Odd
Okay, so I’m going through this process to be licensed as a local pastor in the United Methodist Church. Basically, that means I’ll be able to perform weddings, serve communion, baptize people, and potentially receive an appointment to a local church as “the” pastor. Now, some of you may be saying, “Uh, Jason, you can do all that stuff without getting licensed in the UMC.” Some of you that know me well may be saying, “uh, Jason, you’ve done some of that stuff without being licensed.” While all of that is true, I do feel that God has called me to serve the United Methodist Church. Why? Because I love the church. The UMC has played a major role in shaping who I am as a Christian. And, I believe that I can help bring some relevance and some much needed change to the UMC.
Having said that, I’m struggling with saying just that…It’s odd…I’ve been asked to write out what I think my future usefulness to the UMC will be. It’s sort of a “pat yourself on the back and say amen” kind of thing. I think I’ll be useful because I’m a little more with the times and culture than the majority of UMC pastors. I think I’ll be useful because I see change that needs to take place and believe I can help bring it about. I think I’ll be useful because I have some insights on worship, preaching, and music that are maybe a little more fresh than what’s happening in the typical UM church.
But, how do you say that about yourself to a bunch of pastors that your basically talking about???
Have any of you had to “sell yourself”? It just seems weird. I guess I’d much rather put together a video that has some of the worship experiences I’ve designed, some of my preaching, some of my music, and so on. Oh well, I better get back to writing about why I’ll be such an asset to the UMC.