Ministry in the Middle

The world is broken. This seems obvious these days.  We are experiencing a global pandemic, complete with ever-changing guidance on the best ways to protect ourselves and our communities.  As part of that response, there is massive unemployment and broad job insecurity.  In the past weeks, there have been national examples of suspected murders of African-American men highlighting the ongoing white supremacy in this country. This week there have been massive protests and demonstrations, ostensibly in response to a recent police shooting of an unarmed man, but likely a response to all of this.  Some have used these demonstrations as an excuse for looting, arson, and violence. The world is broken. I imagine there is almost universal agreement on these four words.  Almost no one is walking around smiling and thinking to themselves, "I am so glad these things are happening."  The disagreements arise when we start talking about how to fix the brokenness. In ...

There Is No Good Card for This: What to Say and Do When Life is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell  (HarperOne, 2017), 272 pages Many of life's challenges can be devastating, such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or losing a job.  When someone we care about faces one of these awful challenges, we can feel powerless and inadequate to help.  Often, we don't know what to say, and we don't know what to do. Many ministers receive specialized training to help them navigate these situations with compassion and confidence.  Personally, I cherish the unit of Clinical Pastoral Education that I took years ago, and still draw on many of its lessons today.  It was especially useful to help me learn how to be spiritually present with someone suffering by making sure my own emotional baggage does not get in the way. Not all ministers, and few lay leaders, have such training.  Instead, they simply rely on the...