I’ve just completed a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree at Duke University in Durham NC, and I am grateful for the knowledge and wisdom that I have gained from my professors and students in my cohort. Since we were hybrid students (going for Immersion Weeks three times per year with zoom classes in between), our class demographics were a bit atypical for a seminary. We were older and almost everyone had served in non-profit organizations or been worship leaders or pastors for many years. During my enrollment, I served as Director of Outreach at my church for three years while I was in school.
During these four years of education, I was also in the discernment process for two years to become an Episcopal priest. Although I was not successful and the process has been closed for me in my diocese, I’ve been contemplating what I learned during my discernment for the priesthood. I realized that during my time at Duke and through discerning my calling, I have learned how to “think like a priest.”
I joined the Episcopal church in 2008, and it has been a steady and welcoming home for me since. I’d spent time in Roman Catholic churches and Southern Baptist churches, but when I saw females celebrating and preaching, I knew that I had found the place I needed to be. I felt like in order to become a better disciple, I needed to start looking at situations as if I were ordained as a priest. This started many years ago but accelerated during my time at Duke and my two years in discernment.
This new “mindset” would happen most often when I was faced with a “difficult” situation, either one where I was in disagreement with someone, or when I didn’t know which action to take when faced with multiple options. I developed a list of questions that I would ask myself during these times of disagreement or doubt or when encountering a person I’d never met before:
1. Can I see the other person as being made in the image of God (imago dei)?
2. Can I feel that this person has the same right to human dignity that I do?
3. Can I acknowledge that this person is loved by God just as I am?
4. Rather than the encounter being about me and my wants and needs, can I put myself in their shoes?
5. If the situation requires pastoral care, can I sit, listen, and be present without trying to interject my solutions or desires into the situation?
6. If it is inconvenient for me to provide help (or a listening ear) to this person, do I help or listen anyway although it may require me re-arranging my schedule?
7. Do I really want all of God’s creation to flourish (humans, non-human creatures and nature) and do I feel called to help all of God’s creatures to live into their identity?
There is much more to being an Episcopal priest, but it has been helpful in my discernment journey of being a better disciple to “think like a priest.”
Are there certain Christian doctrines that remind you of your call to be God’s witness in the world?
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha