Call Process Booklet

Identifying Broken Things
Ministry Sites
Congregations find the call process to be perplexing. The call process resembles the
employment practices that people know in their workplaces, but is different in subtle
and powerful ways. It is governed by unseen gatekeepers and restricted by unspoken
protocols. There are three actors in the process rather than the usual two. It is as much
about relationships as it is about job descriptions. And the consequences of the
process seem, well, so consequential.
God’s
work.
Our
hands.
There are at least three concerns that congregations often bring to me as their “coach”
in the work of the call process. The first is a level of anxiety about doing a thorough and
respectable job in the face of so many people who have so many opinions about the
needs and outcomes. How can the process be done so that everyone is on board,
conflict is averted, and the results are celebrated? Second, how can we be sure that
we were able to see all the possibilities, get the word out about our vacancy to the
widest audience, and feel confident that we had the best pool of candidates to
interview? And third, what are the synod’s procedures and what are the candidates’
expectations? A whole host of questions spring from these, including: how long will this
take, what will it cost, do we have to have an interim pastor, why must we write a
profile, how long will it take for the synod to provide recommendations, and how much
are you going to be involved in our process? Among the unspoken but present
concerns are issues related to gender, ethnicity, age, and salary expectations.
Rostered Leaders
Rostered leaders find the call process to be more frustrating than perplexing. We stake
our futures on this process; it controls our chance at fulfillment, happiness, and security.
We need the call process to work in a way that is fair, accessible, clear, and unbiased.
In the face of protocols and tasks (like completing lengthy forms and engaging the
synod staff) many rostered leaders get passive while a few others get active, looking for
inventive ways to assert themselves. Some work hard at planning and practicing for
interviews and learning about the site ahead of time, while others do little of this, waiting
instead for the enlivening presence of the Spirit to release their imaginations and spark
a new and affirming relationship.
Rostered leaders have their own list of concerns about the call process. They often
begin with an anxiety that being interested in mobility will be seen as a sign of
unhappiness or conflict, rather than just an openness to God’s renewing activity in their
lives. They express serious concerns about confidentiality, fearing that their openness to
call might be misconstrued, if word makes it back to their current ministry setting, as
disloyalty or disgust. They dread the thought that a search for a new call can take a full
Walking together † for the sake of mission † in God’s world
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