BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

It is that time of year.  It happens every late winter and early spring.  High school seniors come to me with forms to fill out and recommendations to write.  Some of them are for their college applications, and some of them are for scholarships and other financial aid.

The protocols are all different, but they do share in common certain things.  I’m asked:  How long have you known the applicant?  In what capacity?  Why do you think this person should be admitted to our school?  Does this person have leadership capabilities?  Can you give specific examples of this person’s involvement with your institution?

When a young person comes to me asking for a recommendation, I take that very seriously.  For many, if not most, of them, I have been their pastor all their lives, and I really do KNOW them.  I’ve had the privilege of watching them grow up, moving through children’s ministry to junior high to high school.  I know how often they attend Sunday School and church, I know the degree of their involvement, I know how well they get along with their peers, and I know their families.  So I feel well-qualified to offer my opinions about how they will do in college.

As I wrote one letter of recommendation this week for an outstanding young person, I wondered how it would be if I were asked to do this for our adults.  What if you needed a letter from your pastor to get a job, or a loan, or into an apartment?  What would I be able to write about you?  Could I say, without fudging any, that you regularly attend church and SS, that you support the church financially as best as you are able, that you take your job in the church as seriously as your secular work? 

What would your church “report card” look like?  Superior in every category?  Average?  Below average?  Failing?  The season of Lent calls for some introspection on our part…looking at and thinking about what we do and how we do it.  I’ve been thinking about how my own report card would look, and there is room for improvement.  I invite you to do the same.�

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday