Intinerancy

I have only spoken once at Methodist Conference. It was to express my opposition to the the commission on ministry's view that itinerancy was the best option for pastoral ministry. I said something like this:

"Imagine someone approaches you and tells you that they feel called to be a pastor. However they do not feel called to be an itinerant pastor. You have to explain to them that there is no place for them in the Methodist ministry, not because of any biblical mandate for itinerancy but because of a tradition."

I love being a pastor. I love becoming a part of a community. I hate the fact that our tenure in any one place is limited to five to eight years. I think it means that we will always be the professional outsider. It is not that I oppose stationing - I am glad to have a committee place me in a location. But I do want to say, 'I'll go where I am sent, but could you please then leave me there.'