The other day I read an article by a UCC minister who signed off by identifying himself as an “unsettled minister.”  That terminology is relatively new.  The UCC Manual on Ministry defines a person who has been called to serve as a pastor of a local church as a “settled minister.”  (Or, I suppose, a minister the church has been willing to settle for.)  But if your ministry is of a limited term or one that doesn’t take place in just one church then one is an “unsettled minister”.

I don’t love these terms at all.  We used to refer to a pastor who was serving a church for an indefinite period of time as a “called” pastor.  That’s a good biblical word.  The person was called by the congregation and by God (one hopes) to serve the church. 

Seeing that author identified as an “unsettled minister” got me thinking.  I’m an unsettled minister too, but it has nothing to do with my call.  So far, St. Matthew’s is still settling for me.  I’m unsettled in other ways.

I’m unsettled in terms of being disturbed, not comfortable, not dead certain and confident.  Feel free to use your own thesaurus to expand the list of adjectives.

In some ways I envy those who are not unsettled, not uncertain, not tentative.  It must be nice to be sure of things.  But if I could be certain by the wave of a magic wand, I don’t think I would use it.

There are gifts to uncertainty.  Uncertainty leaves room to change one’s mind about issues.  More importantly, being unsettled about people allows room to learn more, to spend time, to suspend judgment.

I don’t know about you, but I am a work in progress.  I’m still changing – not always for the better, but always evolving.  I used to think I would grow until I reached a certain ‘fixed point’ of wisdom and maturity and then stay there.  I abandoned that expectation years ago.  I haven’t reached some zenith or rock bottom either.  I am in motion still – not yet settled. 

My guess is that you are unsettled too.  And that’s a good thing because it means there is still room to grow and change.

Prayer:  Feel free to push, prod, pull, and poke at me as long as it keeps me from settling until you have made me thoroughly like Yourself.  Amen.