In this issue:

All Things New

Helping Families Cope during Pastoral Transitions

The Right Question

The need for leadership today is the lived, authentic demonstration of a life coherent and consistent with its professed beliefs and narratives.

Alan Roxburgh and
Fred Romanuk

Bishop Dyck recalls her feelings when she was on the receiving end of a pastoral move.

As I was driving back to my office after taking my husband to the airport, I was a little worried because he was flying on an airline that had had a plane crash the day before. My concern prompted me to reflect on my life as I sped along. "I love my life!" I thought to myself.

I was driving my beloved 10-year-old car. I thought to myself, "I like my car!" I couldn't imagine getting a new one. I thought about the house that my husband and I had owned for 13 years, and after all the work we'd put into it, it was just the way we wanted it. "I like my house!" We had owned the house for the last 13 years because I had served the same church for that long, and, yes, "I love my church!" All of this was motivated by my original concern for my husband, so I concluded my litany by saying, "I love my husband of 21 years!" (You can tell from this litany that I'm not quick to change major components of my life!)

I dared to think out loud, "What a wonderful life! What could go wrong on a day like today?" I no sooner walked into my office than I was handed a message requesting me to call the bishop. After reaching him, I discovered that everything in my life was about to change—except my husband.

Read More

Helping Families Cope during Pastoral Transitions
By Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

We are often unaware of the grieving that goes on in our families and our congregations around times of transition. Spouses, for example, may feel resentment about not having more say in the move. Other common concerns for spouses include housing issues, leaving a job – especially if finding a comparable position is unlikely, leaving a familiar place and close relationships, concern for the clergy spouse’s heavy work schedule, and anxiety about finding a place in the new church.

Remember that transitions can be stressful times for relationships. Sharing feelings and permitting others to do so is emotionally freeing for everyone. The following suggestions can help families cope:

• Stay closely connected during this time.
• Communication is key.
• Be attentive to your own feelings, especially grief.

Read More

The Right Question

Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

We all bring unspoken assumptions to any planning or decision-making process. It can be useful occasionally to ask:

What assumptions underlie our plans?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution: Carol Follett