 Something for the Journey
Yesterday’s collegial conversation was about grief and loss in ministry. The conversation was intended to be multigenerational, with a mix of early, mid-career and retired clergy. The registration numbers more or less allowed us to have the conversation we hoped for between generations in ministry. The result was beautiful and rich. We learned things we can do better, of course. We needed more time and maybe even a series of conversations to go where we wanted to go. There are things we will do differently when we make our next offering. But here is what I want you to know. In just 90 minutes, colleagues (many of whom did not know one another at all) shared deeply and tenderly about grief and loss in this vocation. I could offer you a list of some of the many particulars people named, but I know that you already have a list of your own written on your heart. Grief and loss are inherent in the roles we hold. And we can recognize and resonate with that shared experience across the generations of ministry, even when the locus of our grief and loss varies.
When I came into the ministry, I often felt a sense of competition in a room of clergy. That has been changing, especially in recent years. I love the spirit of generosity and collaboration and appreciation and mutual care that is growing in our collegial community. I don’t mean to say that spirit didn’t exist in prior generations, only that I am noticing more of it now. And that I think we need to cultivate that spirit now, more than ever. We need one another to continuously create and sustain a collegial community of care. Your longing to serve the Holy and to work for more love and justice in the world (however you say that in your own words) is a true blessing. Thank you for saying yes to your calling. That yes is a gift. Thank you.
If you have three minutes right now, would you help cultivate the spirit of mutual care among us? If you have the bandwidth to send a text or social media message or email to a colleague today, it will be a blessing. Tell someone whose work you admire that you appreciate them. Send a note of encouragement to a colleague who you know is navigating conflict or disappointment in their ministry. Reach out to express your care to a colleague who is grieving a loss, professional or personal. Or maybe what you can do is just send a quick message to let a colleague know you are thinking about them and wishing them well today. If not today, maybe another day. However you can help nurture our deepening as a collegial community of care is welcome and appreciated.
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