unique.  Because there is so much out there for me to learn.