A Reflection of My Journey (So far)

Greetings Co-Workers in Christ

As I am weeks away graduting from Fuller Theoligcal Seminary with a MDiv and anticapte ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my call journey from Ruling Elder, to Commioned Pastor, to Inquirere and Candidate.

First, let me be open and honest: am I not a cradle presbyterian. When my wife and I moved to New Cononcrd, OH over 20 years ago, we made a decision to find a church locally and committ to it. It just so happened that the closest church wakling distance from our house was a presbyterin church. I remember feeling lost our first couple of years, not knowing what Session was and all the acronyms! We quickly became volunteeers and then leaders of youth programing, mostly because of our threatre and puppetry backgroud and our deep love for storytelling. I was nominiated to be ordained as a ruling elder and was asked to preach for pulpit supply.

At the time, I was attending graduate school, and our church was working on discernment of the futrue with presbytery leaders. The felt I had potential for their new CRE training program, and invited me to join. I did not do so right away, but I did enjoy working with presbytery, eventually serving on council, as moderator, and eventually, Stated Clerk. In the midst of all this work, I lost my teaching position and began to look for other teaching positions. I was in the middle of CRE training at the time, and I was asked by presbytery leaders if I have ever considered serving as a pasotr full-time. I soon learned that a church only 5 miles from my house was looking for a pastor, and 13 years ago, I began to serve Bloomfield Presbyterian Church.

When I started, I felt competenet between my background in undergraduate education, graduate work in Communication Studies, and the CRE training program. However, my first three years fetl like I was trained for maintenance of the church, but not really growth. I suspect that most Ruling Elders are commisioned to maintian a congregation with little thought about growth and vitality. I was serving Bloomfield when the COVID pandemic hit, and all my attention and prayer life was focused on navigating the congregation through those difficult years. But in the midst of the pandmic, I began to hear a different call.

I sensed, with developing leaders in Bloomfield, that I was still called to serve Bloomfield in a different capacity, one focued on teaching and traing. At this time, I met Rev. Abou Camarra of the Gambia and he wanted my help training the local pasotrs of the Refomed church of the Sahel. In both calls, I personally felt I was not prepared and that I needed more training. I also had a strong desire to spend time with Scripture deeply and found it hard to do so on my own. After much discernment with my family and the Bloomfield church, I requested to become an Inquirer and applied for seminary.

During my time in seminary, I have found my preaching and teaching subtley, yet significantly, change and the congregation is eager for me to share what I am learning. I found the most value in learning Greek and Hebrew and really taking the time to do good exegesis. But I also ofund that my CRe training and practical experience serving as a pastor only enhanced my theoligcal education all the more. I understood how much of what I was learning could and should be applied in a pastoral setting. I also could go further in a creative ways with liturgy since I was expereinced with the basics. CRE training and expereince guided me to make the most out of my education. I am so grateful to Bloomfield and Muskingum Valley Presbytery for their support in this journey. I am also grateful to the Synod of the Covenant for trusting me to serve on staff while pastoring and learning full-time.

I am epscially grateful that God granted me the benefit to be a part of both types of training to serve as pastor. What a blessing!

“Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name”

3 John 15

Tim Pollock

CRE Coordinator of the Synod of the Covenant

tim@synodofthecovenant.org

740-624-2351