The Rev. Canon Tim Elliott, a ministry consultant with Elliott Clarke and Associates, offers these "Notes from the Narthex." From this vantage point in the church's lobby he can peer into the church or open the door and look outside, all the while staying safe in the narthex.
When I stop and look back, there are some changes that have happened in the 33 years since I was ordained that I think relate to both the challenge and ambiguity clergy face these days.
1. Church furniture
Something shifted, I’m not sure what, in moving the altar out from the wall. As long as the clergy had their back to the people, they were on the same side as the people, facing God. I know, I know—God isn’t and wasn’t ever in the west wall, with the priest being closest.
But from where I sit, moving the altar out and having the priest face the people has created an unexpected difference. People are now noticing more personal things about the priest than before, often burdening the ordained person with more projections. I think this adds to the ambiguity and the challenge of the clergy role. I also think something significant has shifted when clergy preach from the aisle. I’m not sure what, but it’s a major change.
2. Professional role and dress
My late father gardened in gray flannels and always put a tie on to go “downtown.” We dressed up for church. There were certain professionals you could recognize by their dress—the banker, the funeral director, the doctor, the lawyer.
In our time, perhaps in an effort to relate to ordinary folks, clergy are not dressing as professionals for the most part. Again, this is part of the ambiguity and challenge of the clergy role. In our work with clergy, we often find that the clergy wish to belong to the community and be part of the whole people of God as fellow Christians. This sometimes conflicts with the community’s need for leadership and accountability.
3. The work day and the work week
In the 1920s labour unions campaigned for the 40-hour work week and the 8-hour day with the slogan: “8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, and 8 hours to do with what we please.”
Now many people work much more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week—especially clergy.
Perhaps I’m romanticizing, but I think there was a time when you could go home and you’d leave your work behind. But when you have a job that involves working evenings and weekends and being available to your people, it’s hard to turn work off. That raises another question about clergy Sabbath time, but I’ll save that for a future column.
Many clergy work too many hours and because of the nature of the job, there aren’t always shared agreements with parish leaders about the work week. I found Monday to be the best day of rest, although it was often filled with errands and chores. Friday I tried to keep free for sermon preparation and study. That left three days in the middle of the week that were crammed. I think the Jews have it right—God’s time is daily and weekly.
In our work with clergy we find there is a need for shared expectations about not only the primary roles, but also the time involved so that there is clarity, which builds trust—the most precious commodity in ministry and the hardest to rebuild once it’s broken.
4. Technology
In 1980 I went to a parish that was very proud it had a telephone answering machine. This was a heavy metal box with a couple of tape recorders in it—one for the outgoing greeting and the other for incoming messages. There was a plunger thing that held down the buttons on the dial phone until it rang and when it did, the plunger popped up, the greeting tape started, and people could leave their messages. Voilà! I had to learn how to work this thing.
Then there were fax machines, real voice mail, the Internet, email, Blackberries.
The good news is that we can be in almost instant and constant contact. The bad news is that we can be in almost instant and constant contact. It’s a major challenge to turn off work.
Email is mostly good news. My parish in Toronto (The Church of the Redeemer) sends out e-news regularly and bulletins when there is special news or a funeral. Events and worship are planned electronically.
But email has a shadow side. In our work with congregations we find that occasionally private emails have been forwarded and circulated, causing a breakdown of trust. We need to develop some protocols for this new form of parish communication to protect privacy as we develop efficient communication. I haven’t dealt with Facebook and wireless devices.
That’s just a start for my list. What’s on yours?
