PRIVILEGED!
“Faith is going out knowing.”
Hebrews 11:8
Everything about my call to
ministry shouted “Bob, you are called to serve small rural churches.” How could
I discern anything differently? I was raised on a farm and in a small church in
a tiny community. Farming was so deep in my soul that as a child I was
convinced my blood was red because my father farmed with red Farmall tractors.
How surprised I was when a neighbor cut himself and he did not bleed green. He
was devoted to farming with John Deere equipment.
However, as you can see from
my pastoral record, appointment after appointment came and went, never to a
rural farming community. Was this result of God’s sense of humor or was there a
higher purpose? I’ll come back to this.
As I look back over almost
fifteen years as an assistant to the bishop it has become clear to me that just
as God has prepared me for every appointment, God also has prepared me, or at
least provided the resources in one form or another, for this ministry of
“administration.” In order to be as effective as possible one has to have an
understanding and appreciation for all the people of Iowa, whether people
directly tied to the land or working for or in relationship to people of the
land, town and farm dwellers alike.
These forty-two years of
ministry have been a privilege. It has been a privilege because of the
multitudes of laypersons I have had the good fortune of coming to know, for how
they have mentored me in God’s ways, prayed for and with me, and offered grace
when I haven’t made the best decisions. It has been a privilege because of my
many clergy colleagues that also have taught me about ministry, shared in the
joys and pains of ministry, and also prayed for and with me.
While a major portion of my ministry
has been as what is currently known as “Assistant to the Bishop for
Administration,” I have always seen this as a ministry in, through, and on behalf
of the local church, what United Methodists call “extension ministry,”
extending the ministry of the local church. Bishop Charles Jordan helped frame
this understanding for me. He often reminded me that any assistant to the
bishop must see one of his or her major roles as stretching the bishop’s time
in order that the bishop can provide more leadership for and connection to
local churches under his or her care. The three bishops I have been privileged
to serve have all added to this understanding about this relationship with and
extension of the local church.
One of the important ways of
serving the local church as an assistant to the bishop is to develop the kinds
of relationships with laity and clergy throughout the Annual Conference that
not only allow the person(s) in these positions to represent the bishop when he
or she is unavailable but also to advise the resident bishop on how best to
provide leadership for the people he or she is called to serve. I have also come
to understand that it is extremely important for an assistant to the bishop to
know the Annual Conference well enough to advocate on behalf of United
Methodists with the bishop as he or she learns the culture and nature of Iowa
and Iowa United Methodists. What a privilege this continues to be!
Now, after forty-two years I
still have days when I ponder my call to ministry and the direction it has
taken. Why would God pluck up a farm boy from rural Iowa and send him to
ministries that often appear to be several steps removed from the land? As I
have been prayerfully contemplating retirement I have been responding to every
inquiry about my “retirement plans” by saying “I’m just going to garden.” Well,
here comes God again! Careful what you pray for. You just may get it. I had a
moment of clarity recently about my gardening. I believe God is calling me to explore
the possibility of working with one of our United Methodist-related ministries
to assist in developing an urban farm. Maybe God has been preparing me all
along for a ministry of farming! Another privilege!
J. Robert Burkhart (Bob)
Assistant to the Bishop for Administration
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