Rule Breaker
I’m a rule breaker. I like to break rules. This is especially true when it comes to my ministry. See, I’m a part of a tradition (Lutheran) that loves things like tradition. We have plenty of rules (a whole book of confessions [beliefs], constitutions and by-laws, etc.). Additionally, we have lots of unwritten rules (thou shalt sit in the back of church, worship shall not exceed 60 minutes, annual meetings shall be accompanied by a potluck supper, etc.). Most of my days are filled with “supposed to’s” and most of the time I like to break them. On occasion it gets me in trouble. “You can’t do that!” is a refrain I’ve gotten used to hearing. As I’ve grown in pastoral confidence I have developed an eloquent response… Why not? Most church-folk can fill in the rest of the conversation. “We’ve never done that before.” “That’s not how we do things around here.” “That isn’t a part of our tradition.” “But we’ve always done it this way.” This isn’t a new conversation in the ch