What’s in a name?” Shakespeare once asked. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. The same is true for many of us. Over the years, I’ve held many titles: son, husband, friend, teacher, chaplain, pastor, and now associate conference minister. Each one carries its own weight, but some titles go deeper than description. They take responsibility, even identity. Thomas C. Oden never took the title of pastor lightly. In his book Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry, he reminds us that “pastor” comes from the Latin for shepherd. That’s not just a quaint metaphor. It’s one of the deepest biblical images for Christian ministry (Psalm 23, John 10, 1 Peter 5).

Shepherds don’t get corner offices, they don’t spend their days shuffling memos, and they certainly don’t wear Italian suits to go herd sheep. They walk with the flock, make sure no one wanders off a cliff, fend off predators, and sometimes even smell like the sheep they’re caring for. Oden believed that the image best describes what the clergy are called to be.

A pastor, he says, isn’t primarily a manager, a therapist, or an entertainer. The role is far older and far weightier. To be called pastor is to be entrusted with the care of souls: preaching, baptizing, feeding the people with Word and Sacrament, praying, and modeling what faith looks like in real life.

Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.

A message from GUFCU:

Generations United Federal Credit Union (GUFCU), which was first introduced to the United Church of Christ in June of this year, continues to grow and establish its identity as new members from many UCC conferences across the nation join.

Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed clergy, congregants, and their family members from New York to Hawaii, Massachusetts to Puerto Rico, and many states in between. We’re especially excited to see parents and grandparents open Youth Accounts for their children and grandchildren, and associations establishing checking and savings accounts to take advantage of our competitive interest rates. Most importantly, our deposits are being lent to members young and old, so they can pay down debt. These activities reflect our mission: building a stronger, financially responsible UCC community.

Through conversations with both prospective and new members, we’ve also discovered there are some misconceptions about our mission. We have updated our messaging on our website – https://gufcu.org to try to address them. Click through to read more.

What are the essentials of the Christian faith?  How do you understand the realm of God, salvation, and the message of Jesus?  What is Christianity’s role in the pluralistic role? These are foundational questions for Christian life and theological formation. Over the next six weeks, you will explore, reflect on, and discuss these aspects of Christian theology from a progressive perspective.  You will be asked to trace how your theological understandings have evolved because of church experience, study, and growth. You will also consider these topics and integrate them with the course work already completed in the PATHWAYS program.

Go to the PATHWAYS website (pathwaystheological.org) to learn more and to apply for this and other courses.

Get this on your calendar now: Tuesday, October 28 7:00 - 8:00 pm AZ / 8:00 - 9:00 pm NM & El Paso. Here’s the link. Details coming but save the date!

From Generations United Federal Credit Union:

We are excited to offer our congregation members a special opportunity to join Generations United Federal Credit Union, a member-focused financial institution whose mission aligns with the values of the United Church of Christ. Serving UCC congregations nationwide, including Puerto Rico, Generations United FCU provides a variety of basic banking services with unique features that promote financial security and confidence for members.

Click through to read more.