Once I made the decision to leave, I had to find a place that would let me come, and minister, and there was also the matter of trying to feed, clothe, and house my family. In the back of my mind I was still thinking in terms of finding the church that would be the stepping stone to “greatness.” I had no idea where that might be. While I was in Abilene for the lectureship, I happened to meet Charles Smith at Mack Eplen’s restaurant. Charles and I had been enrolled in graduate studies at Abilene Christian a few years before that.
Charles told me that he was going back to do mission work in the Philippines, and he wondered if I might be interested in replacing him in Kansas City. I knew nothing about Kansas City at the time. I had never been to Kansas City, and knew nothing of the church culture there. I really wasn’t thinking about Kansas City at that moment. In the back of my mind I probably was thinking about returning to Texas. I later learned that my friend Truman Spring had recommended me at Argentine.
In today’s world, ministers are usually hired following an investigative process by a search committee. Throughout most of my years of ministry, you made contacts through the “good old boy” network. If you had a buddy who knew something about a local church, he might give you a recommendation, and it proceeded from there. To be honest, I prefer that method to the search committee. The last time I went looking for a church, I was still trying to stick to the good old boy network. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people over the years, and from I sometimes ran into church leaders who had been my friends in the past. I learned they had farmed the search process out to a committee, and I never could get past the committee to be considered by my buddies in the eldership..
Sometimes the committees know what they were doing, and sometimes they didn’t have a clue.
In my case the “good ole boy” network put me in touch with the Argentine church in Kansas City. From a different friendship network, I got a call from the Fifth and Beechwood church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I looked them both over. The Texas churches didn’t indicate the slightest interest.
I love Texas. When you grow up in Texas, you get exposed to Texas history, and places like the Alamo, Washington-on-the Brazos, Goliad, and San Jacinto almost become sacred shrines.
My home state and my relatives have been good to me, but for the most part churches in my home state have not lined up at my door to seek what I have to offer. I don’t really have any kind of problem with that. It’s just obvious to me that the Lord has had different plans for me. After all I think I was hoping for a Texas church for the wrong reasons.
Time has convinced me that in terms of my spiritual influence, I’m more suited for churches outside the Bible Belt. When northern churches look at my resumes and see how many northern winters I’ve gone through, I think they decide I’m tough enough to take it. It’s not that I love northern winters. I’ve always that that I really like Iowa except for three months a year. Most Iowans feel the same way. There are other reasons to like the Midwest.
Spiritually, it’s been a great blessing minister outside the Bible Belt. I’ve been exposed to a variety of cultures and perspective. I can still talk Texan if I need to but my values are probably more Midwestern than Southwestern.
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