I couldn’t click fast enough to read the recent story reported in the New York Times about the orchestra conductor/airline pilot Daniel Harding. I expected it to be lighthearted and quirky—how fun that the conductor learned to fly! I think many pastors, however, would find encouragement in Harding’s story.
To start, Harding began his musical journey at a young age. He was learning and studying for his professional work as a teenager. Of course this is framed in the positive. How wonderful this young man was mentored into being a conductor! And yet, I think of how this already blurs the lines of identity and career.
And then, being a conductor was a difficult job. There’s public criticism. There’s nonstop work. Harding, as he was entering his 40s, decided he needed a hobby.
So he began to fly.
I can’t help but think about the alternate version of this story. Music was his whole life, the vocation he had pursued since a teenager. Harding had to have wondered if in some way he was abandoning his highest calling. I know pastors who get to this point, looking at the degrees accumulated, the specialized skills acquired, and who aren’t sure if they are even allowed to pursue anything outside of the church.
What Harding demonstrates, however, is that allowing for his interest in flying to grow into a genuine other career (he officially works for Air France) only strengthened his conducting. The skills cross-pollinate.
My wish is that we see these stories and we learn from their wisdom. Pastors should have robust hobbies and other career options. Not because they don’t love the work of being a pastor, but precisely because living in this complex way allows for sustained ministry. When I look at the world and what pastors are called to respond to in this moment, we need this sustenance. How are we going to be well in the midst of ongoing catastrophes? We have to be multiply rooted.
As Harding himself said, “I don’t think it’s realistic to say just because you love something, you should do it 24 hours a day, every single day. I just don’t think that’s human.”
What I’m reading
If you’re in the mood for a memoir, I highly recommend How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. This hit plenty of best books of 2023 lists and with good reason. Sinclair’s gift for poetry makes this book deeply beautiful to read, even as the subject matter can be quite heavy. I was moved by how carefully Sinclair held her stories of her family, Jamaica, and Rastafari. There is a skill to be critical of the things you love, especially in such a public way. I’m looking forward to reading more poetry by Sinclair very soon.
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Read ahead!
I’m looking forward to chatting about Kristen Plinke Bentley’s new book, Bivocational Ministry: Field Notes for Congregations and Ministers. It’s a helpful tool of a book for congregations and pastors alike who are navigating the practicalities of bivocational pastors. And I don’t just say this because I’m cited in the book! I invite you to order the book so you can join in on the discussion in a few weeks. This is going to be such a valuable resource for churches looking to talk specifics in job expectations and compensation.
What life looks like
