Newsletter #19

On Pastoral Searches and "the Next Generation"

Note to business owners: it’s not accurate to say “We offer free wi-fi” if you’re wi-fi never works.

All Too Familiar

Recently I read Michelle Huneven’s Search: A Novel. It’s fascinating and uncomfortable. It’s the story of a church’s search for a new pastor.

The narrative centers on Dana Potowski, a restaurant critic, food writer, and longtime church member who surprisingly ends up on the search committee. It’s unexpected since Potowski hasn’t attended worship in months, and the outgoing pastor has encouraged her to apply to serve on the committee.

Search is bizarre in some respects, though not inherently. The basic plot of a church looking for a new pastor is quite common—too common really. It’s bizarre because I’m a conservative evangelical reading about a Unitarian Universalist Church, the most theologically liberal denomination in North America. Moreover, this congregation is based in Southern California and fully reflects the region’s cultural and ideological progressivism.

Imagine a…