09206
March 13, 2009

Called to take a risk

Tentmaking minister stakes everything on church’s future growth

by Emily Enders Odom
Associate, Mission Communications

Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of stories about congregations engaged in significant outreach and evangelism ministries, reflecting the General Assembly’s commitment to “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide.” ― Jerry L. Van Marter
                                                        

The Rev. Charlie Pye

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN ― As a former accountant for the Rolling Stones, the Rev. Charlie Pye doesn’t resemble any of the previous pastors who have served Grace United Presbyterian Church here. Neither does the congregation, under Pye’s visionary leadership, look like it ever has before.

Soon after the certified public accountant and 2003 graduate of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary accepted the call in April 2002 to serve Grace United first as its student pastor and later as its part-time stated supply, the church made a bold move to sell its building and move to the local YMCA.  Pye, a tentmaking minister with a successful practice in pastoral financial counseling, was able to use his unique combination of gifts and skills to help the congregation understand and embrace both the financial and growth implications of such a move.

“Because Grace United doesn’t look like the kind of congregation that would arise today in this community, the church obviously knew that it had to do something to become more sustainable,” said the Rev. Scott Hill, pastor of neighboring Corydon Presbyterian Church and Pye’s colleague in Ohio Valley Presbytery.  “While most congregations close off too many options because of their building, their pastor, their history or their habits, Grace United has progressively freed itself with each new thing they have been willing to give up in order to pursue the things to which God is calling them.”

Pye believes that Grace United has discovered its freedom and its courage to take such risks in large part because he is a tentmaker.  The term “tentmaking,” adopted from the trade practiced by the Apostle Paul while he was serving small communities of first century believers, is used to describe a situation in which a minister of the Word and Sacrament works in a usually secular occupation while serving a particular church on a less than full time basis.

“The advantage of tentmaking, especially if you are working with a smaller church and you have a tent, is that you can actually afford to work yourself out of a job,” said Pye.  “Since the hope is always that the smaller church will grow, if you feel that God has called you to the tent as well as the church, you have the freedom and the flexibility to help the church grow to the point where it needs a full time pastor.”

Numerical growth was one of the congregation’s hopes when the 25-member church relocated to the Y in February 2005.  Since that time, however, Grace United has found that its membership and stewardship goals have not been met.  “I knew that we couldn’t keep on going the way that we’d been going,” Pye said.  “It’s not a good use of the financial resources we gained from the sale of the building.  It’s better that we commit those resources to call a full time pastor to spend 120 hours a month out in the community building a new church.”

The Session of Grace United quickly endorsed the concept of hiring a full time pastor “straight out of seminary,” understanding that if a new full time pastor did not succeed, with God’s help, in growing the church, the congregation would eventually have to close its doors anyway.  “This is their idea,” Pye said.  “They feel great.  They are aware of the fact that this is scary, but that this is where God is calling us.”

Pye said that if he were not a tentmaker, he would not have been able to agree to move from a half time supply position to spending only 20% of his time working for the church once a new pastor is hired.  “We’re staking everything on our understanding that God is calling us to do a different kind of ministry in the community,” he said.  “That wouldn’t be possible without a tentmaker.” 

Grace United hopes to offer a hospitable place of community and worship for younger people to come that is an alternative to what is already available in Clark County, where the church is located.  Demographic studies – as well as “driving around” – bear out the fact that young adults are plentiful in numbers there.  “Right now, there are no churches in Clark County that are designed to attract young adults that are not evangelical churches,” said Pye.  “There’s this clear mission there for us.”

Scott Hill, who also moderates the presbytery’s Church Planting Committee, sees Pye as being instrumental in carrying out God’s vision for Grace United.  “Charlie brings a special spirit to his ministry with his unique financial and pastoral gifts,” Hill said.  “As our former presbytery treasurer, he was unusual in that he really wanted to see the money spent.  He brings a fresh and passionate stewardship perspective to which people really respond.”

“It’s not about survival for Charlie,” Hill added.  “We are called to grow.”

As the PC(USA) strives to “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide,” a churchwide initiative adopted by the 218th General Assembly, which calls all Presbyterians to work collaboratively to grow the church through evangelism, discipleship, servanthood and diversity, tentmakers like Pye are making a significant contribution to just such growth. 

“We need hundreds more tentmakers like Charlie to help grow the church deep and wide,” said the Rev. Marcia Clark Myers, director of the PC(USA)’s Office of Vocation, a shared ministry of the General Assembly Council and the Office of the General Assembly.  “Since the church today needs different kinds of leaders, not necessarily always full time, tentmaking emerges as an especially good and viable option for ministry.”

As Grace United moves toward calling its new full time pastor, Pye gives thanks for the freedoms that his tent affords.  Praying that his congregation realizes its vision for growth, Pye looks forward to ceding some of his pastoral responsibilities to a new minister while devoting more time to his other vocational pursuits, among them working with churches on their accounting systems and serving as a faculty member for the CREDO program.

“I really enjoy what I do,” Pye said.  “As a tentmaker, God has called me to use both sets of skills.  I think that’s pretty exciting.  I have never felt that I was leaving what I was doing, just doing it in another way.”