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The old adage says you're better off not meeting your heroes; they'll only let you down.
I counter that once in a while a hero does turn out to be worthy of admiration. And I am fortunate that my pastoral mentor was one.
Divine design brought us together when I accepted a position as a leader at a small, rural church while I was still attending seminary. Denominational policy dictated that as a lay minister, I needed an experienced clergy person to help guide me as I grew as a pastor. And our synod, and my church, turned to the neighboring church parish where Pastor Jill had been serving for 15 years for just such a supervisor.
I'm not sure what indignity Pastor Jill had heaped on the synod to deserve such a punishment, but there it was: She was anointed my supervisor. ... And probably much to her chagrin we were yoked together professionally for nearly six years as she stuck with me through my pastoral internship and up until my official ordination five years ago.
That was a lot of time to have to spend helping shape this greenhorn pastor wannabe, but I'll be forever grateful for her patience, wisdom, advice and friendship that she poured into me for a decade.
Pastor Jill quite unexpectedly passed this summer, and the surprise turn of events has left me, and her family and congregations she served, feeling upended.
See, that's the thing about your heroes (and I don't use that word loosely, when I refer to my former supervisor-turned-cherished-friend), you're supposed to be able to count on them forever.
And trust me, I counted on Pastor Jill plenty.
Not only did she coach me through years of sermon development, pastoral presence, church council management and congregational accompaniment, we also bridged that relationship to become close friends. In a decade, she watched my kids grow up and leave the nest, as I did hers. In fact, our families will likely never know just how much time we spent talking about them.
On the personal side, Pastor Jill also saw me through the loss of five close family members in six years, a period of my life that at times brought me to my knees.
Finally, and more recently, as my career transitioned to serving as a pastor not only to my church but also to the mission where I'm now a CEO, Pastor Jill was one of my biggest cheerleaders. In the times we did get to visit, which admittedly had diminished in number since the start of my new gig, she was always there for some much needed encouragement to carry on.
As we prepare to say goodbye to Pastor Jill, I'm struck by how fortunate I will forever be that she said yes to an assignment that must have felt like a burden so many years ago.
Luckily for me, though, once in a while, heroes do turn out to be as exemplary as we make them out to be. Thank you, Pastor Jill, for everything. Amen.
-- Devlyn Brooks is the CEO of Churches United in Moorhead, Minn., and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.