Jane Lippert was studying sociology in college when the chaplain asked if she'd ever considered becoming a minister. "I told him I might when I'm ready to be good," she said and he threw his pack of cigarettes on the table. Today, Jane Lippert is the minister of Traverse Bay United Methodist Church and says, "Religion isn't about being good enough but about looking for the next level of growth."
At its best, she says, "church is a vehicle for helping to affirm the worth of all persons." At the same time, she acknowledges disagreements within the Christian tradition on a number of issues. "Some of us are working on the inside for change," she says. "You know, it's possible to be deep nice, not just sweet nice."
Traverse Bay is Jane's fourth church and she says that her members "are good at taking care of each other. It's a privilege to be with people at points of transition," she adds, "Birth, death, marriage, divorce. To bring a spiritual dimension into these important moments."
"If this was the Church of Jane Lippert, I could decide everything but my role is to help the community become who they are in God's eyes."
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