In a recent issue of The Living Church, David Hyndman wrote that there are four core values for priests: a passion for the Gospel, a heart for the lost, a willingness to do whatever it takes, and a commitment to one another. I couldn't agree more. My experience of priestly ministry over the last 30 years moved me away from a more functional notion of the priesthood -- i.e. what I could do for others to one that was essential (the old terminology was "ontological"), namely, what one is for others.
More recently I have been more deeply convinced that these core values should not only characterize the priest in a community but also each and every member of the Faithful. Close examination of the baptismal covenant used by the Episcopal Church makes this very clear.
Having passion for something is not so much about how one talks about something but how one "walks the talk." It isn't about acting perfectly but about struggling perfectly - by genuinely struggling with the hard questions and the hard choices that life throws at you and seeking the face of God in it all - even when it is not pretty.
Having a "heart for the lost" presumes that one knows what it's like to be lost, not to know which end is up. Perhaps the frustration that so many young people have with established religion today is that they really experience being lost. Perhaps we too often give the quick and easy answer when there really is no answer, hoping that the challenge they present will go away and leave us in our comfort zone. Having a heart for the lost is having the capacity to move beyond our comfort zone and experience the real darkness that is faith by moving forward when we have no answers.
The world around us is horribly complex. Find our way involves hard work, time to reflect, and development of genuine understanding. Doing whatever it takes is not the same as "any means to an end." It is about developing a high capacity for empathy and for discernment. It demands that we sort things out and make decisions. It demands risk taking.
Perhaps most importantly, the fourth of Hyndman's core values is a commitment to one another. This is chief among all. One of the most dramatic moments in John's Gospel is when, after the resurrection, Jesus asks Peter, "Simon Peter, do you love me more than these."
"Of course, Lord, you know that I love you."
"Then feed my sheep."
Jesus makes clear here (as he does in so many places) that love for God without love for others is not possible. The two are identical. They may be two faces of the same coin but they are the same coin. This reminds us of the value and the challenge of the Church: to be a loving community where all who seek God's love are welcome.
If we maintain these core values as a community, we cannot go wrong.
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