Responding to the Community’s Call
Most of my best memories of my father have something to do with him helping people.
My dad demonstrated to me what it means to be a good neighbor, friend and citizen. He seemed to be happiest when he was working hard for others in organizations that supported our church, schools, and community. He didn’t just show up… or give at the office. He poured his time, energy and sweat into things that matter.
During my growing-up years, one of the ways my dad worked
for the community was his service as a volunteer firefighter. I remember that
my community was distinguished as “the most populated, unincorporated
square-mile in
Every little boy should wish that their dad was a volunteer fireman. As a first grader, I got to take my dad’s real, smoke-smelling, fire helmet in for show and tell. During fire prevention week, the regular Friday display in the school parking lot included fire trucks manned by my very own dad. On weeknights I would occasionally get to hang out at the station and climb on the trucks… sometimes we would even get to shoot pool. A few Saturday’s a year we would get to watch as they practiced fire fighting and automobile extrication on junk cars. And then there were the EMT training manuals.
My dad was with the department from the early years when they started small… just a few trucks. It wasn’t long before my dad and his friends were not satisfied with the equipment allotted by the township, so they started raising separate funds. First there was special equipment, then an entire fire truck, and then the first ambulance. All provided by funds raised directly by the firefighters.
That is where the EMT manuals came in. The guys at the station were growing weary of ambulances showing up long after the volunteer firemen arrived. Precious minutes were wasted after they arrived and called for an ambulance from a neighboring community. They couldn’t watch another child suffer longer than necessary; they didn’t want to see another neighbor leave their home in a hearse when ten minutes could have made the difference… providing the needed care on sight, or in transit, to the ER that could save that life. They committed themselves to raising the money to get the first ambulance… and they committed themselves to Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training.
For my dad, raising the money was no big deal. It was
basically a matter of boots and bingo…
a couple of fill-the-boot drives each
year and the firefighters' bingo night that they held on most Wednesdays. But
the EMT training, and more importantly the testing and certification, was an
entirely different matter.
By my dad’s own testimony, his high school diploma was only
possible due to the buoying impact of a great deal of band and woodshop in his
high school schedule. If he were a student today, he would probably have
received specific help that would have led to more success in school. But fifty
years ago in
My dad and his friends studied, and took classes, and
practiced on dolls, dummies, and each other. They learned how to respond to the
horrific scenes of mangled bodies that they had seen over the years before.
They learned important skills; they learned not only what to do, but how also
to communicate with the doctors that
supported their work from the ERs that would be their patient’s eventual destination.
They learned how to save limbs and lives. It was a difficult course for many,
but they worked hard and passed the test. The most populated, unincorporated
square-mile in
That was about thirty years ago; as I reflect on those days, a few important points come to mind:
- These
firefighters were well trained and qualified. The State of
- This was a labor of love. If I remember correctly, the only payment my dad received was about $100 a year from the township, that he could then apply to his own firefighting gear, his continuing education, and the blue flashing light he had on his car that he would flip-on for his fast trips to the station.
- All of the firefighters and EMTs had other, non-related jobs. Many were steelworkers, others came from all manner of work; there were even a few white-collar guys in the ranks.
- In many cases, these guys were the best certified-medical-professionals for the job. If I ever need the jaws-of-life… I would prefer an EMT on the scene than a MD. My dad and his friends were highly qualified for the special situations they would face.
As I think about my own profession, ministry, I realize some parallels.
There are all sorts of ministers, all sorts of certifications for ministry, and all sorts of ways to be prepared for ministry. It seems that these days there is a renewed call to embrace this diversity.
And so it is with certified medical professionals. Ranging from the EMT to the highly specialized MD, there are all sorts of medical professions, all sorts of medical certifications, and all sorts of avenues for training and education.
One of the important differences, in my mind, is that there is no call for these certifications in medicine to somehow be contiguous or complimentary. But that seems to be the case in ministry.
For example, it is not at all unheard of that an EMT would successfully complete medical school and become an MD. It isn’t normative… but it certainly does happen. Maybe we can think of a case where a young person entered the military, for example, became a medic, and found a calling to medicine that eventually led to medical school. The experience and training, in that case, would be valid and helpful… but the academic enterprise for all doctors starts the same way. No medical school offers transfer credit from an EMT program (or a nursing program, or any other certified medical technician program).
In the simplest terms, this is due to the foundation that needs to be laid for medical school and the depth of study and breadth of knowledge expected from doctors. The courses my dad took to be an EMT were targeted toward preparing him to respond on the scene. He didn’t need a background in chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and anatomy; he needed to know how to stop the bleeding. Doctors, too, need to know how to stop the bleeding, but we demand that they have a thorough understanding of all the systems that interrelate to bring about their diagnosis, and our recovery and ongoing health. An EMT needs to know how to apply pressure at the scene; an MD needs foundational knowledge in hematology.
I am concerned that our eagerness to “stop the bleeding” in ministry will result in our trying to saddle Emergency Ministry Technicians with the responsibility that should be reserved for the top-levels of certified ministry. My concerns fall along these lines:
- Our denomination’s process of certification (certified, licensed, ordained) is designed to be contiguous. Furthermore, it does not seem to value the importance of foundational education (including history, science, math, writing, theology, and hermeneutics).
- CBBIs are calling for recognition by institutions of higher education, but their coursework does not meet the rigorous standards of our Universities and accrediting associations and often mimics junior-level and senior-level coursework that is taught only after pre-requisites are mastered. The program, without concern for the foundations, is pedagogically upside down. As one wise colleague put it, “they want to eat their dessert first.”
- The lure of cheap prices and a fast-track to the frontlines entices some students who settle for a path rather than stretching themselves to meet the demands of formal education.
- The education level of our congregations, and more importantly our communities, continues to rise, and typically outpaces our ministers. Poorly educated ministers will have an increasingly difficult time reaching our communities with a message that is perceived to be relevant.
Is there a place for Emergency Ministry Technicians? Certainly. But we should not expect these EMTs to lead our churches as pastors… they probably will serve best as highly qualified volunteers in our churches… and we cannot promote these programs as a seamless path into formal education.
In some cases, it seems that the creation of CBBIs is a reaction to a perception that higher education is not adequately connected to the practical ministry that occurs in our churches. The perception may be that, in an eagerness to pursue excellence in the foundations (our equivalent of chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and anatomy), colleges and universities have undervalued the preparation for the practice of ministry. This is a valid concern, and I am urging our Church (locally, regionally, and nationally) to partner in this work like never before. Like medical schools partner with teaching hospitals, our universities need to partner with teaching churches.
My overarching concern in this discussion is that many of us who have vital interests in ministry preparation endeavors have not valued the place and importance of a variety of paths to a variety of ministries. We err when we assert that there is only one path to ministry; we err when we assert that there is only one valid destination in ministry.
We also need to heed the evidence and listen to the advice of respected ministry veterans who assert, “that there is no short-cut to a high-impact life of ministry.” In this case, the cliché is true… you have to do your homework. In the case of our denomination, the preferred path, at a minimum, to licensed and ordained ministry is a baccalaureate degree in a relevant field.
In the case of the EMT-MD metaphor, we would be shocked if one day we read that our hospitals, in a cost saving initiative, decided to replace all the MDs with EMTs. Likewise, we would consider it foolish for a Medical School to one day announce that they have determined that all certified medical professionals, other than MDs, are not adequately qualified for their positions… “EMTs, nurses, and medical technicians should get a medical school degree before helping any other patient.” Both cases are absurd.
In the case of ministry preparation, I, for one, do not want to replace our MDs (senior pastors) with EMTs. My church must be led by someone better equipped than an Emergency Ministry Technician. But there are important roles to be filled by EMTs in our churches potentially including: youth workers, teachers, and deacons.
In cases where
Dan Neary
Executive Vice President
Dan Neary, Executive Vice President, is starting his seventh year at Northwest.
He also serves as Pastor of The
Chapel, a branch church of Cedar Park that he pioneered three years ago
with his wife Laurie and colleague Christian Lindbeck, Vice President for
Student Development at Northwest.
Copyright ©2004 by
10/19/04