Terry Dempsey looks out the window of his study. He has finally found a
moment of quiet to reflect on the past week and to prepare a meaningful sermon.
"What am I going to talk about next Sunday?" he asks himself as he studies
the view. "What's on the minds of the parishioners?
"I spend time preparing and thinking ahead of time what will be the anchor,"
says Dempsey. Dempsey usually determines a sermon's theme well in advance.
"At the end of May, I'll be thinking about what I'll do for the
summer," he says. "But closer to the Sunday, I'll begin to flesh out
the theme."
Dempsey ponders the time of year and community happenings to come up with
sermon ideas. He says it isn't difficult to find subject matter. "The
problem really isn't fleshing out the ideas," he says. The only difficulty
he faces is having to change a sermon at the last minute.
"Sometimes, even a few days before the Sunday, something will happen --
such as a tragedy -- and I'll have to change to reflect that," he says.
"Sometimes God will lead you in a different direction."
God will always lead you to help people, Dempsey says. "You deal with and
help people of all ages, from the cradle to the grave. It is the greatest
joy of the job."
Dealing with people can also be the most difficult part of working in a
ministry. "You meet people at various points in their lives," says Dempsey.
"Sometimes they are happy and other times they are very sad. If it's
not a happy time for them, it won't be for you either."
Matthew Sullivan, a minister in Tennessee, agrees that people are the most
important part of his job. "I have developed many friendships," he says.
At the beginning of his career, Sullivan had a difficult time deciding
whether or not he should stay at the church he was with in Tennessee. The
congregation made the choice easier for him. "My decision came down to my
love for these people," he says. "I really believe this is where God wants
me."
People often choose a career in the church because they believe they were
called upon by God. "I was chosen by God for this work," says William Staton,
a minister in New Jersey. Staton, who also works part time in telecommunications,
didn't want to join the ministry. "I didn't want this, but I had
to accept what God had for me."
It was difficult for Staton to accept his calling. It took him a full 10
years to decide to become a minister. "It's what I had to do," he says.
"Because God said so, and I put all my faith and trust in God."
Dempsey studied for a few years at college before considering religious
studies. "I had this tug, or sense of calling, as I came near to graduation,"
he says.
When Dempsey was a teenager, he had briefly considered joining the religious
ranks, but shelved the idea. "However, I felt that old nudge again, and I
felt it needed looking into."
Answering the call is easier for some than it is for others. And that's
not just because it's hard to deal with family pressure or personal doubts.
Even though female ministers are becoming more accepted in churches, Dempsey
says it's still difficult for some to get the recognition they deserve.
"On paper, women are equal," he says. "But to be frank, some congregations
aren't so open to the idea."
He doesn't want to discourage women from considering the ministry
as a career. "There are a number of jobs that are opening up for women," he
says. "And their numbers are growing. But it would be a falsehood to say that
it is easy." And Dempsey would know -- his wife is also a minister.
The couple graduated from divinity school together more than 20 years ago.
Dempsey has been working as a minister since that time. His wife, Debbie,
just got her first full-time ministry job last year.
"It wasn't easy for me to find a job," says Debbie. It's also
difficult for two ministers to find work within the same denomination and
the same town, but the difficulties are worth it.
"The satisfaction I get from this job is unlike any I've felt in my
life," says Debbie. "It's a thrill and a privilege to be able to help
and counsel people."
Debbie says some members have difficulty with the fact that she's
a woman. "Some people act shocked when I perform traditional ceremonies like
weddings or baptisms," she says.
"I've had a few people tell me it's a man's job. But there
are times when being a woman comes in handy. A lot of nervous parents are
comfortable letting me hold their child during a baptism, and many seniors
are quite comfortable with me holding their hand or touching them during a
hospital visit. I guess some people embrace me and some shun me, but I try
to ignore the negative and just concentrate on spreading the word of God."