A Close Call

One thing many folks might not know about United Methodist pastors is that this time of year they get just a little antsy when the phone rings.

You see, United Methodist pastors serve churches at the discretion of the resident Bishop. Unlike congregational churches that call a pastor, UM pastors are appointed each year by the Bishop.

In the appointment process the Bishop works with a cabinet of district superintendents to match the gifts of a pastor with the needs of a particular church. They begin their appointment work around the first of the year and usually keep working right up until the annual conference in June, when the appointments are formally set.

So whenever the phone rings at this time of the year, pastors tend to wonder if it might be a call that will change their present situation.

So you can understand how my heart started racing when I recently received a call from my Bishop. I had never been called by a Bishop before.

Fortunately, it was not to ask me to consider another appointment, but rather to see if I would assist the Conference in it's annual meeting by coordinating the sessions for the meeting.

I gladly answered yes, but unfortunately I did not have the presence of mind to parley the request into a guarantee for several more years at my current appointment.

So - I still get a little nervous when the phone rings...

PJ