Along with the importance of portable traditions, another thing that I learned at the marriage retreat facilitated by the Soderquist Center was that many of the issues, problems and experiences that I have as a pastor are not clergy issues, they are leadership issues. Sometimes I find myself naming my role as a pastor as the cause of: trouble that I may experience within the church, personal or family difficulties, imbalance in work and personal life, etc. This is most often incorrect.
What I may claim as issues as the result of being a clergy person are many times the result of being a leader. It is freeing to name some of these things as experienced by a much larger population than clergy. I also believe it places more force on my need to claim responsibility for addressing these things.
What do you think?
Rev. Andrew Conard 