Five Seems Like a Good Number
“In commitment and renewal to my covenant as a clergy person in The United Methodist Church, I now reverently and with joy, accept my appointment with a glad mind and will, and pray that I shall be worthy of my call to the ministry, my conference relationship, and the place of labor to which I have been appointed.”
I’ve written a variation of this article every July since I’ve been here, and we’re “interrupting” our series on “A Pastor’s Life: Behind the Curtains” to bring it to you again.
The statement above is the vow each clergy person takes at Annual Conference during the final worship service after the Bishop announces the appointments for the year have been “fixed.” It’s a reminder that clergy are appointed on a year-to-year basis, even though the Cabinet tries to keep us in our appointments for lengthier periods than used to be the case.
As I write this, we just recently completed Annual Conference 2026, the appointments were fixed, and I have been reappointed to High Street UMC for 2026-27. As this comes out, we’ll have hit the 4-year anniversary of my time here, and will be heading into Year 5. It’s hard to believe how fast time flies.
Of course, as is true every year, things continue to change. We were fortunate to be able to share Pastor Colin as our Associate Pastor this past year with Community of Hope UMC. But the Conference is currently experiencing a bit of a clergy shortage, and he’s needed – for many reasons – at Richmond UMC as their senior pastor. We’ll miss him, as will Community of Hope, and will pray for him and Pastor Heather and their family as he commutes to Richmond while they continue to live here in Muncie.
As of right now, we will not have an associate pastor. Fortunately, our talented laity have stepped forward before to assist in leading worship, and to take leadership in many of the areas where we’d normally have pastoral oversight. You’ve all done a terrific job previously, and I know you will again. This is how church is supposed to work. It was never intended to be clergy-focused.
Our lay leader, Bob Myers, has agreed to take on some additional responsibilities this coming year. We’ll see him preaching a bit more, and he’ll take on some of the pastoral care responsibilities that Pastor Colin focused on, particularly with our homebound members and those in assisted living facilities. This will work well with Bob’s strengths as he leans into his call; and his gifts, background, and training as a Stephen Minister.
We are all called into ministry through our baptisms. High Street United Methodist Church isn’t about what the High Street staff and pastors are doing; it’s all about what God and the members and constituents of High Street are doing. How High Street flourishes in the coming year and beyond will be up to each person within this congregation.
Financial stability continues to be a concern for our congregation. You are a generous group of people, and I give thanks daily for it. But it takes a lot of time, talent, and resources to keep our church and building running, as we all know. We’ve had some breathtaking gifts of generosity this year that have brought me to my knees in gratitude; and we’ve had some times when I’ve wondered if we would be able to pay our bills and payroll. I continue to lean on God’s providence as God reminds me time and time again that God will provide. The decision of Judge Calhoun on the Foundation’s petition to divide the Rowls Trust may provide us with some breathing space, but it will not solve our financial issues.
We’ve had a good four years of ministry together. I admit I wondered and prayed during this past year about whether it was time for me to retire, and for High Street to have new pastoral leadership. But, along with God, I discerned we still had some ministry to do together, and I look forward with joy to another fruitful year with you.