Itineracy

This is Annual Conference season in the United Methodist Church. Here in eastern North Carolina we just spent four days in Wilmington, where we worshiped together and discussed the business -- or order -- of our denomination in this part of the world.

Part of the ordering of ministry that happens at Annual Conference is the setting of pastoral appointments. On the final day of the gathering the Bishop read out all changes in appointments for the UM churches in her area of responsibility. Thankfully, I was reappointed to Salem and Harris Chapel and will not be moving this year. Of course this came as no surprise -- I would have known beforehand if a move was in the works. The Bishop, through a District Superintendent, collaborates with pastors and churches to set appointments. Gone are the days when the Bishop would surprise the pastors and their laity by announcing changes for the first time during Annual Conference. 

Itineracy is the word we use to describe how pastors are moved around and appointed according to the Bishop's direction. This is one thing that sets the UMC apart from other church traditions. Our pastors move at the behest of the Annual Conference instead of the local congregation. Local churches certainly have a voice in deciding on pastoral appointments, but the ultimate decision resides with the office of the Bishop. As I prepare for ordination as an Elder in the UMC, I agree to accept this aspect of ministry.

This is very different from churches who call or hire their own pastors. It would be difficult to make a case from scripture for one method being right or the other wrong. Methodism has placed such a high value on itineracy because Bishop Francis Asbury saw it as a mark of apostolicity. In other words, preachers who were willing to be sent out wherever needed were following in the same tradition as the early apostles. Many times those pastors were called on to move every year or two. In places where churches were being planted -- where the Methodists were meeting in homes or cell groups -- a circuit-riding preacher might only visit once every few months. Having a "station" or permanent pastor was considered a luxury for more established congregations.

These days the church in America is no longer a frontier movement. Moving new preachers into different pulpits is less important than the stability of leadership over the long haul. It's now rare for pastors to get moved around frequently, and some stay in their appointments for a very long time -- decades rather than years. Of course there are both pros and cons about long-term appointments. In a culture where people trust leaders less than they used to, it takes a pastor a long time to become known and respected in a community. People who study such things say that a pastor needs at least 7 years in the same appointment to see significant growth or change. However, a long-term appointment can also tempt a congregation to build a personality cult around a specific pastor. If a change in pastors causes a church to collapse, then too much of that congregation's ministry was centered in one person. A good pastor is important, but it's not everything when it comes to being the body of Christ.