Pity the Pastor's Progeny

There’s an argument to be made for celibacy, even in the United Methodist pastorate. I do not concur with the reasoning behind the requirement for Roman Catholic priests to remain celibate, but there is a callous insensitivity toward the families of ordained UM ministers that justifies—in my mind, anyway—remaining single. Again, this is not as much of an issue for those who are elevated in the hierarchy, but it’s a damned important issue for the grunts serving the lowliest of appointments. The family’s level of comfort in the parish is directly related to parishioners' perception of the pastor. In Burwell/Taylor, for example, there was no great love lost on my predecessor. There was no overt effort by the two congregations to get rid of her (remember that, at least on paper, UM congregations are consulted through their Pastor-Parish Relations Committee), but when the change was made no one was really sorry to see her go. In contrast, that influential clique that “ran” things at Tri-Parish were quite infatuated with my predecessor and his family, and they made little effort to hide their dissatisfaction with them being moved (even though it was a “promotion” for Todd). Subsequently, the reception that Mary, Rachel and Rebecca received in Burwell/Taylor was notably warmer than at Tri-Church. Not only was I not going to be a satisfactory replacement for the much beloved Todd, but neither was my family going to measure up to the Kargeses. These again are subtle events in the larger scheme of the denomination at large that go unnoticed except by those who are subjected to them. I’ve been working through my reasons for leaving the active ministry, and so it seems important at this point to begin laying the foundation. Life for the Reverend Mr. Mark Hanna and his family had gone far astray of the original calling to preach the good news of God’s love.