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Orientation

Orienteering is a well established and respected element of the Scouting program. It requires that the Scout be able to find his or her position and identify and follow a path using only a map and compass. It requires a variety of skills: ability to read a map, use a compass, measure one’s pace, find and follow a route through changing and rough terrain. In order to become a first class Scout, one must prove one’s skill in orienteering.

Being a first class pastor is much like this. It requires competency in a variety of skills, ability to use limited resources and read mixed signals to find a position and follow a path through rough, unknown terrain. It is my hope that this book will offer some level of confidence in pastoral orienteering, making it through the rough patches to find the smooth path ahead.

That which is most personal is also often what’s most universal. Beginning with my experience of being a pastor in crisis serving a parish in crisis and building on this through the research and training it motivated, this volume will help pastors care for their congregations living through times of overwhelming change as well as cope with their congregations when times of conflict occur. Using my experience as a thread, I will weave a story offering survival and the opportunity of success.

Our culture is enduring a time of epochal change. Change leads to stress and stress leads to conflict. As individuals, we breathe an atmosphere of anxiety. If our congregations are to survive, we must find ways to endure the change, defend ourselves from the stress, and resolve the conflict in ways that can lead to stronger, healthier congregations. We need to become resilient.

This book’s title is inspired by Hosea 8:7, “They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.” In many ways, it feels like we are enduring a whirlwind of conflict and change, in our culture and in our congregations. Yet it was from this whirlwind that God spoke to Job and God only appeared to Elijah after the earthquake, wind and fire. There is a way through, a presence in the midst and a goal ahead. Together, we can find them!

Each chapter offers a concise lesson, includes a meditation, and offers questions for reflection and discussion. The book is intended to be used as a springboard for conversation among clergy groups. It is one in a series of such books offered jointly by the Academy of Parish Clergy and Energion Publications.