I have been called of God to the ministry

Milton Fast: A philosophy of ministry

Milton Fast, retired and living with his wife Gladys in Landmark, Man., isn’t a dominating Type A personality. However, he has been an ordained minister for many years. During that time he’s developed a philosophy of ministry, an approach to pastoral ministry built from years of biblical study, sanctifi ed refl ection, and ministry experience.

How much ministry experience? In 1959 Milton graduated from (then) Steinbach Bible Institute; later that year he was ordained to ministry (selfsupporting) within Kleefeld EMC. After four years of shared ministry, he was elected as leading minister (bi-vocational) in fall 1963.

He, now 79, has served as senior pastor in four EMC churches (Kleefeld, Swift Current, Steinbach, and La Crete) and within interim pastorates in Mount Salem, Vanderhoof, Rosenort Fellowship, Riverton, Hillside, and La Crete. He served as Associate Executive Secretary, EMC Board of Missions, from 1977 to 1983.

Fast has worked on various EMC national committees, for many years on the Board of Missions, on SBC’s board, and within the EM Conference

Executive. Now retired, he’s currently listed in the EMC Yearbook 2007 as the “speaking-teaching chair” of Saturday Night Church. Enough said.

Pastoral ministry has changed

How has his understanding of pastoral ministry and people changed over the years? When he started in ministry, people respected the position more, he said, and had fewer expectations because it was unsalaried. Ministers weren’t “professionals”; they were “servants.”

Members themselves were more “childlike in faith,” less sophisticated, more united and working together. Now people demand more from salaried ministers, and yet act more individually. The economic rise of people and increased ease of travel has played a role; people don’t need each other quite as they did, and aren’t as “patriotic” to denominations as they once were.