Changing Preachers
Pastors in the United Methodist Church have it surprisingly good in my opinion.
Most are dedicated, hardworking, and are firm believers in carrying out the work of John Wesley, who founded the Methodist Movement in the 1700s.
They get paid a decent salary, live in the church’s parsonage for free, and have a liberal expense budget. The bad thing is that they can be moved at the whim of the congregation or as assigned by the higher-ups in the local districts. A normal “run” for a pastor is between two to five years with a lot of consideration given to the pastor’s family situation. My observance as a member of the congregation is that as soon as the pastor begins to feel “comfortable” in the job and with the elders of the church, they soon move on. In certain ways, my HVAC system is like a United Methodist minister. The minister provides spiritual comfort while the HVAC provides atmospheric comfort. Ministers often work seven days a week just like my HVAC system. When my pastor needs a break, he will go on a weekend retreat. All my HVAC needs are a few days off when the weather is mild or a few hours as it gets a “revival” by a qualified HVAC technician with a twice-yearly cleaning and maintenance tune-up. Our congregation is not that pleased with our current minister. She began to spout too much hot air during her Sunday sermons, and she made some strange sounds when she tried to sing along with the choir. My HVAC also began to blow hot air during summer and the sounds it made were far from harmonious. I may have to replace my HVAC soon and I hope the church does the same thing with her.