The Pastor's Passages
Marshall Shelley and Dean Merrill
October 1, 1983
At the age of forty-seven, Roy Oswald has already endured more career shifts than many people do in a lifetime.
A Lutheran pastor for four years in Kingston, Ontario, he then became a denominational youth worker in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1966. From there he became a synod executive, working in leadership development.
After personal crises cost him his marriage and his job, he accepted a position as director of training at the Metropolitan Ecumenical Training Center in Washington, D.C., where the spiritual guidance of executive director Tilden Edwards helped Oswald rebuild his life.
Since 1977, Oswald has been director of training and field studies at Washington's Alban Institute, which provides resources for clergy and congregations. Not only does he know the upheaval of transition personally, but it's now the object of his professional research.
LEADERSHIP editors Marshall Shelley and Dean Merrill asked him to map out the pastor's passages.
A lot has been written about passages or seasons of adult life. Are there also predictable stages in a pastor's career?
Definitely, especially at the beginning. The transition from seminary to first parish is usually a major cultural shock. The relocation from one parish to another is also dramatic.
After that, the transitions are more internal-the adult life crises, for instance. Another occurs when a pastor moves to a large parish and becomes a virtual corporate manager. Still another happens in a long pastorate, where a shift in thinking is required in order to thrive over the long haul.
Then retirement, naturally, is a big one.
Let's take them one at a time. What are the pressure points in entering the first pastorate?
The biggest is role and authority. Even if pastors had an internship ...
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