Doing Things Differently – Rob Pitman

By his own account, Rob Pitman has been wrestling with God for 25 years.

“I love serving, being able to help people,” said Rob. “But I’ve been doing ministry on Rob’s terms, not God’s terms. I ignored my calling.”

Not anymore. Rob is now a parish ministry student, at the age of 52, taking a two-year online program through Huron College called a Licentiate in Theology, and serving in the Parish of Fundy and the Lakes.

The ultimate goal is the diaconate, then the priesthood. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. So is Rob.

“I’m doing the journey to priesthood backwards,” he said. “I’m doing my placement and my studies at the same time.”

DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY
This novel approach, funded by the diocese, is another way of “Doing Things Differently.” It’s an approach that’s become a necessity due to dwindling funds, shrinking parishes and a lack of available clergy.

It’s an example of what Archbishop David Edwards spoke of in his recent charge during the 139th Session of Diocesan Synod on Nov. 2. He outlined how we must adopt new styles of ministry if we are to survive as a diocese. 

Here is part of his charge:

Historically in the Anglican Church of Canada, the standard of ordained ministry has been someone with a Master of Divinity, who has completed a three-year residential program at a recognized college. 

I cannot think of a bishop anywhere in this country who thinks this is realistic for the future. It does not mean it will not happen for some, and thank God for that, but it is unlikely to be the norm. In fact, it has not been the norm for quite some time.

…What we will see emerging are different types of ministers: priests, deacons, lay readers, evangelists, church planters, congregational developers, itinerant ministers. Apart from the priests and deacons, they will be lay and ordained. They will be stipendiary and self-supporting. They will be bi-vocational, part-time and full-time. Their training will be varied, and this is far from a comprehensive list.

“I think we have to create different opportunities for different people who have different backgrounds and who don’t necessarily fit the ways we’ve trained priests in the past,” said Archbishop David in referencing Rob’s role.

“But once formed, they will fit into ordained ministry. Rob’s an example of that.”

So Rob is something of a pilot project as the diocese seeks new ways to prepare leaders. He is enjoying both his studies and his practical work in the parish.

In the nine months he’s been there, he’s carried out traditional duties like pastoral visits, services at nursing homes, leading Morning Prayer and preaching.

But he’s also carved out opportunities that complement his personality:  a coffee drop-in at St. Thomas in Black River, a community bonfire, using his outdoor propane fireplace, where the ages ranged from seven to 90 and the games were plentiful.

THE HISTORY OF ROB
Rob is a licenced carpenter and had a great job — until God nudged him. He left a union job paying $21 an hour for a sexton job at St. Luke’s Portland that paid $9 an hour. That was in 1999.

“I took the job at St. Luke’s to meet people,” he said, adding his role morphed into not only caretaker duties, but outreach as well.

He also worked as a community chaplain to ex-offenders in Fredericton and became a licenced evangelist in the diocese in 2016.

He left St. Luke’s in 2019 to join Outflow Ministry where he eventually ran their men’s shelter. That role put him face-to-face with some very hard cases and a few violent and dangerous situations.

“I liked what I was doing at Outflow,” he said. “It was a hard role. Having to holler at a homeless person is hard, but I had to match the craziness.”

It was there he learned that the men he served wanted a father figure who occasionally yelled at them — for good reasons — because they had never had that in their lives.

“The men’s shelter taught me empathy on a whole new level,” he said. 

At one point, Rob was managing the shelter and teaching carpentry on one of their projects. He’d check in with the shelter staff in the morning, teach carpentry most of the day, and check in at night, a demanding role that he loved.

But his body didn’t. 

‘MOVE YOUR FEET’
“After my hip replacement, I had the sense that life was changing,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave the shelter, but I had the sense that I was being called away.”

He sought advice, and was reminded of his own motto: Never ask God what he wants you to do unless you’re willing to move your feet.

“I heard loud and clear: ‘move your feet,’” he said. 

In the meantime, sitting on a parish discernment committee, he wondered ‘is this where I’m supposed to be?’

It was months before he shared any of this with his wife, Linda.

“I had to make sure before I told her,” he said. “In all fairness, she married a carpenter, not a priest.

“I said to Linda, ‘I think I’m being called to church leadership, to the priesthood. I need to do this.’ Linda said, ‘Yes, I know. I’ve been waiting for this conversation.’”

Even so, it took Rob another six weeks before he approached the Rev. Canon Cathy Laskey, then overseeing discernment in the diocese.

Cathy’s take, according to Rob: ‘I’ve been waiting for this conversation for five years!’

And so, Rob is on a different path, not carpentry, not a shelter, but, at least for now, parish ministry. He still has to undergo a discernment committee and ACPO, but he feels he is where God has been leading him.

LEARNING CURVE
The parish welcomed Rob as it did the Rev. Dwight Stuart and the Rev. Paulette Black during their training. 

But there’s been a learning curve. Rob came with experiences and habits, some of which were great, and some which needed to be finessed as part of his training. 

“The obvious example is his experience with Outflow,” said Archdeacon Leo Martin, parish rector. “Upon arriving at Fundy and the Lakes, Rob had to quickly learn that he was dealing with a different clientele. He was now ministering to two congregations mostly filled with seniors who are committed to Christ in belief and action. 

“On the flip side, parishioners had to look beyond his tough exterior to find the gentleness which he carries in his heart. He is bringing a renewed sense of mission to the parish.”

Leo is also concerned about something that weighs on virtually every member of the clergy: self-care.

“Rob is a self-declared perfectionist, and this can sometimes lead to a sense that everything has to be perfect,” he said. “This can become an obsession which takes all of our time, and I cautioned him on that.”

How long will Rob serve at Fundy and the Lakes?

“That’s up to God and the bishop,” he said. “I want to go through all the right hoops.” 

For now, he has two aims in mind.

“I can’t wait for my dad to see me ordained,” he said. “He’s been on this journey with me the whole way.”

And he hopes his story could be a catalyst for others who might be running from God, maybe serving him from the sidelines on their own terms, afraid of and ignoring the Holy Spirit’s nudges.

“I’d like to enable a few Robs in the pew,” he said.

Photo Caption: Rob Pitman at Christ the King Church in Loch Lomond, Saint John.   McKnight photo