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I like being in the background...

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jenley

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I am the church secretary for my WELS church.
I like it, word processing is my thing...

Being the secretary, I do know some of what is going on but sometimes others think I have 'power' that I do not.
Say at voters meetings... As a single woman, I do not get a vote.
I go to them, just the discussion part at the beginning, just to like clarify stuff or ask clarifying questions and get others to think. Because there are sometimes -ideas that pastor has bounced off me, leading up to the decisions being brought before the congregation.
Not things I should not know but like things he wants my opinion on.
Uuummm, an example, do we ask the congregation if we should apply for a loan to hire a landscape contractor to make the campus more appealing? (They're expensive!)

So anyway, I like being in on these discussions but get uncomfortable when others look to me as more important than I am...

Oh and even with this being a small congregation, not everyone knows that I do what I do, they are just happy the service folder is there for them every Sunday... Not that that's all I do...
And that's ok, I like being in the background...

Ok, do I have a point or a question? Not really, just thought it might start a discussion...
 
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seajoy

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Hello Jenley! I always thought the job of a church secretary would be quite difficult. I admire you for taking on the task.

It's great that your pastor and congregation has someone they can trust. There are confidentiality issues, and also the pastor just needs someone bounce things off of, that are rolling around in his head.

We once belonged to an LCMS church where the secretary was spreading lies about the pastor, in that he did nothing all day etc.... A couple of months later she was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers. But folks still believed what she said. It was the beginning of the end for our pastor friend.
 
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cerette

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Jenley,

I am not sure I understand... you said there are things you shouldn't know that you do know because the pastor has asked for your opinion... Does this mean your pastor tells you things that he shouldn't be telling anyone? If he asks for your opinion on regular church matters, I would not say they are things you shouldn't know. It is not sinful for a woman to go to meetings and listen to the discussions and even speak her opinion on the matter.. Things you shouldn't know are things that have been told to someone in confidence. This should not include regular church matters..
 
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PreachersWife2004

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Jenley, I know what you mean! Being married to a pastor, I am privvy to information that I don't always like to know. Not because he tells me, but because we're in the same house - his office is here at the parsonage. It's hard to not overhear things.
 
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LutheranChick

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Welcome, jenley! We have a few ELS churches in WA also. How big is your congregation?
 
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cerette

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DaRev said:
Our council doesn't like our secretary and can't understand what she does. They have reduced her to one day per week for four hours. Needless to say, I now have more to do in the office.
Click to expand...
Maybe you should mention it to the council...?? Or maybe they should sub for her sometime and see what it is that she does.
 
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jenley

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LutheranChick said:
Welcome, jenley! We have a few ELS churches in WA also. How big is your congregation?
Click to expand...
It is small... 80 communicant members and tons of kids. Growing slowly but surely
We started a preschool last year and it is almost full for next year already
 
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jenley

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I am also only part time and only last summer started getting paid. As it is I get paid for about half the hours I work. I don't do it for the pay, that's just a bonus.

My real job(well, the one that pays the bills) is as a secretary in the Special Ed Department of the local school district.

Pastor is slowly letting go of stuff he is used to doing but that I could do so he can do more pastor stuff instead of secretary stuff... This started out as a mission church so for many years he did do everything. Now he doesn't have to...
 
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jenley

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Oh no, I don't want to give that impression either...
Uuummm, ok, another example... Pastor asked me what I thought about him asking the elders to apply for a Vicar because I know how busy he is.

He asked for my input on paint colors for the outside of the buildings. We picked out like 8 colors that are now painted on different buildings and walls for input from everyone.

And obviously I know what he is going to announce before Sunday if I have typed it up earlier in the week
 
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cerette

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do the other members of the congregation have a problem with you knowing these things?? that would be ridiculous. it's not like you are the pastor's "teacher's pet" or anything.
 
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jenley

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cerette said:
do the other members of the congregation have a problem with you knowing these things?? that would be ridiculous. it's not like you are the pastor's "teacher's pet" or anything.
Click to expand...
No, no, I never said anyone had a problem with it

I was just saying that others think I know more than I do or have more influence than I do... I don't

And pastors wife is one of my best friends and his 3 kids hang out in my office all the time...
 
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