My vocational work over the past 25 years has focused on the growth and development of young people and their families. Even in my non-church work, I believed I was called to share God’s love as I supported the many families I served. Now, I believe God is calling me toward a new vocation that uses the lessons and skills I’ve gained in my previous work and ministry.
Many communities of faith are struggling as they discern where the Holy Spirit is leading them in this new world of advanced technologies and commitments that draw energy and attention of those we have been called to serve. How does the church respond to these challenges while remaining faithful to our commitment to, in all things, glorify and enjoy God forever? Where do we balance the practical with the spiritual missions of the church?
My hope is to use the experiences I have had with various congregations and other communities, each having journeyed through times of transition in their own ways, combined with my matriculation through the Mdiv and MAPT programs at Columbia Theological Seminary along with specific training in transitional ministry leadership to serve faith communities that need guidance in determining what’s next for them. I believe the work of Transitional Ministry is a specific vocation that requires specific competencies for success. I also believe that this work shouldn’t be limited to the interim period between install pastors because, in a sense, we are always in stages of transition and change.
Another similar focus of ministries that intrigues me is working in Transformational Ministry. It is like Transitional Ministry, where the pastor has a shorter-term focus with specific goals for change. However, transformational work takes much longer as it requires congregations to commit to a new telos and fully embrace a new ethos. This is challenging, strange, and risky work that takes courage and faith. This work is rooted in community organizing practices that seek to discern what is at the heart of the community in order to reinvigorate the souls towards a Spirit-guided mission and ministry.
John E. McCrosky 