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GA06088
Company of Pastors and the Order of Elders
Mendenhall praises group for spiritual disciplines and commitment
by Emily Enders Odom
The Rev. Laura Mendenhall, president of Columbia Theological Seminary, speaks at the Company of Pastors/Order of Elders luncheon at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Photo by Joseph Williams BIRMINGHAM, June 19 * The Rev. Laura Mendenhall looked out at the gathering of the Company of Pastors and the Order of Elders on Monday and began her remarks to them with the affirmation, "Yes, I'm a pastor."
Her self-introduction set the tone for her personal testimony, which she shared as "an encouragement for you to continue the discipline of daily prayer and Bible reading as you lead congregations of God's people."
Mendenhall, whose experience includes pastorates in Texas and Florida, has been president of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, since 2000.
Beginning her address with midday prayer, Mendenhall said, "I am grateful for the spiritual disciplines with which you in the Company of Pastors and the Order of Elders have committed yourselves. I know how difficult it is to keep, but I know how difficult life becomes when you don't."
The Company of Pastors and the Order of Elders is an organization with approximately 700 members, in which ministers, commissioned lay pastors, Christian educators and elders commit themselves to daily disciplines of prayer and reading of Scripture and The Book of Confessions. Members also agree to read selected books of significance for pastors and church leaders.
The name and model for the Company of Pastors, inspired by John Calvin, follows that Presbyterian founder's commitment to collegial dialogue and accountability.
Drawing on examples from her tenure as pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX, Mendenhall's testimony witnessed to the impact of the discipline of daily prayer on congregations.
"The discipline is not just about personal growth," she said, "but daily prayer can also shape the life of a congregation."
She spoke of Westminster Church having intentionally placed in every room where a class was taught or a meeting was held a copy of the Book of Common Worship * Daily Prayer, a Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study and a Bible.
"We knew that when our meetings were wrapped in prayer, we actually began to work with perhaps a bit more cooperation and a deeper spirit of creativity," Mendenhall said. "The work was more focused. We had a sense that this was not something we were in by ourselves. This was actually God's business anyway, and we were simply privileged to be invited to the table. It wasn't about us.
"Such awareness of the Holy Spirit meant that we were willing to take risks for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
The organization's luncheon event, attended by approximately 100 General Assembly participants, was held at the Birmingham Museum of Art, inviting a climate of intimacy and inspiration.
As Mendenhall was speaking of children's natural abilities to assume leadership roles in the practice of daily prayer, the very footfalls of children echoed up and down the museum's staircases. The children were there participating in the museum's Arts Camp Safari, at which they were in the midst of creating their own art inspired by works they had viewed in the galleries.
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