>>I am coming up on my first year as an ordained minister
Usually it takes decades for a pastor to develop the us vs them (with “us” being the clergy and “them” being the folks in the pews) attitude. I predict that you will have a very unfruitful career unless you can learn to love them for all their warts. A shepherd works constantly for his flock, but the flock never does anything for him. Nothing, that is, but survive and thrive. And that is the shepherd’s mission.
It isn’t that laity hates the clergy. They don’t. I don’t know how Anglicans do things, so I will use my experience as a Methodist.
Pastoring is a full-time vocation that is paid well when you factor in housing allowances and such. They say it needs to be full-time (and they look down their noses at those Part-Time Local Pastors) because they need to be able to work around the clock on pastoring. OK, I get that.
So, they insist that the church form small groups so the laity can teach and exhort one another.
They insist we form care teams to look in on the homebound and take them communion.
They insist that the laity mow their grass or pay for a lawn service.
They do not work on church work days.
If they go on vacation, they get one of the Certified Lay Speakers to fill the pulpit.
They schedule office hours around their family schedule (including having to leave promptly at a certain time to pick up their kids at school). Unless you are in the hospital for an emergent life-threatening problem on the weekend, you will not see him until Monday because Friday and Saturday are his days off, and Sunday after church is his personal “me time” to wind down from preaching.
So, it isn’t that Protestants hate their clergy. Its just that the clergy has delegated so much of his office to the laity that we often wonder why he is there.
Usually it takes decades for a pastor to develop the us vs them (with “us” being the clergy and “them” being the folks in the pews) attitude. I predict that you will have a very unfruitful career unless you can learn to love them for all their warts. A shepherd works constantly for his flock, but the flock never does anything for him. Nothing, that is, but survive and thrive. And that is the shepherd’s mission.”
Well said - I am not Methodist but a clergy person serves Christ by serving His people. Clergy expecting constant gratitude will be disappointed - don’t look for it. One must just love the flock where they are - and pray that God will give you all you need to follow His lead.
I pretty much do everything, along with my Bishop, music, liturgy, hospital visitation, jailhouse ministry. I earn no salary and haven’t even recovered any of my expenses in about four years. I throw money into the collection plate I earn on my day job. I paid for my own education, my own vestments, my own books, and so forth.
OUR laity is not the problem. The problem is the laity that does not attend my church but answer me in places like this.
There is truth in what you say, yet the church also tends to reflect the personality of its pastor, and thus few actually go to where the masses are and outreach to them - which esp. in the independent cynical and noncommittal society we are in is needed - but instead expect them to come to church.
Its no happening folks. If you realized life in Christ, by being truly born again, then the directive is, "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life." (Acts 5:20)
And the temple today is mainly the sports stadium, etc.
Well seeing as you all are members of the "priesthood of believers" then you have a responsibility to do all those things.
Read the Acts of the Apostles. It clearly shows how all these duties were distributed.
At least that is what this Catholic has been told by a number of his separated Brethren on numerous occasions.
Personally I believe that any one that has the ability to get an M. Div. is worthy of my respect even if he is not a member of my faith. On the other hand the guys that rent a store front and a couple hundred folding chairs for "Bob's House O' god", not so much.