How do we stop seeing the ordained as a job (profession) hired by the community and start seeing the ministry as one of the gifts functioning within the community?

This is a very crucial question for us at this time: seminary costs too damn much and the ministry, really, doesn’t pay enough to justify the cost.

Often a huge portion of people seem to get out of seminary looking for a job in their profession du jure (opting later to be lawyer or doctor or bookstore clerk) rather than from any evident calling or a desire to carry the tradition of the faith forward. They are treating the ministry as an avocation rather than a vocation. It’s simply what they are doing now rather than who they are. It’s a job rather than an adventure within a community.

In Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor describes a scene where members of “her” congregation are tossing each other into the swimming pool. She wants to be like “everyone else” and get tossed into the pool as well. But it is evident (at least at the beginning of the scene) that a combination of her “position” and the community’s perception of her (and possibly her own perception of herself within that community) are keeping her clothes dry. Having been Eastern Orthodox, I can easily recognise the “spooky” aspect of people who think that only because they wear a black dress I should automatically have some sort of reverence for them (even when they have been a dickhead, or a blog troll or whatever). But I’ve seen that in ECUSA, in Methodism, in Indy-Cath and Roman traditions as well. In this regard, I’m glad I was taught well by Fr Victor – may his memory be a blessing! It is not the priest, but Christ acting through the priest that we honour. But as with all of the laity, when the priest begins to act like Christ she, too, is worthy of our honour.

How do we stop seeing the position of liturgical leadership and preaching as a job some people have (lucky blokes) – often limited to only the seminary trained, or seminary trained men, or seminary trained heterosexual men, or seminary trained celibate heterosexual men – and start seeing liturgical leadership and preaching as part of what the Church does as a whole body?

It happened that this particular pilgrim’s grandfather passed away almost a week following the trip’s conclusion and he was rushed with his family to Florida for a quick funeral and subsequent shiva [Mourning] period. When it was time for mincha [Afternoon Prayer] and maariv [Evening Prayer] respectfully, no one volunteered to lead because no one knew how. There was not one skilled individual who was able to recite Kaddish Yatom (Mourner’s Kaddish). So with all his courage, this pilgrim stood up and for the first time in his life led both themincha and maariv services for his grandfather’s shiva.

He told me this story to simply thank me for his success and gained knowledge. Not once during the summer did he express interest in leading a service or show a strong interest for the prayers. Instead, he complained that three-times-a-day was too much, and that learning tefillah (prayer) was not fun. Even if prayer was the only part of the trip that was not exciting, when he was in a situation where a prayer leader was needed, it clicked in his head how important it was to know prayer, and what prayer means for us as Jews today. It is both personal and communal; tefillah [Prayer] is comforting, and uniquely ours.

That last line is important. It is both personal and communal; [Prayer] is comforting, and uniquely ours.

For my Anglican Readers: do the youth of your parish now how to navigate the Book of Common Prayer? Easily 50% of the things in there can be read by laity in church. Would they know how to lead their family in Mornign Prayer? Evening Prayer? Even the Daily Devotions for Families and Individuals?

For my Orthodox Readers: do the youth of your parish know how to assmeble even a simple 1st, 3rd, 6th or 9th Hour? Are they familiar with Reader’s Services? Could they lead their own family in Typica? Hell – do the adults?

It is both personal and communal; [Prayer] is comforting, and uniquely ours. But it is only ours if we make it ours, use it, live it. “Read, Mark, Learn and Inwardly Digest It.”