Episode 49 - Salt of the Earth
Listen in as we discuss Mark Lomax’s Church Unbound talk from Episode 48. What does it mean to be salt of the earth? Can churches be salty if a pastor isn’t salty?
Listen in as we discuss Mark Lomax’s Church Unbound talk from Episode 48. What does it mean to be salt of the earth? Can churches be salty if a pastor isn’t salty?
November 26th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Camille — I hear what you’re saying about “Where is my opportunity to go and be salt?”, and I felt much the same way when I was a pastor. My solution was taking a long lunch break every Thursday to go and be a volunteer adult literacy tutor. On the other hand, I also wouldn’t be so quick to criticize yourself because, yes, even though you work in the church, and “it’s your job,” God knows (literally) we need our pastors and professional church employees to be salt in *that* workplace, as well! It doesn’t come automatically! If you are being a truly “salty” pastor, isn’t that fulfilling Jesus’ command to be salt, even if you are also getting paid for it? The laborer is worthy, etc.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am
This is what I get for commenting before listening to the whole episode. I also want — without invalidating what I just said to Camille! — that I agree with David: I have a lot of doubt about the professional clergy model. And while I am not willing to junk our ritual and our Eucharistic prayers, etc. (and am not saying David is, necessarily, either!), why do we need to pay someone to do that and primarily/largely only that? Why do we not do like some other traditions (Christian or otherwise) — Quakers, Mormons, etc. — where there are no paid professional clergy? We don’t pay our ruling elders, and yet we expect them to be trained and to servce — perhaps we ought to go to that for teaching elders, as well.