Hungry For Change

I read a blog post this morning about the process for preparation for ministry. Apparently the author came across a candidate for ministry who compared her journey to the Hunger Games. Although dramatic, I would encourage more CPMs to pay attention to these critiques.Why not explore how this candidate is feeling and why? There is a lot more to the Hunger Games analogy than just participants fighting it out to the death. There is an entire industrial complex built around reminding people of their past wrongs, supporting the victors of war, punishing the losers and telling them that it is for their own good, and costs being borne by one party alone.

I'm suggesting that the discernment process is not just for candidates. The church could use some rethinking on the candidacy process as well. I think there is an assumption that candidates need the church. What happens when qualified candidates stop applying and just go out and start new churches anyway, not under the Presbyterian Church (USA)? That's already happening where I live.

A few questions to consider if you find yourself on a CPM:
1) Is our process one that only the most stubborn candidates are willing to proceed? How do these people function once they become pastors?
2) Does our process encourage candidates to put their noses down and not confront? How do these people function once they become pastors?
3) Does our process employ enough freedom that we are able to attract and retain creative artistic types of thinkers? The ones that might help the church think about its mission in new and creative ways?
4) Does our process adequately keep out predators and poor performers or do we just get to mess with these people for awhile before we approve them anyway?

Whereas I do not feel like my journey through the process has been like the Hunger Games, I do have some honest critiques about the process and how it treats people. The question is, do Presbyterian leaders care enough to listen?