In the month of October, the word ‘designated’ is usually followed by ‘hitter,’ as in baseball. The “dh” rule was fully implemented in 1973 and, ironically, the first official designated hitter, Ron “Boomer” Blomberg, was walked.
I didn’t take the time to research when the role of Designated Pastor entered our Presbyterian polity or whose idea it was. But I am deeply grateful for the way it has enabled me to begin ministry here, to come know you and vice versa over these last 19 months.
I write this on the eve of my second Installation Service here at Caldwell, this one shifting me from me the role of your Designated Pastor to become your Installed Pastor. This is an open-ended relationship until God sees fit to take me and my family or Caldwell in a different direction, to do yet another “new thing.” I trust God’s not in a hurry for we Cleghorns feel so deeply fortunate to be among you.
This milestone is worth some thought for all involved.
Since I was ordained as your pastor, Caldwell has continued to grow in the depth and breadth of its ministries. So many of you have so many interests and such big hearts for service. In some ways, we have a profile of a much larger church. Many pastors and sessions pray for such a ‘problem.’ Thanks be to God.
In other areas, we are still putting in place the foundations of organization as well as leader and volunteer development. We are like a toddler, getting our legs under us, more stable and agile every day, but our capacity for ministry on- and off-campus is still evolving.
The unexpected rebirth of this church and the spirit that flows through it provide deep, abundant wells of sheer joy and exuberance that have fueled the “New Caldwell” so far. Now, as we embark on this next phase, I’ve been thinking and praying a lot about how we might transform that source of energy into something as productive but more intentional, more sustainable.
Disciplined Discipleship
It’s funny – the word disciple has a good connotation for most of us but the word discipline runs more of a cold shiver up our spines. Have you ever considered that both words have some common heritage? The modern word, disciple, comes from the Latin word for ‘learner’ while the Latin root for discipline means to be trained, instructed or formed in a particular way.
As we open this next chapter in Caldwell’s life, we might ask how we are called to become disciplined disciples. As lifelong learners of God’s ways, how can we open ourselves – together and individually – to be formed by God into a community that serves God as fully as possible? How might we take the energy we have been burning – energy drawn largely from the unexpected joy of Caldwell’s rebirth – and channel it into a more long-burning fuel to drive our ministries in the next three to five years?
The Time and Talent inventory we have just taken in our Stewardship Campaign is a great resource for that. It will help church leaders measure the scope of our collective interests, plumb the depth of our commitment and carefully direct our individual interests to areas of ministry and service.
So far, we have received pledges of time totaling more than 4,500 hours for 2010. Surely God dances in the heavens at the thought of this outpouring of your spirits. Now let us submit ourselves to be formed and shaped as a people in God’s name for God’s service, to be disciplined disciples in the very best sense. Amen.