Privilege of Call Paper Submitted by Rev. Lawrence A. Iannetti Introduction: December 2011 While the ranks of the United Church of Christ, (UCC) include many current members whose spiritual journeys began in the Roman Catholic Church, there are far fewer who were ordained as priests in the Roman Catholic Church, and who now count themselves as members of the UCC. An abbreviated narrative of my spiritual journey follows. I was raised in a Catholic Christian family where daily prayer, grace at meals, regular attendance at Sunday worship and weekly religious education classes were an expected part of my formative years. Later, as a young adult in my late teenage years, I withdrew from any regular church affiliation and formal religious practice, typical of many college students. That period however was short lived, and by my sophomore year in college I became an active participant in a Protestant, evangelical youth group which captured my imagination with its sense of fellowship, study of the Bible and with its less formal, but joy filled times of worship and praise. Upon graduation from college I continued on that spiritual course for a couple of years, carrying a pocket Bible, and witnessing for Jesus, when the opportunity presented itself and being a sort of nondenominational Christian. By chance I became involved with a Charismatic prayer group, and eventually joined an evangelical lay Catholic community where we shared all we had in common, committed ourselves to daily prayer, tithing, and to various ministries in the local parish church. It was 1
there that I first experienced a call to ministry and, in part, out of frustration with the poor quality of Sunday sermons by the local parish priest, I perceived a sense of call to ordained ministry and headed off to a Roman Catholic seminary. When I completed seminary and was ordained in 1984, my life changed as I began my new life as an ordained minister of the Gospel. I quickly found myself being both a vehicle of, and spectator to, the presence of God in the lives of the people in the various churches where I served as a pastor. Preaching became a ministerial activity which I cherished. Sermon preparation became a time for God to speak to my heart, which in turn I proclaimed to the various congregations in which I served. I enjoyed the ministerial duties expected of me, ranging from religious education for both children and adults, to ministry to the sick, dying and shut-ins, to working with couples and young families for marriage and baptismal preparation, and of course preaching and celebrating the sacraments. I always found myself inspired by the faith and struggles of the people I served. While I enjoyed the work of ministry, I eventually found the unique lifestyle expectations of a priest in the Catholic Church, to be in conflict with my own growth and spiritual health, and I voluntarily left the priesthood in 1991. Though unarticulated at the time, in looking back I also found the Catholic Church s over emphasis on orthodoxy, on conformity and the general over reliance on the mediation of God s grace by the Church, to be a stumbling block to the growth of faith in my life and in the lives of the people in my congregations. The years that followed became a period of discernment for me, until I found a UCC congregation in the mid to late 1990 s that inspired me, and where I have remained ever since. 2
As part of my journey in the UCC over the past decade, I have been encouraged and sometimes cajoled into taking on various roles of leadership. Around 2001, when I formally joined United Congregational Church, UCC, in Worcester, MA, I also became a member of their Board of Ministries (formerly called the Church Council) as Chair of one of the church s ministries. I later served two, three year terms on the Board as a Member at Large. Currently I serve as Vice-Moderator to that body. For the past eight years, I have also been one of that church s delegates to the Annual Meeting of the Mass Conference of the UCC and more recently I had the honor and privilege to serve as a delegate to the UCC General Synod in 2009 in Grand Rapids MI and again in 2011 in Tampa, FL. In addition to my participation in the various roles in and for the local church and the Massachusetts Conference, I have also been providing ongoing pulpit supply in churches throughout the Central Association for the past 8 years. It has been through repeated encouragement from various churches in the association that I have once again responded to God s call to return to active ministry and am seeking Privilege of Call at this time. Seeking Privilege of Call Questions from the Committee On Ministry from the Central Association of the Mass Conference, UCC I. Authority. A basic polity issue as the UCC is pretty unique in its authoritarian (or lack thereof) structure. So this is a, a. denominational issue, b. a local church issue, and c. a pastoral issue. You might want to help us understand how priests and pastors 3
are viewed and how they work within the particular structure. Are there any residual expectations leftover from those days? When it comes to authority, one of the most attractive elements of authorized ministry as a pastor in the United Church of Christ, is the freedom to watch, encourage and support the faith journeys of its members, without the expectation or responsibility to protect orthodoxy, or to act as an arbitrator of morality. It seems to me that an essential duty of a pastor is to call and invite all members to participate in and extend the ministry of Jesus Christ, recognizing the primacy of scripture and the historic faith of the church as found in the creeds of the early church, along with an awareness of the writings of the reformers, as the backdrop against which we seek and discern that call. While there are faith traditions in the UCC which are respected, there are no dogmas. Since the UCC is not a doctrinal nor creedal church, there is no universally accepted test of faith, or of membership, no required orthodoxy, no set of infallible teachings on faith or morality which would obligate a pastor to adhere to, to teach from, or to protect. As such, a pastor in the role of minster of the gospel in the UCC, is freed from the scrutiny of higher authority as to beliefs and teachings, with the exception of that found in scripture, and does not carry with him or her an obligation to conform to the expectations of some external body, as would a priest. Rather a pastor serves the local church to which he or she has been called, and it is that local church, whose members call the pastor and establish both their needs and expectations in keeping with the call of Jesus Christ to all believers. Authority here resides with the congregation, with the collective wisdom of its members, guided by the authority of scripture and the Holy Spirit. 4
It seems to me that the role of the pastor in a local church is to be an informed and supportive guide to its members, not exercising power or authority over them, but rather empowering them, to discern and to respond to God s call for them, through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. In looking back some twenty years ago when I left the priesthood and the Catholic church, it seems that often my role as a priest was to pass along the teachings, traditions and duties set by the church, to encourage conformity and compliance to those teachings and duties, and to reassure the faithful that grace and blessings from God would be the result. As a pastor in the UCC, authority is not made up of mandates and requirements, which are imposed upon its clergy or it members, but rather authority is more likely synonymous with study, education, knowledge, experience, and hopefully exemplary living. In this sense the authority of a pastor might be more readily reflected in being well read on the prophets of the Old Testament, or in ancient Biblical languages, or having inspired the formation of a vibrant church or successful mission work, as examples, which might generate a response of respect, heightened interest, and an active openness to the authoritative nature of the knowledge such a person brings to the table. Perhaps a touch of wisdom might summarize it best. But even so, even this type of authority is never imposed, demanded, or compels acceptance or compliance. One of the critical differences between a pastor in the UCC and a priest in the Roman Catholic church, when it comes to authority, is that the responsibilities for parish administration are not given to the pastor in the UCC and remain within the purview of the laity who make up the church s board, deaconate, trusties etc. For a priest, parish administration is synonymous with being the pastor of a parish. It is the institutional Catholic church that in fact owns the buildings and grounds of the parish, and then places upon the priest the power, authority and 5
responsibility to see to its management, just as he manages the programming, the religious education, the finances, the scheduling and the mission of a particular parish. As the expression goes, the buck stops with the priest as pastor of a parish. Certainly one of the differences in that regard is that the pastor in a UCC church does not ordinarily have temporal responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the church, does not dictate the content of liturgy, does not alone determine the programming for religious education for the children, and does not hire or fire church staff and related personnel. The members of the local church, maintain that authority. One of the benefits of that type of local church polity in the UCC, is that the members of a local church take on responsibility for and remain involved and active in the daily life of the church, both in it physical settings, but also in its mission, its vision and in it witness to the greater community. Without elaborating on the historic traditions and course of events which formed the Roman Catholic Church in which I initially served as an ordained minister of the gospel, it is necessary to recognize that authority in that Christian denomination is often more closely aligned with power and control, with an unfortunate element of coerciveness thrown into the mix at times. In that church s tradition, authority rests with those elected or appointed to positions of responsibility and power, which is then in turn wielded over those who, in faith, submit to the office, which those elected or appointment may hold. In other words it is a hierarchical church which holds the reigns of authority over its members in matters of faith and morality, ecclesiastical order and discipline, in addition to secular control of property, revenue and spending. 6
In the UCC, on the other hand, authority is part of a continuum found in a covenantal relationship in which each member, each local church, each association, each conference or setting, accepts the call, given to us in Christ Jesus, to love one another, bear with one another, forgive one another, trust one another, and endure with one another. Fellow local church members, neighboring local churches, the bordering associations and the wide spread conferences, general synod and settings of the UCC owe each other an allegiance which arises from our shared covenanted relationships. We all share a common baptism in Christ Jesus and gather around a communion table with Christ as the head, where together we accept the struggle to, be both prophetic toward one another, and servant to the other at the same time. In other words authority in the UCC is consensual, collegial, and deferential to the degree to which we struggle to be one body in Christ Jesus; that they all may be one. On the other hand the use of the same word authority, to presume a person or body who institutes requirements of belief, acts as the final arbitrator of orthodoxy, determines the standards of morality, or assumes the status of final mediator of God s Grace, would not be a position acceptable to members of the UCC and conflict with that mission. I have been fortunate over the past 10 plus years to have served on the Board of Ministries of a local church, where significant decisions and responsibilities were accepted and shared by members of that church. The two pastors who served over those year, though members of the board, supported, encouraged and empowered members to recognize, discern and accept ownership for all aspects of the church s operations, mission, and ministry. While the pastors offered insights, guidance and wisdom when appropriate, they did not exercise authority over the board. In the unique setting of that local church, I was privileged to have watched a UCC church with an historic presence and an historic building, intentionally choose to redefine its 7
mission and ministry, come to recognize that the church building s value was only in its usefulness in fulfilling its mission and ministry, and should not be a drain on the resources of the church when it interfered in our fulfillment of that challenge. As a result, the board, along with the entire membership, voted to divest ourselves of our building and its substantial endowment in so much as they distracted us from our mission. Despite the radical nature of this decision, the pastors provided us with the freedom and support in the process necessary to respond to God s call in this radical way. So much so, that the decision cost the first of those two pastors her position, as we moved from a full time to a part time pastor position, yet that did not alter her faithfulness to her role leading up to that decision. In response to the latter part of the question as to whether there are residual elements from my former role as a priest, when it comes to the place or use of authority, I would have to say that if there are, I am not aware of any them. As it has been 20 years since I left behind the Catholic church, and with the past 13 years having been in the UCC, with 10 plus of those years in leadership roles in a local church, I have in fact become rather comfortable with the process of discernment, with the shared role of each member in the local church, and having witnessed the remarkable impact on God s people when accepting responsibility for their church, for its ministry and its mission, I have seen firsthand the benefit and value of this differing view of authority, and I love it. II. Theology. How has your understanding of theology changed (or has it) from your RC background until now? What is it about the UCC theology that drives you to want to preach it and live it? 8
In order to put my theology into perspective as it relates to my past membership in the Roman Catholic Church, and as a priest, I would want to begin by saying that in the succeeding 20 years since I left the Catholic Church, that my faith and understanding of God and of God at work in the world has changed. It has changed in that I am not the same person I was then, as I have matured as a person over the course of time due to additional life experiences along my journey with Christ. In responding to questions about my past history as a Roman Catholic, I would hope that people would understand that even though I was a priest, that I was not then, and that I am not now, an apologist for the Catholic Church. I think it would be most accurate to say that it is my recognition of the role of the universal church in my own salvation history that has evolved and changed but not my overall theology as a Christian. Of course faith seeking understanding always grows, matures and evolves, but it is not the same to say that my theology has changed or rather been replaced. As I noted previously, though briefly, as a priest, I was part of a larger community which believed that the Catholic Church mediated God s grace. This occurred through compliance to its teachings, its traditions, reception of the sacraments, and submission to it authoritative pronouncements on matters of faith, discipline and morality. In my role as a parish priest, I passed along a message of salvation which was consistent with, and in keeping with, the message of the Catholic Church of which I was member, although on a more personal level I never quite embraced or identified with that particular view of salvation. Back to that earlier period in my life which I outlined in the introduction to this paper, during which time I was involved with an evangelical Protestant youth group, I found that I had come to develop, what many call a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. While that relationship 9
followed a course from immaturity to maturity over the years, I never lost that sense of God s accessibility through prayer and study. It was that very sense of accessibility to God, that first inspired my sense of call, when in response to the poor quality of a sermon by my parish priest at age 26, that I knew that I could do better in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, the Jesus with whom I had begun a remarkable journey. I recall vividly, while I was in seminary, my frustration with the impersonal way in which the priests and professors who taught my courses, often seemed to have a detached sense of God. It seemed to me then and throughout my years as a priest that my challenge was to peel back the layers of tradition and dogma which seemingly shielded people from coming to know this most personal, approachable, accessible God. As a priest I lived my life in a manner consistent with the role of a Catholic priest in my service to its members, particular in liturgy, sacraments, and in teachings which conformed to that of the Catholic Church. In my role as in pastoral minister however, to the sick, the shut ins, to those in crisis, to mission work and to those families and individuals grieving the loss of a loved one, to name a few, that I best lived out my role as a bearer of the good news of Jesus Christ. I think it is important for me to communicate that although I was a priest, there was and has always been a distinction between the teachings of the institutional Catholic Church and my own personal theology. In fact one of the personal struggles which was instrumental in my leaving active ministry as a Catholic priest, was a growing sense of weariness, which I realized came as a result of being perceived as a defender of all that the Catholic Church taught, and believed. For me, being a priest was an avenue for me to minster to God s people and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, unfortunately in order to be in that role and be given that opportunity, I 10
found that I had to accept a significant amount of the institutional baggage that came with it. Often times that involved explaining the viewpoint of the church, struggling to mitigate some of the burdens the church placed on its members, and being viewed as both defender of that church and its public face. One of the refreshing differences in theology between the Catholic church and the UCC is related to its view of ordination. In the UCC we recognize the peoples role in that special and privileged call to ministry, and their central role, along with an association in selecting men and women for ordination. Ordination is not for the personal spiritual edification of the one chosen, but rather one is called by the local church to serve the local church, not to serve an institution, and not to do the bidding of a hierarchy. In my decision to leave active ministry and soon thereafter to leave behind the Catholic Church, I searched for a faith community which was unencumbered by that institutional baggage which not only binds the Catholic Church to tradition, to dogmas and reliance on absolutes of morality, but which burdened its members as well. There was a growing awareness that serving that church was not necessarily synonymous with serving God, and that other avenues existed. When I stumbled upon a UCC church in Worcester, upon an invitation from a gay couple who I was friends with and who I respected for their faith, it was a breath of fresh air for me. In the UCC I have found the freedom to live out my faith unencumbered by the weight of an institution and instead have come to find a faith community, which is inclusive, which is far more egalitarian than I had known, which extends an extravagant welcome, and which does not claim to moderate God s grace, yet unashamedly proclaims the good news, and seems to live out that Biblical adage, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8. 11
Perhaps most importantly the UCC makes room for God to continue God s revelation to humanity, i.e., the still speaking God. As for what is it about the UCC that drives me to preach it and live it, I would first of all point to its historic emphasis on issues of social justice. The UCC has been at the forefront of issues such as antislavery, women s ordination, being a diverse and welcoming church in all of the special aspects and challenges surrounding those with differing sexual orientations, abbreviated as ONA, as well as its Just Peace stand and its fearlessness when it finds it necessary to speak truth to power. Secondly, and in conjunction with the first, it would be the way in which the UCC seems to integrate God s continued revelation with what is happening in the here and now, and most especially when it come to mission and ministry. As we are not a hierarchical church, the local church and its members have a greater sense of freedom to follow God s invitation to be church and to live out their faith in the world, without conformity to some higher authority, to be creative in being a welcoming church, and to extend an inclusive welcome, not just to join us in worship but to gather with us around the communion table. To paraphrase an old Billy Joel ballad, and in keeping with our church s,...you are welcome here campaign, you don t need to change just to try and please us, we love you just the way you are. In the dozen plus churches in which I have had an opportunity to provide reoccurring pulpit supply over the past 8 years, I have always found congregations which have welcomed a Gospel message of God s continued revelation, with an openness to God s transforming power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as they struggled to fulfill their church s mission. As I have stated previously, it is always a humbling element of being a pastor, that I get to be both a spectator to, and a participant in, God s saving work and the UCC seems to provide fertile soil 12
for those opportunities. As more and more churches re-examine their past, and their current course, and choose to venture out in new directions, the UCC provides both the inspiration through it publications and its covenanted ministries such as Local Church Ministries and Wider Church Ministries, to challenge and renew local congregations. We do not seem to be a church which emphasizes maintaining the status quo and preserving our traditions, as much as we are a church which stands ready to respond to God s call and accept the new challenges that it may bring. I should add that in my repeated role as a delegate to the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC, and as a delegate to General Synod, I have been fortunate to listen to and speak with many members from the UCC who have come from other local churches, conferences and settings. The issues and resolutions which we have discussed and voted on, have exposed me to a church that draws together remarkable people, who are involved in a wide variety of ministries which have inspired me. The way in which members of the UCC actively apply their faith in Jesus Christ to current issues covering the entire spectrum of human activity from affirming a common understand of Baptism, to touching upon those hot button political and social issues, which demand a faithful responses, such as hunger, economic inequities, attention and focus on ethnic and cultural diversity, access to affordable healthcare, all of which arise from an authentic Christian heritage and biblical mandates to protect and watch out for the lowly, not just in terms of their souls, but in terms of their temporal needs as well. For me the UCC is a holistic church, recognizing that the way we treat one another, the way we look out for our neighbor, the way in which we struggle to be that extravagantly welcome community of faith, all go hand in hand with the revelation of God s love for us through Jesus Christ, to save not only our souls but to save our entire being along the way. 13
III. History. What do you know about the UCC, and where do you see it headed? Along with this is what do you see your role as within the continuing story of the denomination? In the broadest sense, the UCC today is the culmination of the journeys of five centuries of Protestant Christian churches and communities, struggling to live out their faith in response to changing times; changing religious climates, changing political realities, changes in geography, and with changes in social and educational realities. Beginning with the Protestant reformers forward, as people were freed from the political and religious power of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe, the Protestant church struggled to re-form itself and as a result various churches were formed, often centered around the writings and teaches of certain notable Protestant reformers, such as Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. Over time, and as some identifiable churches were formed, they also faced the harsh realities of both political and religious persecution, and varying forms of intolerance. Over time there was a migration of many of these churches, from the old world, to the new world. Some came to escape political persecution and some for greater religious freedom, where they might start fresh, as our Puritan predecessors longed to become that city on the hill. Generally speaking these new world churches would be characterized by the variations in their ecclesiology, and in their views of salvation and redemption, and how that should best be lived out and expressed. In general terms some of these churches came to be identified under the headings of the following traditions; Congregational, Evangelical, Reformed and Christian. Over the next 4 centuries these traditions became both more defined, yet over time they also became less distinctive, given changes in their languages from those of their origin, changes in 14
political geography as we moved from mere European colonies to become a single, self ruled nation in the aftermath of the American Revolution, and the development and application of the printing press for newspapers, books and pamphlets. For these, and for various other reasons, the four traditions became less distinctive and gradually found that there was much more that they shared in common, than there was that might separate them. By the early to mid-20 th century, the Congregational and Christian traditions had come together to form the Congregational Christian Churches, and by 1957 the Reformed and Evangelical churches, joined with them to form what became the United Church of Christ. This union took place as they found both common beliefs and common purpose together, recognizing that denominational differences did not serve the greater Kingdom of God. It is from that beginning that this new church, came to fully embrace the Biblical admonition, That They May All Be One, now displayed prominently on the UCC logo. Since 1957 the UCC has developed a Statement of Faith, ( and revisions) and formed a Constitution and Bylaws by which the rights and regulations of the local churches, associations, conferences and general synod, are protected and the responsibilities and order within their covenantal relationships are defined. It is also when the local church was defined as the basic unit of life and order within the UCC. (Constitution: Article V, line 1). Going forward from that time frame, the general synod of the UCC has met biannually to gather as a representative body, made up of delegates chosen from the various conferences, elected board members and from the various settings, to discuss the business of the church, but without the power to dictate to conferences, associations or local churches. None the less each representative body does have covenantal duty to weigh and consider the merits and value of the 15
outcome of the deliberations arising from those synods, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a result of such deliberations the UCC has updated its original Statement of Faith, has amended its Constitution and Bylaws and has offered to the wider church in the course of time, resolutions and other formal motions to address, challenge and inspire all of its representative bodies and local churches regarding matters which have come before it. As such the UCC remains both a faithful church to its Biblical foundation and to the leading of the Holy Spirit and yet also remains a living vibrant church which lives out it faith by confronting the challenges which arise over the course of time. While none of us have a clear vision of the UCC s future trajectory, and its future incarnation, it seems to be best poised to respond to the ever changing social, religious and political landscape by its inherent flexibility, and by the fact that it seems to be able to be less burdened by the claims of tradition. If one recognizes that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was not a time limited, singular, event in the course of human history, an event to which none of us now living were privileged to witness, but rather recognizes that it is, in a spiritual sense, an event which continues to unfold today, then the UCC will remain a church which gives continuing witness. We look back only insomuch as it allows us to see the future with greater clarity. It seems to me that structure and organization of the UCC, our focus on the Biblical record, and the Protestant reformers, our desire to not only give witness to the actions of God in our lives and in our world, but also to be transformed by it, places our church at the crossroads of the future, where our legacy and our power will not be found in the majesty of our church buildings, the pomp of our liturgies, nor in our pronouncements of faith and morality, but rather will be 16
found in our local churches, where our members staff food pantries, host homeless families, extend an extravagant welcome to all as expressed in our motto, No matter who you are, or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here. Our willingness to not only enter into covenanted relationships with our local church, our associations, our conferences and our general synods, helps us to keep ourselves informed and challenged by what the various settings of the UCC have to say. One of the challenges facing the UCC is the fact that the average member may never hear or know about what is happening or is being said in or by the wider church. While the wider church is challenged to respond to natural disasters, to political upheaval around the world, to address the economic injustices facing our nation, to name a few, many members and local churches experience a kind of disconnect from what is happening beyond their local community, and even if they have some awareness, some of our congregations are two small to have an impact. None the less we have as a church established a national setting which various ministries and elected officers to who we assign this important role. While the national setting and our Minister and President, do not speak for the UCC, they do in fact speak to it and do extend to us a challenge. In my opinion what our church needs most going forward are ways to perfect communication between and among the local churches, and the wider church. While the advent of email and web page communication does place information from the various settings of the UCC at our finger tips, it have been my experience that few local churches effectively tap into those resources. None the less, we must face the reality that people outside of our church will hear about our church and the biblical message which we proclaim, first from a Google or Bing search of the internet. They may or may not find there a message about what our local churches 17
stand for, what is happening in our local churches, what we may have defined as our mission, and whether what we have posted on the internet, makes them feel both welcomed and invited, whether the Jesus Christ we follow, is the same Christ who has touched their hearts. As for my role in the continuing story of the UCC, it is my hope that as a pastor, I might be a messenger who encourages those within the church who feel most disenfranchised to find themselves not only cherished by our faith communities but empowered by them. It is my hope that I may share the good news of the accessibility of God, and extend to those outside of the church, an open invitation to join us in prayer, liturgy, sacrament and fellowship. I have never been one to shy away from speaking truth to power and to support and encourage members of a church that I might pastor to be fearless when necessary in doing so. As I have repeatedly been inspired by the faith and actions of members of local churches, in my role as pastor, I hope that I can offer prayerful support and guidance when asked, and gentle encouragement when necessary, always being faithful to that still small voice of God within. (1Kings 19:12) 18