[Magdalen] Epiphany

[Mahoney, W. Michael]

On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 10:21 AM, Judy Fleener <fleenerj at gmail.com> wrote:

> Please pray that we at St. Paul's, Muskegon have not picked incorrectly.
> Not only are we experiencing discomfort with a change in liturgical styles,
> but also a seeming inability to get work done in a timely fashion.
>

It may be that its a rocky start and that eventually things will work out.
We can hope and pray.  But it is certainly consistent with my belief that
the Church ought make much greater use of the "Priest-in-Charge"(PIC)
approach.

With the PIC approach, a priest is hired with a two to three year
contract.  The contract provides both for periodic evaluation and *no fault
*termination or non-renewal.

There are many good reasons why rectors should have tenure.  But they are
not sufficient to grant it to a priest the day he or she arrives.  It
doesn't happen in the academic world; it doesn't happen it the private
sector; it doesn't happen in other denominations; and, it shouldn't happen
in the Episcopal Church.

The literature on "transition" is extensive.  But you will find little if
any discussion of the plain fact that a "call" is ultimately a crap shoot.
Prayer and hard work may improve the odds but they don't eliminate risk.
The PIC approach does not eliminate risk either but it does lower the cost
when things do turn out badly.

We are in the midst of a transition in my parish.  I kid our search
committee that if our eventual "call" works out wonderfully, we will all
say it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  But if it turns out to be a
disaster, the search committee will get the blame.  I am not just kidding,
though,  We need more explicit recognition that the hiring process, like
most human things, is an uncertain business.

Mike M.

Mike M.