Good work: learning about ministry from Wendell Berry

But communities of people who share life in this way are rare, and the sense of tradition is practically extinct. Here is where we have to move beyond Berry. In his stories the church exists on the edge of the common life of the people as only a fading, pale reflection of the larger community. We need churches that are instead the very ground of community, that define and build and embody a kind of common life that can move beyond the walls of the church and demonstrate common living in the wider society. In other words, we are to do the proper work of helping congregations know that we are the body of Christ. In Christ, we are remembered every Sunday in worship as the body and our liturgy, our work, extends beyond Sunday through the rest of the week. At the same time, our common life during the week helps keep our Sunday work from becoming gnostic.

Berry provides images and stories for congregations that have no concept of what this common life looks like. For example, his characters work together and eat together. How can we encourage this in our people? I want my parishioners to eat together as often as possible. On most any weeknight, adults and families are on their way home from work, going by the grocery store to pick up something quick for supper or stopping at a drive-through for the evening meal. Each and every one of them goes to their individual home for supper even though many drive by the church on their way.

Our congregation decided to encourage these people to come to the church to share their mealtime. Our church kitchen is available, and all they have to do is coordinate with one another about what time they'll gather. Then they eat together for about an hour, clean up and head out the door.

I'm also on the lookout for ways that the people of the congregation can share work, beyond the good work of projects like Habitat for Humanity. Most of them do yard and garden work, so we've decided that those who own lawnmowers and garden tillers will share them with those who need them. We also share kids' clothes and child care. If someone is visiting a shut-in, he or she encourages others to go along, including young people who can learn how to visit and how to pray with others. We urge veteran Christians to link up with young people and children. Even a church finance committee meeting is a place for youth to learn--not only about money matters, but also about how mature Christian people deal with such matters.

My work as pastor is to nourish and encourage the common life in my congregation. It's hard, sometimes tedious work, and often overlooked by others. Yet it is also good and satisfying work; there can be pleasure in it. I work hard but am learning to recognize my limits and trust God for the rest. I spend more time working in the yard, more time with my daughters and my wife, and more time on my front porch. Berry concludes "The Amish Economy" with: "But now, in summer dusk, a man / Whose hair and beard curl like spring ferns / Sits under the yard trees, at rest, / His smallest daughter on his lap. / This is because he rose at dawn, / Cared for his own, helped his neighbors, / Worked much, spent little, kept his peace." That is the kind of pastor I want to be.