Friends,

It is a fairly common occurrence that I will surprise someone when they find out that I am a priest. I guess it is not a common occurrence to run into a clergy person, and many people tell me that they feel the encounter is divine providence. This always feels a bit off to me, because from my perspective, it is always just another day, and talking about God and stuff is pretty much all I do. The conversations are almost always very meaningful and sacred. Sometimes people tell me why they stopped going to Church, and I always make sure they know that I’d love to see them on Sunday. Sometimes they tell me about their Church, and I love to hear the reasons why they feel called to their community. Sometimes they tell me why they don’t believe, and this can often feel like an opening salvo for some sort of ideological battle. I generally counter with an invitation to our grill night and a sincere promise that I won’t secretly baptize them. This generally evaporates any perceived tension, and then we continue our conversation like normal people.

This isn’t an evangelical thing in that I am doing this to try to get people in the doors on Sunday morning. Very rarely does this result in someone coming to St. Luke’s for worship or grill night. Even though we lack a quantifiable indicator to the effects of these conversations, I believe they are invaluable. I have a hunch that people feel heard and valued at the end of the conversation. If a staunch atheist goes home bemused and slightly confused and tells their spouse that they met a priest in a coffee shop, and got an invitation to eat chicken sandwiches rather than the expected dogma, then I think they are worthwhile. People often feel surprised at being in line with a priest, but I like to surprise them in the message they receive.

I have a few rules I have created in my almost decade of ordained ministry. I try to avoid bringing up the fact I am a priest or Church in general unless it is relevant. I always make it a point to listen to their religious experience, and I will only share mine if asked. If someone tells me that they like Church for a reason that I do not believe in, I bite my tongue and don’t correct them. Unless the tone is somber, I try to make my affect humorous and slightly irreverent. A lot of people don’t know about the Episcopal Church, and when they ask me what we believe, I say, “We’re just like the Catholics in that we have all the Hope, but we ain’t got no Pope.” From there they might give a more direct question, and I will give a more sincere answer, but I suspect most people are trying to get a feel of what “type” of Christian I am, and I want to show them that I am an approachable silly one.

I imagine most of these conversations are quickly forgotten, but I know for certain that many of them are not. So much of the talk around religion in our society is polemic, sarcastic and insincere, and I believe there is a tremendous need in our community for something different, and it doesn’t take a priest to have a conversation that feels like divine providence. I have it easier than others because I have a uniform and a title to help jump start the conversation, but you are able to have these conversations as well.

In the back of the prayer book is a Catechism outlining our basic beliefs. Here it established that the ministers of the Church are: lay persons, bishops, priests and deacons. The ministry of the laity is described as, “The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.” So, wherever you may find yourself, you are called to represent Christ and be a beacon of hope to a hurting world.

I have worked out my own little philosophy on how to represent Christ and his Church to our community, and I do not expect you to do it like I do. I hope you find your own way to surprise people with what an openly Christian person looks like and sounds like. Each of you have your own unique voice and perspective that can open up the Church to people who have been hurt, or simply not found the right home. And for your own sake, I hope you get to hear that someone thinks God send you to them to start chatting in line at the pastry shop, but it feels good.

Do you think wearing the collar would help stand out as an approachable Christian, but don’t have time to go through seminary? Then don’t forget you can represent your church with Cherch Merch! You can buy Cherch Merch at: www.saintlukeschurch.net/store

-Nick