Gathering the NeXt Generation

Description

This collection of essays was written by a group of priests that are relatively rare in the Episcopal Church—priests under 35 years of age. In 1997 only 296 Episcopal clergy were from the group commonly known as Generation X; they comprise only 3.5% of the ordained people in full time ministry in the Church. Inspired by that statistic some GenX priests and seminarians organized a conference called Gathering the NeXt Generation, which was held at Virginia Theological Seminary in June 1997. These essays, while not the actual papers given at the conference, are the result of that conversation and the ones that continue among GenX priests in the Episcopal Church.
The range of issues for GenX priests and for their ministry into the new millennium are important ones for the whole church. As we approach a clergy shortage (due to retirements) in the Episcopal Church, will we continue to discourage young men and women from entering the ordination process, asking them to come back when they have some life experience? Some contributors also consider new models of ministry: the return of the concept of curacy, the possibilities for bi-vocational ministry and the renewal of campus ministry. Others help us look through the eyes of GenX priests and parishioners, including those who are Black or pregnant, and see the Church through a very different lens. For all who care about the future of the Episcopal Church, this volume, written in the voices of those who will be our future—is a must-read.
Contributors include: J. Scott Barker, Jennifer Lynn Baskerville, Daniel Emerson Hall, N. J. A. Humphrey, Richard Kew, Jamie L'Enfant, Christopher Martin, Beth Maynard, Kate Moorehead, Benjamin Shambaugh, Rock H. Schuler, Margaret K. Schwarzer, and Nancy Vogele.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Episcopal Church
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Church Publishing Incorporated
• Date de parution: 26 juin 2000
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780819225252
• Langue: English

Extrait

Advance praise for Gathering the NeXt Generation
The Episcopal Church goes into the new millennium in the hands of exciting, capable Christians, if this sample of the thinking of its younger clergy is to be believed! These essays represent different voices, but they are strong voices committed to building not just churches, but faith for the future.
-Loren Mead, President Emeritus, The Alban Institute
The Gathering the NeXt Generation Initiative is one of the bright spots in the Episcopal Church. These essays are alive with passion, cultural sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and insight that is Christ-centered and sound. As someone who has been involved in the Episcopal Church for over thirty years, I found these words exhilarating and hopeful-and contagious. May this book go from strength to strength.
-Carol Anderson, Rector, All Saints Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California
G ATHERING THE N E X T G ENERATION
G ATHERING THE N E X T G ENERATION
Essays on the Formation and Ministry of GenX Priests
Edited by N. J. A. Humphrey Foreword by The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold
Copyright 2000 by Nathan Humphrey
Morehouse Publishing, 4775 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112 Morehouse Publishing, 445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Morehouse Publishing is an imprint of Church Publishing Incorporated .
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV); the Revised English Bible (REB) 1989 Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press; and the new American Study Bible (NASB).
Passages marked BCP are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) of the Episcopal Church, USA.
Cover design by Corey Kent
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gathering the next generation: essays on the formation and ministry of genX priests / edited by N.J.A. Humphrey; foreword by Frank T. Griswold
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 0819218324 (pbk.; alk. paper)
1. Episcopal Church-Clergy-Appointment, call, and election. 2. Episcopal Church-Clergy-Office. 3. Generation X. I. Humphrey, N.J.A. BX5965.G3 2000 262 .14373-dc21
99-087590
CONTENTS
F OREWORD : F ORWARD!
The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold
P REFACE : C ONVERSATION AND C ONVERSION
N. J. A. Humphrey
I NTRODUCTION : G ATHERING THE NE X T G ENERATION
Christopher Martinxv
S ECTION O NE : F ORMATION AND O RDINATION
Tomorrow s World, Tomorrow s Church, Tomorrow s Leaders
Richard Kew
Ordination or Formation: Which Comes First, the Chicken or the Egg?
Jamie E. L Enfant
Trusting the Process
N. J. A. Humphrey
S ECTION T WO : F ORMATION AND M INISTRY
A Call for Curacy: Following a Residency Model by Getting Congregations Involved as Teaching Parishes
Benjamin A. Shambaugh
Youth s Authority: A Spiritual Revolution
Margaret K. Schwarzer
Stole and Stethoscope: Challenges for Formation within the Context of Bivocational Ministry
Daniel Emerson Hall
S ECTION T HREE : T HE C HANGING F ACES OF O RDAINED M INISTRY
ISO Peer Group: Episcopal Culture through an Xer Lens
Beth Maynard
To Be Young, Priested, and Black: Raising Up the NeXt Generation of Black Clergy
Jennifer Lynn Baskerville
Conversion and Community
Nancy A. Vogele
Preparing for Luke: Reflections by a Pregnant Priest
Kate Moorehead
S ECTION F OUR : M ISSION AND M INISTRY FOR THE N EW M ILLENNIUM
The Future of Our Generation in the Church
J. Scott Barker
A Living Church Serving a Living Lord: Mission and Ministry in the Twenty-first Century
Rock H. Schuler
A FTERWORD : C ONTINUING THE C ONVERSATION , C ONTINUING THE C ONVERSION
N. J. A. Humphrey
N OTES ON C ONTRIBUTORS
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
F OREWORD: FORWARD!
The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold
When four Episcopal clergy under thirty-five realized that there were only some three hundred Episcopal priests in their age group, they formed an ad hoc committee and decided to do something about it. They said, Let s see what needs to be done to make our church more hospitable to younger people who might consider vocations to ordained ministry. Their response is a contrast to people of my generation who often might fuss and say, Well, why don t they fix it, or why don t they do something about it? pointing a finger at the diocesan establishment or the bishop. In this case, this group of young clergy said, Here s a problem; we have the freedom to do something about it ourselves. That spirit of independence-that capacity to act out of their own energy-is a very important gift to us as we look to the future.
Their discussions led to action and a conference-called Gathering the NeXt Generation -in June 1998 at Virginia Theological Seminary. Out of that gathering, in which I had the pleasure of participating, have developed several projects, among them the Young Priests Initiative, which focuses on encouraging vocations at an earlier age.
Throughout the conference, I was struck by the way this group was able to speak and listen to one another. During a plenary session I sat at the front of the church and could look at their faces and see the reaction, one to another, as they were sharing feelings and perceptions. One young priest said that he still could not accept the ordination of women and was glad to be at the conference, but had come in fear and trembling about whether he would be welcomed and accepted. And as he spoke, I looked into the faces of those who were listening, particularly the faces of the young ordained women present, and no one s eyes rolled. No one looked shocked or turned to a neighbor and whispered. This group could receive his comments with equanimity.
Shortly thereafter another priest said that he was gay and that this group was important to him because he had felt lonely and isolated and he felt supported by being with these people. I knew a number of clergy in the group for whom this was problematic, but again, no eyes rolled and there were no whispers or frowning looks.
I realized that this group was capable of a graced pluralism that my generation finds somewhat difficult, possibly because we grew up in a church where we had answers to everything. Or so we thought. The younger clergy realize that this is not the case. They have been shaped in a different historical and cultural situation from the one that shaped most of us in ordained ministry.
I do not meant to imply that they are without foundation or clear values, but that they recognize that their perceptions cannot be considered absolute, and that they must make room for otherness in ways that can be unsettling. And yet, what I saw in Virginia was the capability to look for Christ always in one another. They were not merely accepting that someone else had a different point of view but wanted to know the person behind the view and to recognize the Christ in him or her.
It is heartening that our younger generation s clergy speak a language of faith naturally and confidently. They are persons who pray deeply, whose intimacy with Christ is at the heart of their lives. And that depth of prayer, that intimacy with Christ is, I think, what gives them the freedom to be open and available to one another-even those who may hold points of view that differ markedly from their own. I hope that, in time, this spirit increasingly can become the spirit that binds us together as members of the Episcopal Church. In time, these young priests will be the leaders of the church, so doubtless it will happen.
This collection of essays by and about Generation X clergy gives a taste of their diversity of character and strength of faith. In these pages we see the rich resources we have in our younger clergy and a promising indication of what lies ahead for us as the Episcopal Church.
P REFACE
Conversation and Conversion N. J. A. Humphrey
As the editor of this project, I ve had the pleasure of reading these essays, in their various forms, several times. Each time I have been impressed by the spirit, the love, and the passion these authors demonstrate for the gospel and for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Each essayist is committed to the church s mission to restore . . . unity with God and each other in Christ ( Book of Common Prayer 855; henceforth, BCP ). They have inspired and challenged me, and I am sure they will do the same for you.
I believe we have produced a book that will cut across many divides in the Episcopal Church: women and men, young and old, lay and ordained, liberal and conservative, gay and straight, Anglo-Catholic and evangelical, and everywhere in between. I hope you will take from this collection a greater appreciation of the riches of our church and the gifts each brings, in whatever state we were called (1 Cor. 7:17). From these places of calling, I hope we can begin a mutually converting conversation on mission and ministry in the next millennium. We can do this best, I believe, by following Jesus example of sharing meals, challenging disciples and detractors alike, and simply being open to all sorts and conditions of humanity. Jesus conversations with people, like the ones he had with Nicodemus or the woman at the well, had a profound impact on their lives (John 3-4). His conversat