The Bishop sets a model for married clergy.

Had the honor of meeting with the Bishop not too long ago and he said something I found so upside down in the male dominated world of clergy.

In speaking about his busy schedule he noted,

"And my wife would like to have a little bit of my attention and I would like to have a lot of hers."

Too often I am pushed by different forces that tell me the only way to be a clergy person is to be at the church 100% of the time and to be reachable at any point in the day to the total sacrifice of my family and personal life.

The models given to me are usually male clergy who note some level of disdain for their family. They use the "gotta work all the time to be a good pastor" line to justify all their time a the church. But more than that, the family is often seen as a force that holds male clergy back from their most effective ministry. It is heard in many ways.

"I would buy my wife wants me to be home."
"My family would kill me if I were out another night."
"I would be there but my family is in town."

All of this to say the Bishop put forth an alternate model for me. Where many male clergy speak of family as a hassle, the bishop spoke of his family like he actually liked em.

Additionally, this removes the blame from the family and says, "I am making a full and conscious decision to not be at certain things because I would like to have a lot of attention from my family." It puts the blame on the Bishop (or any individual who adopts this way of speaking).

Just one of the many reasons I am proud to have this current Bishop.