Home

Thoughts

Conclusion

Approaching the pastoral office from the perspective of an artist emphasizes the creative aspect of the call.  As the Holy Spirit inspires us and calls us into ministry, we always have to remember that the task of the artist is to succumb to the medium and to be absorbed into the act of co-creating with the Spirit.  But true participation in divine creativity requires the maintenance of boundaries.  The following Credo attempts to outline the essentials.

The Pastor-Artist's Creedo

I believe that all true creativity originates in the divine Muse, the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, I must submit to the creative work of the Spirit in my life before beginning my work in the congregation.

I believe that the Spirit was there in the community before me, and will continue to be there long after I am gone.  My task is not to bring God to the congregation.  My task is to discern the working of God already present in the community, and then to paint a picture of individual and corporate possibilities.  I do so with my life's example.  I do so with my words.  I do so with dreams and aspirations that are sensed even if I do not give them voice.

I believe that the greatest thing that I can create in any community is a sense of sacred space.  Sacred space is about an atmosphere of being open to and immersed in the life of the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.  It is a space where Christ most visibly reigns supreme.  It is the space where heaven and earth most perceptibly meet.  It is a work of divine art.