Yesterday afternoon, as our ship was heading back to our home port, I had the opportunity to take the helm. The process is not very different from flying an airplane using visual flight rules. Once the vessel is on a heading, the person at the helm chooses a visual reference point and steers toward that point. If currents or winds try to force the craft in another direction, inputs are made to the rudder to correct the direction of travel. Because the ship on which we were traveling is often used as a training vessel, there was excellent supervision and guidance available during my half hour stint at the wheel. The captain was on board and at the helm while I was there. There was also a member of the crew as a backup for me who kept eyes on me and the ship’s progress.

I found that I enjoyed my opportunity to steer the big boat. But I was also aware of the responsibility that came with the experience. After all, the ship itself is an irreplaceable piece of history. Were it to get into the shoals and run aground the loss would be incalculable in terms of money. More importantly, there were the souls on board. The crew and the other passengers deserve safe passage. Of course I was not in a position to cause a mistake that could not be quickly corrected by an observant crew member. The experience did, however, remind me of the awesome responsibility that falls on the captain’s shoulders each time the vessel leaves the dock.

Perhaps a sailing ship is a poor metaphor for my career as a pastor, but I do see parallels. In my role as the senior pastor, my responsibility was to use my authority for the good of all of the members of the congregation. I quickly learned that my decisions and leadership had an impact on the spiritual lives of the people who came to the church. there were time when I had to make decisions that were not popular. The churches I served chose a polity and a leadership style that empowered the congregation to make major decisions while carefully delegating certain leadership functions to a pastor. My job was always to be responsive to the will of the congregation while offering guidance and direction. Like the captain’s extensive knowledge of winds, tides, currents, navigation, and rules of the sea are employed to safely steer the ship, a pastor uses education in the history and traditions of the church, the scriptures, and trained reason to advise congregations in making decisions.

Sailing a ship requires many people who are giving it focused attention. In addition to serving a short watch at the helm of the ship, I also served in other essential roles. When I was assigned to bow watch, my duty was to focus my attention on the waters directly ahead of the ship where the crew at the helm cannot see. I watched for logs and crab traps and traffic approaching from the front. I communicated information about any potential obstacles in time for the captain and the crew at the helm to take corrective action. During another watch, I served as a communicator, listening for signals from the person on bow watch, responding when they had a message for the helm, and communicating their message clearly to the helm.

Congregations also require multiple people to pay attention to the direction the congregation is headed. More people than just the pastor need to have a vision of the direction of the congregation and the actions necessary for the congregation to progress. And, like the ship, clear channels of communication are essential. If the moderator of the congregation and the pastor aren’t communicating clearly, conflict can occur.

Like all metaphors, this one has limitations. After all, I am no longer the pastor of a congregation. I am retired. And I am not the captain of a ship, or even a member of the crew. I was not really in charge of the helm. I was a passenger who was given the experience of steering the ship as part of an experience of learning about sailing.

The summer cruising season is winding down for the schooner Zodiac. She’ll be sitting in her berth for about ten days while volunteers do a variety of cleaning and maintenance tasks. Then she goes out for a couple of day sails. There is only one more multi-day sail left on her 2023 schedule, a four day, three night lighthouse tour scheduled for early October. Then she travels to her winter maintenance dock to prepare for next summer’s sail. An historic sailing ship requires a lot of maintenance for a few days of sailing each year. This year the ship’s main sail will be replaced. The largest remaining active sail on the west coast is not something that is easy to replace. The fabric had to be purchased last year, a special sail loft is required to sew the large pieces of fabric together. sewing those seams and making the reinforcements required for the sail to fly properly and make the shape to power the ship is a difficult task. The type of sails flown by the Zodiac only last a dozen or so years and they cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace. Keeping the sails in good condition is just part of a huge list of tasks that are required. In addition to paid staff, thousands of volunteer hours are needed to keep the ship sailing.

Congregations also depend on volunteers to keep them running. Some tasks may seem small and others large, but each is part of a bigger picture. Like the ship, where the skills of sailing are not the only skills required to keep the ship operating, the skills of coordinating and supporting volunteers are quite different from other pastoral skills. Yet those skills are also crucial. I’ve had colleagues who are excellent worship leaders but lack the skills of budget management. I’ve known pastors who try to steer a congregation without first obtaining a good sense of the direction the congregation wants to go. The results are often sad for the congregation and for the pastor.

Fortunately there are patient teachers for novice sailors. And when I was serving as a pastor, I found mentors and models for the leadership to which I aspired. Perhaps that is a role into which I can now ease myself as part of my retirement. I hope I can be a patient teacher as were those who guided me when I was at the wheel of the ship yesterday.