Prior to my arrival at OCC I was part of a UCC young clergy leadership group called the Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI).  This program entailed ten years of education and leadership development with a cohort of colleagues.  One of our educational requirements was to attend The Leadership Institute at Church of the Resurrection, a United Methodist megachuch in Leawood, Kansas in 2016.  Honestly, I was a little leery going in.  I have a natural propensity to distrust megachurches and the “celebrity pastors” often at the helm.  Though the senior pastor at Church of the Resurrection impressed me.  He seemed sincere and humble. 

The focus of the conference was on Moses’ leadership.  Yes, said pastor had just written a book on the matter.  However, I found myself taking copious notes.  The pastor spoke about a theme of Exodus being fear of the stranger and the other (xenophobia) as opposed to a higher calling.  Let’s face it, preachers and politicians sometimes use fear as tactics.  Yet when we act out of fear, we are not our best selves.  The pastor challenged us to wonder about the world the way it is and the way the world is supposed to be.  He chuckled that if we must be at the center of everything as pastors our churches actually won’t grow.  The calling is to give leadership away, to help equip others to lead.  As faith communities, we can focus on our values and our mission.  The pastor shared that leaders do get criticized, it’s just part of the deal.  The people Moses was leading grumbled about his leadership 15 times in Exodus and Numbers!  Though our churches don’t ultimately belong to us, they belong to God. 

I share this because this pastor has been on my mind.  He just got elected to serve as the next Senator of the State of Kansas—Rev. Adam Hamilton!  It will really be something to see quite a few clergy in Congress: Rev. Adam Hamilton, James Talarico (Presbyterian seminarian), Rev. Frederick Haynes III, Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, Rev. Lindsay James, Rev. Raphael Warnock, and Rev. Emanuel Cleaver.  It is heartening to have more open-hearted and open-minded Christians serving in elected office, Christians who will share our beautiful faith in a way that is welcoming and inclusive.  Onward!

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Lauren

The Orange Peal Pastor’s Note 11/11/26

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash