Pastor of Public Witness, Theologian in Residence

One of the things that makes seminary appealing at this point in the life of the church is that my brand of Lutherans are developing some interesting approaches, in addition to parish ministry.  And yes, the interesting approaches do sound more appealing than many brands of parish ministry.

When I type out the words "parish ministry," I realize that I'm thinking of pre-pandemic parish ministry.  Who knows what that will look like as this pandemic shifts, and as humans adapt.  I don't think we'll ever be going back to pre-pandemic life, but I can't tell what the future will look like.  I'm fairly sure we won't vanquish COVID-19, the way we once thought we would.  It's too contagious and too widespread and because it's not as lethal as a disease like Ebola, it won't burn itself out or be containable.  When I think of the future with a disease like COVID-19, I can imagine multiple possibilities.  But I digress.

Back to interesting possibilities.

On Friday, August 20, Nadia Bolz-Weber was installed as pastor of public witness by the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  I first read about this development in this article in Religious News Service.

She is not the first to have this kind of position.  The most famous may have been Mr. Rogers, who was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and the Presbyterian church of his time recognized that he was performing a vital ministry with his television show.

Some people might shrug and wonder why it matters to Pastor Bolz-Weber.  We might see her published books and her extensive appearance schedule and think that she's so wealthy that she doesn't need the backing of the church.

I have no idea what her financial situation really is, but I have met enough writers and artists to know that just because there are books that sell doesn't mean that the financial future--or even present--is secured.

And what's different about an ELCA pastor is that there is a call, and one can't be away from call indefinitely and pick right back up again.  It's a complicated concept that I don't want to unpack in this blog post, but it's an important factor.

This morning, I saw a Facebook post about a different possibility.  Bishop Megan Rohrer made this announcement:

Offering from those gathered in person and online at my upcoming installation will be used to create a theologians in residence program to help the Sierra Pacific Synod in anti-racism efforts, to expand our welcome and to care for creation. Theologians in residence will be available for preaching and teaching at congregations and participate in online and in person Synodical events. If you would like to support this developing program, you can donate at: www.tinyurl.com/SPStheologians

I love the idea of a theologian in residence, especially since it sounds like it might be a short-term assignment.  While I understand the need for long-term pastoral presence, care, and leadership in a local church, I also like the idea of temporary assignments that can help a church with diversity.

Let me specify here that while I support the current attention to diversity of race, I also see a need for other types of diversity.  I'm thinking of the times when I would have flourished as a parishioner if we had a theologian in residence that offered us an approach to spirituality that was more contemplative or more creative.  Most of the churches of which I've been a member do a fine job of fellowship, and many of them have done a lot with social justice/charity, and a few of them have done a great job of intellectual stimulation, and I have rarely found a church that does all of that equally well.  We tend to rely on a solitary pastor to do it all, and that just rarely works.

I should also clarify that I've usually been a Lutheran in areas where there weren't many Lutherans, and thus, we didn't have the kinds of churches that could support a large staff, or much of any kind of staff beyond the pastor.  I've been part of churches that could barely afford the pastor.

A Theologian in Residence might not change that, but then again, it might.  It could be sustainable for a season, if not for the life of the parish.  It's an interesting approach that I haven't seen before in the ELCA.  I look forward to seeing where this development might lead.