I’ve reflected on Martin Copenhaver’s pictures of life as a preacher’s kid from my own vantage point as a preacher’s kid’s mom.
It’s easy to count the blessings that came into Noah’s life because he grew up as a preacher’s kid. He began as a child of the Olds congregation; prayed into this world by them, wrapped in blankets and quilts the women had made, bouncing in Charlie Messer’s cowboy boot during worship. He grew up as a child of the Central City congregation, supported and nurtured by a wonderful village of moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas. I am profoundly grateful to both congregations for their gifts of love in Noah’s life.
Noah certainly grew up with a clear view of church from the inside. He was very proud of being a helper at church and he was a fantastic help in hundreds of different ways. I think it’s honest to say that I depended on his help and that the congregation grew to depend some on his help, too. He certainly saw the darker sides of church life, too. He saw my tears, and my anger, and my exhaustion. Through it all, Noah has grown to manhood still on good speaking terms with God and still drawn to a life of faith lived in community.
As I visit with the pastors on the east side of the Iowa Conference, I have another vantage point from which to reflect on preachers and their kids. I listen to the struggles of pastors trying to balance the needs of their families with the needs of their congregations. I listen to tough, tough choices pastors make when both a child and a parishioner need the same slice of the pastor’s time. I listen to the frustrations about evenings full of meetings and family events postponed because of emergencies in the congregation. I listen to the joys of being able, as Martin Copenhaver notes, to share our daily labor with our children.
This chapter prompts us as pastors to take a close look at how our children are both blessed and challenged by our odd and wondrous calling. I hope the chapter also prompts the members of our congregations to think and pray carefully about how it is for the children of our pastors.
I’ll watch for posts from the preachers’ kids in the Iowa Conference. What was it like for you? How are your experiences of church today shaped by your experience as a preacher’s kid? Did you also discern a call to ministry?
I’ll also watch for posts from those who have been both pastors and parents. What was it like for you to be the parent of a preacher’s kid? What were the delights and the challenges? How can we help one another to care well for our children as we fulfill an odd and wondrous calling?
Jonna Jensen, Associate Conference Minister for Eastern Iowa
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