{"id":16507,"date":"2023-08-28T01:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T06:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/?p=16507"},"modified":"2023-08-01T10:38:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T15:38:33","slug":"the-mysterious-and-the-manageable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/the-mysterious-and-the-manageable\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mysterious and the Manageable"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the May 2023 meeting of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Board of Directors, outgoing Board Member the Rev. Dr. Donald K. McKim \u201974 gave these remarks, titled “The Mysterious and the Manageable.” Addressed to the Board of Directors, McKim’s words will resonate with all religious and nonprofit leaders.<\/em><\/h4>\n

Dr. Ernest T. Campbell was minister of The Riverside Church in New York City from 1968 to 1976. While in college and seminary, I had often heard him preach in the summers at the Massanetta Springs Bible Conference in Harrisonburg, Va.<\/p>\n

After he left the Riverside Church, LindaJo and I became friends with Ernie Campbell. We were his chauffeurs to and from Pittsburgh Airport when he flew in to teach two homiletics classes at PTS. We ate dinner together. Ernie had a keen sense of humor. He promised us that if we named our firstborn after him, he would give him or her a free year at Moody Bible Institute. We named our firstborn, Stephen Ernest, in his honor. But we never desired to collect on Ernie\u2019s offer!<\/p>\n

When Ernie Campbell spoke to preachers, he often said: \u201cWe are always tempted to retreat from the mysterious to the manageable.\u201d It is easier to do \u201cother things\u201d than to work on your Sunday sermon! The \u201cother things\u201d may be good in themselves; but they may take preachers away from their \u201crendezvous with the Holy Spirit\u201d in preparing to preach the Word of God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Campbell had a high view of preaching. So he had this sage advice for pastors. But we also know that in the realms beyond the preaching task, the \u201cmanageable\u201d is an important part of our lives\u2014in the church; and every day. The \u201cmanageable\u201d in our lives has to be \u201cmanaged.\u201d Things have to get done; plans have to be made; opportunities must be met\u2014all this and so much more! This reality of the need to deal with the manageable greets us every morning. It goes to bed with us every night.<\/p>\n

Both the \u201cmysterious\u201d and the \u201cmanageable\u201d are central to the life of the Board of Directors of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. The PTS Board is charged with dealing with both: the mysterious and<\/em> the manageable!<\/p>\n

Because we are a board of directors of a theological seminary, we must deal with the \u201cmysterious.\u201d We must deal with God. We seek to understand what God wants PTS to be and do as an institution of the church and a provider of theological education. But as we deal with the mysterious, we must also deal with the manageable. We make decisions as the Seminary\u2019s Board from a theological base. Not every Board of Directors of various institutions takes its direction and \u201cmission\u201d from an ongoing \u201crendezvous with the mysterious\u201d!<\/p>\n

The PTS Board deals with the mysterious. The Board deals with the manageable. We deal with the manageable because we believe in the mysterious. We believe in the mysterious who calls us to do God\u2019s work in this world through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where God\u2019s work takes shape in and through the \u201cstuff\u201d (a good theological term!) of real life: faculty and staff must be paid. Student aid must be provided. The buildings of the Seminary must be maintained and kept in good shape! The mysterious works through the means of the manageable.<\/p>\n

So, the PTS Board proceeds on a theological <\/em>basis to manage <\/em>and meet the Seminary\u2019s needs in the here and now\u2014and for the future. These involve the dimensions of life that are important to the students God gives us. The mysterious and the manageable<\/em>! They are inextricably bound up together!<\/p>\n

We need a diverse board. We need people who have received the gifts of God to help manage the certain\u2014and diverse\u2014needs of PTS and its community. To speak personally, I have been especially grateful in this Board meeting for the gifts shared by our own Tom Hinds, Bill Bensur, and Jim Gockley, who have gifts for financial management!<\/p>\n

We can go through the lists of PTS needs; and the gifts of those around this Board table. God has chosen and called you \u201cfor such a time as this\u201d to manage<\/em> the needs of the mysterious<\/em>\u00a0which God has set before us.<\/p>\n

But no matter what our own gifts are for helping meet the needs of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, we must always be a board of directors that acts theologically and grounds all we do\u2014the manageable\u2014in the mysterious! We do it all as we seek to understand what we believe the plan and purposes of God to be for Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n

So I encourage our Board to continue to tend to both: the mysterious and the manageable. God bless you in these ministries for Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is the fourth in a series about “seasons of change.” Other stories include:<\/h4>\n

Seasons of Change (Aug. 8)<\/a><\/p>\n

Starting well as a pastor in a new place (Aug. 11)<\/a><\/p>\n

Retiring from pastoral ministry (Aug. 15)<\/a><\/p>\n

Starting Seminary (Sept. 5)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the May 2023 meeting of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Board of Directors, outgoing Board Member the Rev. Dr. Donald K. McKim \u201974 gave these remarks, titled “The Mysterious and the Manageable.” Addressed to the Board of Directors, McKim’s words will resonate with all religious and nonprofit leaders. Dr. Ernest T. Campbell was minister of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-16507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ministry"],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe Mysterious and the Manageable - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Donald K. 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