Article by Adrienne
Owens, photo by Mike Spencer appeared in the September 14, 2002 Burlington (NC)
Times-News.
Co-pastors reach out
Couple work together in ministry
The Rev. Lara
Greene was once given some advice on writing sermons: Sit in the empty sanctuary
and imagine your own voice filling the room.
Lara says this
helps her speak with her congregation on a human level, something she and her
husband, the Rev. David Greene, always try to do. They have a narrative style of
preaching, relaying personal experiences to get their message out.
``My idea of a
minister is someone having fun, not like an undertaker,'' Lara said.
The Greenes
came to the Gibsonville United Methodist Church in June (2002). They moved from
Winston-Salem, where they had separate churches, but often brought the
congregations together.
When their
daughter, Elizabeth, 3, was born, she was baptized at her mother's church with
members of both congregations filling the pews.
Two years later
when son Carter, 16 months, came along, he was baptized at his father's church.
Today, in
Gibsonville, they fill needs for both a pastor and a director of Christian
education.
But instead of
working in separate roles, they act as co-pastors. Each says the other
complements them and each gravitates toward certain responsibilities.
``David's a
visionary and a dreamer,'' Lara says.
David agrees
that he is more introspective, while his wife is more of an organizer.
David, 39,
works with the church's finances and the board of trustees. Lara, 34, works with
the children and the youth group. David preaches one week; Lara takes the next.
``They are
equals,'' said congregation member Terry McNeill.
McNeill and his
family live in Elon and have been members of the church for about nine years.
He said the
congregation benefits from having two ministers. Most people are comfortable
talking to either pastor, but some might want Lara's particular kind of animated
guidance while others feel more at ease with the soft-spoken David.
They have been
involved in the Methodist church all their lives. But as undergraduate students,
neither David nor Lara knew they would one day be ordained ministers. Lara got
her psychology degree from the University of Texas, and always knew she wanted
to work with people, but wasn't sure how. David graduated from N.C. State in
1985 and went to work in Charlotte for six years, selling machinery for a Swiss
textile company.
David and Lara
met in 1991 at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
They were married less than two years later.
Lara says David
was influential in her decision to become ordained. She grew up in an
8,000-member church in Houston, Texas, seeing women in church, but in associate
roles.
``Some students
in seminary had never seen women preach - I had at least seen women in robes,''
Lara said.
Lara is
technically an associate, but she and David say that status exists only on
paper.
The couple's
situation is not unusual, said the Rev. Frank A. Smith III of the denomination's
Greensboro's district office. Last year, the state's western conference of the
Methodist church appointed four or five couples.
There are
probably 25 couples working within the conference, Smith said.
Even with the
situation becoming more common, Lara said not everyone has been quick to embrace
her. One woman she met during when she worked in Lincolnton in the mid-1990s
would barely give her the time of day, she said. But two years later at a
funeral, the same woman introduced Lara as ``my preacher.''
Adrienne Owens
can be reached at Adrienne_Owens@link.freedom.com
Article and photo by Kellen Sibley appeared in
the March 17, 2005 (Whitsett, NC) Creekside Chronicle.
Finding
a balance
Gibsonville couple finds serving God and the church together a rewarding
experience
"Our strengths and our weaknesses balance," says David Greene.
"I'm more laid back and she is more animated."
Together David and Lara Greene share the duties of ministering to Gibsonville
United Methodist Church.
Although most couples would admit working side-by-side with their spouse
would be a bit of a struggle, the Greenes agree that it was the best solution
for them.
"You just have to understand each other," says David.
"We really do get along well," says Lara. "We're very honest with
each other, and if we didn't think it was going to work, we wouldn't have wanted
to do it."
The Greens met at the Chandler School of Theology at Emory University in
Atlanta.
Lara is a native of Dallas, Texas and received her undergraduate degree at the
University of Texas at Austin. She did not originally plan to be a fully
ordained minister, but when she went to Emory and met David, she says that he
really encouraged her to do so.
David was raised in Shelby and received his undergraduate degree at North
Carolina State University.
Lara says it was not a difficult decision to serve in North Carolina after they
left Atlanta. "Once I moved from Texas, I knew I would never go back.
Although I still like to visit, I just love living in North Carolina."
When they received their first appointments, Laura served a church in Lincolnton
and David served two small churches in Shelby.
They continued ministering separately when they were transferred to
Winston-Salem. Both served small churches. "They were close to each other,
so we were able to do a lot of joint things with the churches," says David.
But Lara says even with joining some of the two church's activities, serving
separate churches caused stress. "When we were in Winston, our children
were one and three years old and balancing was hard. At that point, we really
went to our district superintendent and said we wanted to serve together."
"At this point, the kids were still small," says David. "So it
was sort of like Lara took one kid to church with her, and I took the other. We
just really wanted to attend church together as a family."
Then in 2002 they received a joint appointment at Gibsonville United Methodist.
David says he feels that the church took a chance on accepting the two of them.
"Previously, they had a regular pastor and a part-time youth minister. So,
it was quite a financial risk for the church to take both of us. But it has
worked out wonderfully."
When they came to the church, Lara decided to work three-quarter time so that it
would not be such a financial burden on the church. "It really works out
great," she says. "I get my daughter to school and then when she gets
out in the early afternoon, I have all that time to spend at home with our two
kids."
The family's parsonage is a few yards away from the backdoor of the church.
"We literally walk out of our back door and walk to church together as a
family on Sunday mornings," says Lara.
The couple divided the duties of ministry evenly, trading off Sundays that they
preach. When one is preaching, the other reads the liturgy, reading the
scripture and leading the prayers.
While they never compare sermons or practice in front of each other, David says
they usually agree on a theme, so the sermons will have a flow. "We both
tend to preach on grace a lot," says Lara.
Although their sermons are prepared separately, Lara admits that it is handy to
have David around. "He is the librarian between the two of us," she
says. "I tend to go to him when I am looking for resources and books."
"I like to kid her when I hear her use a story or passage in a sermon that
I have read in one of my books," he says. "I usually say, 'Hey, I've
read that somewhere before.'"
In addition to preaching, the couple also shares other pastoral duties. David
tends to take care of the more administrative and visitation side of the
ministry, and Lara concentrates more on the children and youth programs.
"We decided David would be the one to sit in on the building campaign
committee meetings and other administrative things because those meetings tend
to be a later at night while the kids are being put to bed," says Lara.
The Greens have seen a lot of changes to Gibsonville United Methodist since
their arrival. The church recently completed a $1.6 million building project,
which includes new classrooms and sanctuary.
Lara says the building process was interesting for the church. "We held
worship across the street in the school, and the nursery was actually held in
our house," she says.
The couple agrees the church is the right place for them to serve. Lara says
they have requested to stay at Gibsonville United Methodist for another six to
eight years. "Our gifts benefit the church and being together benefits our
family," says David.
Church attendance has risen since the couple's arrival, and they accredit that
to the congregation of the church. "The key to this church is their strong
lay leadership," says David. "These people have a real love for their
church and are excited to see it grow. And they want to see people grow in their
faith."
One of the couple's favorite ministries is Sundays @ 5. "This is an
intergenerational service time," says Lara. "Everyone has dinner
together. Then there are children's programs, youth pro-grams, and the adults
have three courses they can choose from." Currently, the church is offering
a course on marriage, Methodism, and Philip Yancey's writings.
Lara says one of the most enjoyable aspects of her job is working with the
youth. "We have about 25 youth," she says. "We do a lot with Twin
Lakes. One time we dressed up as biblical characters and acted out scenes for
the residence. The kids about killed me for making them do it, but in the end we
all had a great time."
David says, recently the church has gotten into evangelism, which he says is
very exciting because of the growth eastern Guilford is experiencing.
"Our style of worship is traditional," says David. "These are
people who take their faith seriously, but they know how to have a good time
too."
