Goodbye, Shiloh

There are just a few weeks remaining in my tenure as Senior Pastor of Shiloh Church United Church of Christ. I begin my new positions, as Designated Association Minister of the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association, on August 1, 2017. A good portion of that time will be taken in making transition, moving from one office to another, acclimating myself to Association ministries, issues and initiatives, setting myself as a member of the Conference staff and a member of the Conference Board of Directors.

The next few weeks will also be a period in which I work my way from the ministries and relationships of Shiloh Church. Your new pastoral leadership will not have to deal with the challenge of having the ex-Sr. Pastor sticking his nose in Shiloh's business or having to deal with boundaries. I understand clearly that the ethical code for pastors in the United Church of Christ states that pastors who leave a setting are not to return to that setting. Doing so undermines the authority and affects the relationship of subsequent pastoral staff. I refuse to harm Shiloh Church and its ongoing ministry in any such way.

Therefore, as of July 30, 2017, I fully intend to remove myself from the Shiloh scene. Lisa and I will be moving our memberships to another local United Church of Christ congregation. We will not attend Shiloh activities or be available in any pastoral manner to the people, groups, committees, or congregation of Shiloh Church. It may seem harsh. Believe me, however, when I claim that it is in the congregation's best interest that pastors take such a firm stand on this all-important ethical issue. Those who do not do damage to communities of faith.

That said, I must admit that this is a bittersweet move for me. Shiloh Church has comprised more than half of my professional ministerial career. I began my ministry at Zion UCC in Junction City, KS, where I served for five years. It was then on to Christ Church UCC, Evansville, IN, where I served for seven and one half years. It was from there that I came to Dayton, OH. These have been seventeen of the most challenging, most rewarding, most difficult, most taxing, yet most joyous years that I have spent in ministry.

Based on what I was told in the congregation's profile, what I learned from the search team that interviewed me, what I discovered from previous Shiloh pastors, and from meeting members and friends of Shiloh Church UCC, I admit to coming into my ministry here with a plan. It was sometimes successful, sometimes an abject failure, always a challenge, but consistently my focus.

Church is all about its theological foundations. Every congregation has a personality, an aim, a purpose. But those characteristics come from theological foundations. Rarely do congregations deal with foundational theological constructs. In my tenure here, Shiloh has dealt with foundational theological constructs. The congregation has done significant work on its infrastructure, its identity, it reason-for-being. I congratulate the congregation for having the courage and the openness to deal with those profound issues.

We did more than spiritual infrastructure work, however. We were also able to do a great deal of physical work. In my tenure, Shiloh accomplished well over 1 million dollars of work on its facility. The improvements have saved the congregation money, time, and have significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the place. Shiloh is ready to use its facility in some new and creative ways as the congregation continues to meet the ministry needs of its community.

So, I say goodbye to Shiloh Church United Church of Christ. It is time for new leadership and new avenues of ministry and service. I wish you well, my friends. May God continue to be pleased with the ministry and mission in which you engage, because, as I go, I know "Shiloh Church is Living the Word by Serving the World."