SERVING GOD: ANSWERING GOD'S CALL

David Schaffner is pastor of St. John's United Church of Christ west of Fruitland. He works full time as a credit manager for Jim Wilson Co. in Cape Girardeau.

When David Schaffner preached his very first sermon, he didn't think he would be able to finish it.

But the reason had nothing to do with nervousness:

"One of the ladies in the church brought some beautiful flowers, but I have allergies. When she set them in front of the pulpit, my eyes started watering and I started sneezing," he said. "I didn't think I was going to finish."

But the allergy attack didn't stop Schaffner from serving in the ministry. He is a licensed pastor at St. John's United Church of Christ near Fruitland.

"I had God's calling," he said. "I had always felt like he was calling me."

Wes Wright, pastor of Mount Auburn Christian Church, also felt God's call into ministry. He graduated from St. Louis Christian College in 1984 and earned a doctorate degree in 1988.

Wright decided on a career in the ministry while he was still in high school. "It wasn't anything miraculous, but more of just a necessity. I came to the conclusion that was what I wanted to do."

And he's felt comfortable in his pastoral role ever since, although preaching and public speaking really runs contrary to his personality, Wright said.

"If you ask my parents which of their five children were the least likely to be a preacher -- it's me. I value my privacy and here I am in standing in front of a couple hundred people every Sunday."

Wright still gets nervous before delivering a sermon. In his first sermon on Easter Sunday 1981, "I went through the whole Bible in about 10 minutes," he said. "Every time I get ready now, I still don't know if I can do it."

But once he reaches the pulpit, the nervousness calms.

Pastors have both the greatest and the worst job in the world, Wright said. It's not a job where they can count on having a holiday weekend away or a day off -- parishioners depend on them in times of crisis, whenever it strikes.

But those same, demanding people also can be the most supportive and encouraging for a pastor.

"I study hard and give it my best effort to help them with their spiritual growth as I'm developing mine," Wright said.

Without the support of the Evangelical Church of Christ congregation, Schaffner never would have had the strength to complete his pastoral training. He was a member of the church before taking his job as pastor.

"Members encouraged me to pursue this," he said. Friends also sent cards and notes while he was in the midst of study.

Schaffner was required to study with an ordained minister before he could be licensed by his denomination. He was the first church member to enter the program and earn a license.

The Rev. Sam Roethemeyer of Emanuel United Church of Christ in Jackson served as his mentor and instructor during the two-year process.

"He would bring me stacks of books to read and outline," Schaffner said. There also was material to read together. "He was a tough teacher, but as I look back on it, I'm glad. He was a wonderful mentor."

Creating a bond between pastors is essential to strengthening a ministry, Wright said.

"The pastors in this community are friends. We respect our doctrinal differences but on the central issues we are strongly united."

And the essential role of a pastor is to keep the message central and create an atmosphere where people can reach God, Wright said.

"There is no way to keep everybody happy all the time," he said. "It's a tricky balance. The service is designed to reach the whole person, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally."

Reaching both younger and older members is essential in a congregation. But many new members in area churches are young couples and families.

During the eight years Wright has been pastor, the average age of members at Mount Auburn Christian Church has gotten younger -- from 50 to 40 years old.

To reach the younger crowd, sermons "have gotten a lot more instructional than motivational," Wright said. And more people are actively involved in the church's ministry programs.

Having an active church membership is a benefit of leading a rural church, Schaffner said. It provides an easy way to finding both the members' strengths and the community's strengths. Many of the churches in Fruitland worship together for special services like Thanksgiving, Lent or Advent.

"Even though we are different, we still enjoy being together because we are worshipping one God," he said. "I tell people we are all going to the same destination, but we are going in different cars."

If that's the case, then Schaffner took a different car and route than most pastors when trying to reach his destination. He spent more than 20 years working at Jim Wilson Co. as a credit manager before entering a preaching career about six years ago.

"As a boy, my mother thought I'd go into ministry," he said. "But then I went to college and met my wife. It just went by the wayside."

But Schaffner couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that he should be ministering. So he taught Sunday School classes at Evangelical Church of Christ, where he was a member.

But when a former pastor asked him to fill in as an occasional speaker, he agreed.

"I found out later in life this is what I wanted to do," he said. "Now I have all the experiences of life, that I wouldn't have had if I'd have entered ministry sooner. I have all those experiences to call on."

And a network of other pastors helped him make the transition from a full-time business career to a mix of full-time ministry and business.

"I put my heart into it," he said of his church work. "My people know that I'll be there, but I will just do it during the evening."

Wright sees his role as pastor evolving in the next few years. "Pastors can't do everything," he said. "We're more of an equipper than a guy who does all the work, which is a great thing for the church. It will lead to a new awakening as people take up a place of service in the body of Christ."