Archive Entry #38: September 24, 1986

A conversation the other day with one of my clergy friends uncovered our shared experience of academic and pastoral know-it-all-ness upon exiting seminary to embark on our callings to full-time congregational ministry. My colleague and I also agreed that in those opening years we felt the urge regularly to deliver a portion of our advanced classroom learning to our congregations – in Bible studies, through sermons and newsletter commentaries – more than likely to show off rather than to show people the way!

Today’s archive entry, the first from 1986, gains admission because of its subject matter – the need to get more people involved in the ministry of the congregation, which is a universal and timeless need of our and every church – but also because of its tone. The column’s first three paragraphs display my early-years' penchant for would-be sophisticated, but actually tortured writing. It reads to me like an entry to some high school composition contest: See how convoluted you make your sentences and maybe you’ll impress the judges!

You may disagree with me about today’s entry. If so, GREAT!!!! But if you do agree that this thing doesn’t start well, I understand. Set the wayback machine for 28 years ago to find this....

COMING NEXT: We begin a three entry mini-series on thanksgiving with the help of the last archive entry from 2008. Find it HERE. And next Friday – November 20 – will bring one of the more candid and poignant columns of my FCCEM ministry.