Interview with Pastor Andrea Doeden
Zion Lutheran Church, Trinidad CO November 12, 2018 Moving forward with my Alternative Residency Formation Plan to be approved for ordination by the Rocky Mountain Synod Candidacy Committee, I will be focusing my interviews to answer the following question: What are the joys and challenges of congregational ministry? To answer this question, I will ask:
I had the opportunity for a video conference call with Pastor Andrea Doeden on November 12. Pastor Andrea was on a 10-day ecumenical retreat, Women Touched by Grace, and I am grateful she made time to meet with me. What strengths did you bring to your ministry setting? Pastor Andrea said she was born in Japan. Her father was social worker-lay missionary with the Lutheran church. She said she was a MK (missionary’s kid) as opposed to a PK (pastor’s kid). After her family came back to the United States, she decided she wanted to be a medical missionary. She was about 11 years of age at the time. Pastor Andrea was steadfast she made her dream come true and became a medical doctor. She centered her studies and practice in women’s health for she said there was so much work to be done globally. Pastor Andrea said early in her career she did not have a call to ministry, with her vocation to serve those who needed her medical care, but when she was practicing as an OB-GYN (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) in Oklahoma City, she began to take Luther Seminary classes online as a lay person. She said a lot of ministry was being done in exam rooms with patients. She said Oklahoma City was the “buckle of the bible belt” so she was surrounded by more conservative Christians, which was a bit of a challenge because her understanding of how to be disciples was quite different. Not deterred, she decided to take classes at a Methodist seminary in 2008. She said she was working as a doctor and would often show up to class wearing scrubs and would occasionally have to leave class to deliver a baby. Pastor Andrea told me about some of the incredible professors she had and she spoke about her seminary experience with passion and enthusiasm. Pastor Andrea said she first thought about ordained ministry when she was in Oklahoma City and taking classes at the Methodist seminary. She said she met with the candidacy person at the synod office and was told she ‘already had a calling.’ Nonetheless, she persisted with taking classes at the seminary and interacted with faculty from around the globe as well as other students from Liberia. During one class focusing on global poverty and the consequences, a classmate challenged her that people in our country also faced similar problems, albeit at a smaller scale than in Africa. At the same time, she received a letter from the College of OB/Gyns stating one-third of all counties in the United Stated did not have an OB-GYN. Pastor Andrea said she realized the Holy Spirit was trying to tell her something: “You can do ministry in underserved areas of your own country.” She said the Holy Spirit created enough discomfort in her life to enact a change in her life. That change ended up being a move to Trinidad CO. Pastor Andrea said her husband had visited Trinidad and wanted to move to the small town in southern Colorado. She said she is not hardwired to focus on business part of medicine, so the move to a small hospital where her services were really needed fit perfectly into her worldview. She was able to continue taking classes through the Methodist seminary and began to take classes at Iliff. She reached out to the synod office in Denver and initially got the same reaction she received in Oklahoma City—No. Pastor Andrea said, “I am a type ‘A’ personality” but there are times when you “go with the flow.” Her desire to go into ordained ministry was shut down, but she said she knew she had to wait until the right time. She joined Zion’s Lutheran Church in Trinidad and became an active member. The congregation was in the call process while a retired Episcopal priest presided/preached week to week. The synod office called her! She said she had a conversation with Bishop Bjornberg about ordained ministry at Zion’s. In the end, it was decided Pastor Andrea should pursue ordination through the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries, or TEEM, program. The TEEM program would allow Pastor Andrea to be ordained and recognize the amount of work she had already completed in seminary. She said she was ordained and started serving as the pastor of Zion’s on the First Sunday in Advent seven years ago. She said she works as an OB-GYN for about 32 hours a week and as a pastor 24 hours a week. She said that is the goal, but she acknowledges both positions she holds are not typical jobs with a set schedule. What were your areas of growth? Pastor Andrea said she never thought she would be the person to serve in a rural area as a doctor or a pastor, but she admitted it is a joy to see how “God put me where I need to be.” She went on to say the community is a gift to me. She also said it took time to adjust to life in rural America. Rural communities tend to be conservative in their views and she had to learn how to look at life through the eyes of her congregation members. She also came to realize that since God doesn’t seem to be in a hurry, neither should she be. Relationships take time to grow and ministry grows out of those relationships. Do justice issues impact how you do ministry? Pastor Andrea said justice issues—poverty, access to food, access to medical care, issues related to incarceration, and the lack of justice in the legal system—have always been a passion in her life. She said she will never preach about politics, but she will preach about justice. Pastor Andrea said she has been given many opportunities to learn about what it means do define areas that are negotiable and non-negotiable. She said two months prior to her ordination in 2013, she was approached by a gay couple who wanted to be married in the church. They were not members of the congregation, but they wanted a church wedding. Following the Bishops ‘orders,’ Pastor Andrea said she realized she could not dictate to the congregation what she wanted to do, but rather, she had to facilitate a discussion within the congregation so they could discern what path they would take. She said she was happy with the discussion and discernment did take place and no one left the congregation. They were able to be in conversation about a difficult topic, but the in the end, the congregation voted (by 2 votes) not to have the wedding in the church. She said the outcome would have been different if one family hadn’t been out of town, and if the vote was taken today she felt sure the congregation would vote to allow the same gender wedding, but the time of discernment was important for the congregation. Pastor Andrea said we are Protestants and that means we protest things. We have to be willing to be reformed and we have to be open to change. She said this means we must always be in conversation with each other and understand disagreements happen, but we must hold space for all people. God unites us in the Trinity and that means we are all in relationship with each other as we are in relationship with God. How does the geographical setting of your ministry impact how you do ministry? Interstate 25 bisects Trinidad and the town is located 14 miles north of the New Mexico border. The next town north of Trinidad, Walsenburg, is 37 miles north. She said she will get many calls a week from people who need some sort of assistance; both local and transient. She said as a result, she was able to create relationships with other congregations and a group was created called Assisting Community through Service (ACTS). A nurse practitioner heads the program where individuals who request assistance are assessed and their needs identified. It is understood by all that not everyone’s needs are met through ACTS, but there is a process in place when people who reach out for help are engaged. Pastor Andrea said she has come to learn and understand what it means for Trinidad to be a border town; a town founded and centered in ranching and mining. The wide open spaces of the prairie and foothills informs and impacts the people, who they are—independent people who don’t like being told what to do. It is important to listen and know what really matters to each person. What advice would you have for a new pastor?
Reflection For refection, I am to answer the following questions: What do they tell you about you? How does your particular lens as a Latina Transgender minister affect how you hear and see the work of other ministries in this synod, and how would a deeper understanding on the part of these ministers bless the work at hand? Where does the gospel intersect these interpretations? I must disclose I have spent a fair amount of time in Trinidad Colorado over the years. One of my high school friends has been a police officer in Trinidad for about 30 years. I attended the Southern Colorado Law Enforcement Academy at Trinidad State Junior College, a 10 week certification program, in 1995. In 2005, I had gender confirmation surgery at the same hospital where Pastor Andrea works as an OB-GYN (Mount Saint Raphael Hospital). I admit I have not traveled to Trinidad over the past five years as seminary, my private counseling practice, and caring for my mother have not allowed me the opportunity to visit this charming border town. I have heard many stories about Trinidad over the years as my step-father’s family came from the area around Trinidad. One of my step-father’s aunts lived in Trinidad for over seventy years and left Trinidad in her nineties when her family moved her into assisted-living in Pueblo. When Pastor Andrea talked about the complexity and independence of the people of Trinidad, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I really liked Pastor Andrea’s perspective on defining what is negotiable and what is non-negotiable. It is important to know who you are and what you stand for, but is just as important to know where there is flexibility. Yes, we all want the world to conform to our own individual likes and dislikes, but in reality, that will never happen. There is a time to push for change, but there is also a time to discuss, challenge, listen, and find out where we can find a place to live together. We may not always get what we want, but it is imperative to maintain the relationships within the congregation and with God. I also heard Pastor Andrea stress the need to get to know your congregation. There will never be a congregation where everyone in the pews agrees with my thoughts and beliefs so it is imperative to get to know the thoughts and beliefs of the people in the pews. I listened intently when she spoke about the conservative views of many of her congregants and it would have been easy to dismiss their viewpoints, but she took the time to get to know them and realize they are faithful and generous. Not everyone may approach life in the same way, but in the end, it appears we all want to be faithful servants of Jesus Christ.
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