The Liability of a Younger Pastor? Say it Isn't So!

The Masked Pastor Rides Again? 

Congregations of the United Church of Canada are generally grateful for their clergy, regardless of age, and there are lots of ministers who are doing meaningful work well into their sixties and even their seventies. The truth is though, so many communities of faith either covet virtually non-existent younger pastors or have expectations for their clergy which makes no concession for aging. 

We are currently worshiping with a congregation which has a 30-something minister who has a gentle pastoral approach with the elderly yet brings a playfulness and imagination which is fresh and needed. He is a devout Christian and he and his wife are raising their two young boys in the faith. What a catch! I hope he stays around for a long time. Okay, I may be somewhat biased because he is our son, Isaac. Remarkably, their are two young-ish ministers in our family, the other being our nephew, Michael, whose two congregations have flourished under his leadership. I don't know how these younger men and women in ministry have managed to do ministry from a distance in the midst of such uncertainty,  as well as educating their kids 

Just the same, they and others who are younger and parents may be a liability in the near future. Their children will likely be going back to school in a few weeks, just as many congregations will take the tentative steps, literally and figuratively, back into their worship spaces for "live" Sunday mornings. But what will happen if their is a COVID-19 outbreak at a school or in a particular classroom. It seems that young children do quite well when they contract the coronavirus, which is a blessing. But will they be required to isolate for two weeks if a case or two is detected at a school, and will their parents be expected to do the same? If this is the reality, then congregations will be scrambling to find pulpit supply, perhaps at the last minute.

We are planning to physically step back from our grandsons when they return to school after a couple of blissful months reconnecting with them in our "bubble." We've enjoyed sleepovers and paddling and a fifth birthday party. Still, we'll be wise to love them from a distance after they return to school, at least for a time, to make sure that we stay safe. 

I have volunteered to be a worship leader, should I be needed, and I've already been asked to do a September Sunday because of the planned regional conference. I'll also be prepared so that I can that I can helicopter into the pulpit rather than require runway time. I should note that I don't have Ike's courage and ability to sing solo, which will be necessary under the regulations about congregational singing. 

 It's a strange world we're living in, but we'll figure it out, God being our helper.

Has your congregation resumed in-person worship, or will it soon? Do you have a Plan B, or C, depending on what unfolds? 

Squirt Gun Baptisms are not a great idea