When I say my ministry days are behind me

Last updated on: May 30, 2014 at 9:06 pm by Dave Griffey

When I say my ministry days are behind me 2014-05-30T21:06:00-04:00 Dave Griffey

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I mean it. So I was informed of a position not too long ago in another diocese. Since our own diocese has all but shut the door on me for good, I thought perhaps – just perhaps – moving out would be the open door I’ve been praying for. Even though I grumble about tossing my library in the can and turning away and never returning, there’s always that tug, that yearning for those crazy, hazy days of Christian ministry. They were rough, as all ministry is. But they were rewarding beyond measure. And I miss that.

So hoping that the shutout was more a regional thing, I expanded my radius and sent my resume and cover letter. It was great. One of the best I’ve ever written. I had proof readers working overtime. The reason? It was a position made for me: someone with knowledge of Protestantism, especially Evangelicals, a Masters of Divinity minimum, experience in Christian ministry, theological background, knowledge of Church History, and a commitment to the Catholic Faith. Oh, and website experience would be a plus.

I submitted my resume and prayed. The next day I checked our emails and there it was! A rejection email. The candidates had already been narrowed down and the final interviews in place. The door had been shut weeks earlier (though it had only been posted weeks earlier, so not sure what that meant).

Well, I tried to object, but was politely, yet firmly, told to cease pestering them, the decision was made. So I decided to look up and see just who it was that got this position. And who was it? Well, he did have a PhD from a Catholic university in Ecumenical relations. And he had struggled with his faith in college. But he was and always had been Catholic. His knowledge of Protestantism? What he had studied, and the Protestant friends he had. But what he really was? A Catholic with experience working with Facebook.

And that has been a trend I’ve noticed. Not in all cases. I’ve been shut out of chaplaincy positions just as quickly. I’ve actually received rejection emails the same day I applied, even when I was overwhelmingly qualified. No, in many ‘ministry’ positions I’ve noticed the real emphasis is on Tech. Website design, digital, electronic communications. Actual knowledge of theology, biblical studies, Church history, is increasingly irrelevant. Certainly when the request is for someone who knows something about Protestantism, and a Catholic with protestant friends is picked over a former Protestant minister with over a decade and a half of Protestant ministry experience, I’d dare say it’s time to rethink any real future as a minister within the Church.
As I’ve said before, this is not Scott Hahn’s conversion story. Increasingly, I’m coming to realize that from the Church’s POV, the fact that I was a minister, had training or education, was a Protestant, came damn close to bankruptcy and ruin in order to become Catholic is about as irrelevant as the market trends for butter churns. And that hurts, though there really isn’t anyone to tell it to that can – or worse, will – make a difference anyway. Just thought I’d throw that out. Best of luck to the fellow who got the position. Maybe he’ll learn to appreciate those separated brethren in new ways, and through it, some might come to learn about the Church.

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