Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Vadnais Heights, MN
I am wrapping up my second interim this week and will probably start another interim later this summer. What a joy to serve among the people of Christ the Servant and I am excited to see how they move forward in ministry with the leadership of their new pastor.
On Saturday, I was conducting a funeral and had a brief conversation with one of the attendees. She commented on what a lovely congregation Christ the Servant is and how I must enjoy serving there. I told her yes it was a joy. I continued, “I am the interim pastor and tomorrow the congregation will vote to call a new settled pastor.” She said, “Do you like doing interim ministry?” I responded, “Yes, I do.” Then she said, “Well, don’t you want to have your own church?”
Her question plucked a emotional string within me. At one time in my ministry I definitely wanted to have “my own church.” The thought appealed to my ego and my desire to be in charge. However, when I had the opportunity to lead a congregation, I discovered that though I liked the title and some of the challenges in leading a congregation, my heart was restless and troubled. Upon prayerful reflection, I learned that I was “over-identifying” with the congregation and tying my personal worth into the successes and missteps of the congregation. When the congregation felt good, I was good; if the congregation felt down, I was down.
When I stepped into interim ministry I was able to detach these emotional strings that I had created. As an interim pastor I have a “lighter” touch on the congregation, relying heavily on the lay leadership to guide the congregation. I am both a consultant who comes from the outside and can observe the current behavior and mission of the congregation while also being a pastor who steps into the community to shepherd them during the interim. As my trainer said, “An interim pastor has one foot in the system and one foot outside the system.” Also my heart is not as restless and my mind is more fully engaged in the community. I believe that this is my calling from God for this stage of my ministry.
I am thankful that God has provided a variety of gifts within the church. I am thankful for those pastors, deacons and lay professional who can faithfully serve many years in one congregation, guiding them into deeper levels of vital ministry. I am also thankful for the calling I now have, to guide congregations through the transitions between such settle pastors. The body of Christ needs all the gifts to be healthy and vibrant.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but the God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
How are you using your spiritual gifts?
It was nearly dark by the time I finished setting up my tent and got a fire going. My dinner was fairly simply to fix but I hadn’t organized my cooking gear in any reasonable way. With the light of my headlamp I was able to find the needed items, but only after searching several bags or boxes. And with heavy gloves the search was more difficult. Lesson three: organize cook gear prior to leaving home.
My CPAP machine worked but breathing cold air kept waking me up. When I climbed out of my sleeping bag at 7:00 am and opened the tent, I was surprised to see three-inches of snow covering all the gear left on the picnic table. Lesson four: put gear away even on a clear night.
Yes, there are other emotions. I feel sadness at leaving some great relationships. As a pastor I shared in the joy of baptisms and the sorrows of funerals. Together we struggled how to faithfully steward a large bequest to the congregation. I truly enjoyed working with Trinity’s leadership of council and committees as together we sought God’s path for Trinity. I will miss many gracious people.
What my recent study and practice of mindfulness has taught me is that all things change. As a pastor I intellectually knew this, but never fully embraced it. All pastoral ministries come to an end. As an intentional interim pastor I recognized this from the start. I practiced “living one day at a time, enjoying each moment at time,” as the 
I felt a wave of disappointment, sadness and surprise flow through my body. I recognized my body’s reaction and simply sat with those feeling for a while. I also noticed my thinking racing to all kinds of scenarios, “How will President Trump handle Vietnam (where my son’s company does business)” “How will he handle health care, Syria, national disasters, immigrants, global warming, women’s issues?” . . . on and on.
It was about 6 pm when I reached the top of the ridge and found a place to plop down. The spot was semi-flat and a potential camping spot for the night. I decided to make dinner and then decide if I would camp or hike further. The rest and food restored my energy level and I decided to push on. “There will be another camping spot on the next ridge,” I thought.
Part of my practice on this trip was to deliberately take time in the morning to practice lovingkindness meditation, something I learned in my Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction class. Jon Kabat-Zinn in his book Full Catastrophe Living describes the practice
To Savor
In my day-to-day world of ministry, my schedule can be filled with meetings, appointments and tasks. On the trail I wanted to embrace the empty schedule. To simply BE. To savor the opportunity to hike a trail surrounded by rocky peaks and steep valleys.
The second night I noticed the tag line on my freeze dried dinner – Savor The Adventure. I can honestly say I did.
I have hiked three sections (70-100 miles) of the PCT solo. It has become my preferred option. Though on the PCT in midsummer one is rarely alone. Day hikers, overnight backpackers, and other section hikers were encountered each day. The most intriguing of fellow travelers are the thru-hikers.
About four hours later I was at the trail monument on the Canadian border, talking with some other section hikers. I turned to see the young French man again, briskly moving down the trail, wearing only his pack and hiking shoes. Nothing else! I had read about nude hiking before, but this was my first encounter. As he approached he said, “Oh, I guess I better put some clothes on.” I decided nude hiking will not be my choice to lighten the pack.
Pastor John Keller 