FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Help for Faith Leaders in a Season of Political Stress

I don’t know about you but I for one, post Thanksgiving, found myself thankful to have the presidential election behind me.  As a Pennsylvania resident, I couldn’t turn on the TV, open my mailbox, or go onto social media without finding reminders that the stakes were high, realizing that all eyes were on us (the Keystone state) and being offered an abundance of ‘recommendations’ about how I should vote to help the cause (whatever the various causes might have been).  Some people woke up on Wednesday, November 6^th, with celebration.  Others woke up weeping and gnashing their teeth.  Still others cared little but, like me, were glad for the relief of quieter airways and emptier mailboxes. 

Still, many among us had no such opportunity to rest in the relative quiet.  For those called to lead a church into mission and ministry, the question of how to be a faithful voice in a divided country looms larger than ever.  The challenge of guiding people who feel strongly on all sides of the political divide was not simple on November 5^th, but it has only gotten harder post-election.  The questions I hear my clergy colleagues asking are things like:

• How does a preacher be sufficiently prophetic without being political?
• When is it appropriate to speak with confidence and resistance, and when is it appropriate to listen with humility and grace?
• How do we simultaneously hold justice for all while holding hands with all?
• How do we keep in front of people the truth that, no matter who they voted for, “our trust is not in chariots or horses,” while being realistic about what it means to “render unto Caesar”?
• How do we honor our leaders and democratic systems while remembering the ultimate command to honor God above all things?
• What does it really mean to pledge our allegiance to an imperfect country with imperfect leaders, and what are the limits of that?

I do not envy these pastors, friends, and colleagues who must simultaneously preach the same message of Good News to those who are licking their wounds and to those who are breathing sighs of relief, often sitting in the same pew.

For this reason, we are offering an opportunity for pastors to spend some time asking these questions, and others, in community with their colleagues.  For Such a Time as This will be a non-partisan virtual monthly meeting, running January through June, for faith leaders to discern together pathways of faithful preaching and leadership.  There is still room in the cohorts and if you, like others, are feeling a bit adrift in a post-election wilderness, check it out HERE.