S1 Ep11: Jumping Into Unknown Waters [Alyssa Aldape]

Rev. Alyssa Aldape was kind enough to join me as we talk about this alleged “Great Clergy Resignation” and what is going on among our colleagues at this particular cultural moment. Alyssa is, like almost half of my season one guests, a graduate of Samford University. She went on to receive a Master of Divinity from Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta.  In addition to working as a pastor, Alyssa also works for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice and is a Contributing Writer at Good Faith Media. Announcing her resignation from a church 2 years ago, Alyssa wrote: “It’s not easy to jump into dark icy cold water you’ve never been in before. Sometimes it takes a few countdowns to ten and sometimes it takes your boyfriend graciously jumping in with you. It’s also not easy leaving a job you love. It’s a lot like jumping off a deck into unknown waters.” I love these words because she reframes the conversation so beautifully. It’s not just about the pastors. This is hard for all of us. Leaving anything you love is hard. Walking away from the comfort of what you’ve known is terrifying. And if you are lucky enough to have people around you who champion you and support you, then how amazing is it to grab their warm hand as you finally take that leap into the open, unknown waters. We quote: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/28/opinion/pastor-burnout-pandemic.html https://www.npr.org/2022/09/03/1120917859/facing-burnout-many-faith-leaders-are-leaving-their-ministries https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/november/pastor-burnout-pandemic-barna-consider-leaving-ministry.html Also, "MISSIONAL" is the word that Allan Roxboro coined. We couldn't bring it to mind and substituted "emergent" even though we knew it was wrong. Alyssa texted later, "in 2019 he was like, 'missional is canceled. Y’all ruined it.'” Way too often, church is the dad who just learned to dab. #leavingchurch #beyondreligion #elysemyers #thegreatresignation #thegreatclergyresignation #burnout #deconstruction #exvangelical #femalepastors #womenclergy #liminalspace