My Montana Church
28/12/11 04:57
People develop intense loyalties to locations. I am no different. I grew up in Montana and I had a wonderful childhood. I moved away from Montana to attend seminary. There is no ATS accredited theological seminary in Montana. I fully expected when I went away to seminary that I would accept a call to a congregation in Montana upon my graduation and return to the state to live the rest of my life. As is often true, things didn’t work out the way I had imagined and I have never returned to Montana to live. Our first call was to two churches in North Dakota. We served there happily for seven years. We were then called to serve a congregation in Boise, Idaho, where we lived and worked for ten years. Then, in 1995, we were called to serve here in South Dakota, where we have remained since.
Along the way, we have heard of pastors who had hard times with their congregations. There are plenty of “horror stories” out there about problems in the relationship between pastor and congregation. Our experience, however, has been with healthy congregations who have treated their pastors well. We have been pleased to have found very good matches between our skills and the needs of the congregations we have served.
Still, I have, from time to time, looked at congregations in Montana. I have even been convinced that I was called to serve in my home state on several occasions. However, there is an important part of discerning a call that must be carefully considered. A call to serve in a particular location may manifest itself as a desire to have a particular job in a particular place. That desire, however, does not confirm that the call exists. Christians considering their call must check with others to discern if the call is really God’s work or a case of the “I wants.” The best way to check is to consult with others. In my case, there has never been a congregation who thought I was called to be their pastor when I thought that such a call existed.
I no longer have them, but for several years I kept letters from congregations in Montana informing me that they had found another pastor to serve them and that although they had been impressed by my credentials, I was not the right person at this time. While receiving those letters was a disappointment at the time, the process works very well. I have been blessed with wonderful congregations and have had a challenging and rewarding career as a pastor.
The thing about having thought about returning to Montana for so many years is that I have formed an idealized vision of my home state. When you don’t live with them and don’t have to deal with their issues on a daily basis, people seem to be very nice. When you aren’t shoveling the snow yourself, Montana blizzards seem quite tolerable. When you travel the roads only on vacation, the distances seem quite manageable. In a way, Montana has become my “Lake Woebegone.” It is a place that exists only in my imagination. This is not to say that Montana doesn’t exist, but rather that the way I imagine Montana to be is not the way it really is. I have an idealized vision in my mind.
If you are going to imagine a perfect place, it is nice to have it be in a neighboring state. Since graduating from seminary we have always lived in a state that shared a border with Montana.
I guess that I talk about Montana quite a bit. I know that I refer to my growing up and sometimes describe some aspects of my home town when I am preaching from time to time.
At any rate, a friend surprised me by presenting me with a painting he had done this Christmas. It is a lovely pastoral scene with a small country church. It is sunrise in the picture and the light warms and bathes everything. The man is a talented artist and the painting is beautiful. I was touched and overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of the gift.
In the center of the painting is a small white sign. You have to get up really close to the painting to read the words on the sign, but they are there: “Little Montana Church, Ted Huffman pastor.” Somehow my imagination sparked the imagination of someone who is much more creative and artistically talented than I.
I have hung the painting over my desk at work. Whenever I need to, I can look up and catch a glimpse of a sunrise. And when I have a few moments, I can allow my imagination to wander back to Montana. The painting is not a reproduction of any particular church in any location, but rather the product of human imagination. It is not a specific church, but rather an imagined church that invites all to come in and experience the joy and fellowship of community.
Who knows, it is entirely possible that I will never again live in Montana. God has a way of surprising me with what comes next. I am beginning to approach the end of my career and I am in a very good place to live and work and serve God. But now, wherever I go and wherever I live, I will always have my little Montana church to remind me of my roots and inspire me to continue to serve in the places that God calls.
Along the way, we have heard of pastors who had hard times with their congregations. There are plenty of “horror stories” out there about problems in the relationship between pastor and congregation. Our experience, however, has been with healthy congregations who have treated their pastors well. We have been pleased to have found very good matches between our skills and the needs of the congregations we have served.
Still, I have, from time to time, looked at congregations in Montana. I have even been convinced that I was called to serve in my home state on several occasions. However, there is an important part of discerning a call that must be carefully considered. A call to serve in a particular location may manifest itself as a desire to have a particular job in a particular place. That desire, however, does not confirm that the call exists. Christians considering their call must check with others to discern if the call is really God’s work or a case of the “I wants.” The best way to check is to consult with others. In my case, there has never been a congregation who thought I was called to be their pastor when I thought that such a call existed.
I no longer have them, but for several years I kept letters from congregations in Montana informing me that they had found another pastor to serve them and that although they had been impressed by my credentials, I was not the right person at this time. While receiving those letters was a disappointment at the time, the process works very well. I have been blessed with wonderful congregations and have had a challenging and rewarding career as a pastor.
The thing about having thought about returning to Montana for so many years is that I have formed an idealized vision of my home state. When you don’t live with them and don’t have to deal with their issues on a daily basis, people seem to be very nice. When you aren’t shoveling the snow yourself, Montana blizzards seem quite tolerable. When you travel the roads only on vacation, the distances seem quite manageable. In a way, Montana has become my “Lake Woebegone.” It is a place that exists only in my imagination. This is not to say that Montana doesn’t exist, but rather that the way I imagine Montana to be is not the way it really is. I have an idealized vision in my mind.
If you are going to imagine a perfect place, it is nice to have it be in a neighboring state. Since graduating from seminary we have always lived in a state that shared a border with Montana.
I guess that I talk about Montana quite a bit. I know that I refer to my growing up and sometimes describe some aspects of my home town when I am preaching from time to time.
At any rate, a friend surprised me by presenting me with a painting he had done this Christmas. It is a lovely pastoral scene with a small country church. It is sunrise in the picture and the light warms and bathes everything. The man is a talented artist and the painting is beautiful. I was touched and overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of the gift.
In the center of the painting is a small white sign. You have to get up really close to the painting to read the words on the sign, but they are there: “Little Montana Church, Ted Huffman pastor.” Somehow my imagination sparked the imagination of someone who is much more creative and artistically talented than I.
I have hung the painting over my desk at work. Whenever I need to, I can look up and catch a glimpse of a sunrise. And when I have a few moments, I can allow my imagination to wander back to Montana. The painting is not a reproduction of any particular church in any location, but rather the product of human imagination. It is not a specific church, but rather an imagined church that invites all to come in and experience the joy and fellowship of community.
Who knows, it is entirely possible that I will never again live in Montana. God has a way of surprising me with what comes next. I am beginning to approach the end of my career and I am in a very good place to live and work and serve God. But now, wherever I go and wherever I live, I will always have my little Montana church to remind me of my roots and inspire me to continue to serve in the places that God calls.