It Takes More Than Preaching

Jon McKissock, his wife and two young sons arrive expectantly in the rural neighborhood of Five Forks located in central North Carolina. Having graduated Duke Divinity School in 1956 and served his first church four years, he is eager to start his second appointment as a Methodist minister. The young pastor found seminary too liberal for his tastes, but excelled as a student of theology. Jon's goal is to apply his own brand of religion as he teaches and preaches at the little white church perched on a hill in the center of the farming community. The new preacher finds that while all the neighbors don't attend the church, all his parishioners are from the immediate locality. Furthermore, a number of the leaders are from the extended families of four sisters who effectively run the church. Jon soon learns he must either accommodate their wishes, persuade their reluctance to change or find a way around them. His wife compares his bedside manner to a bull in a china shop, while the district superintendent tells the pastor his congregates don't care what he knows, but want to know that he cares. Reverend McKissock deals with four different unwanted pregnancies in the era before the pill and Roe vs. Wade. He has to deal with two burglaries, goes before the court four times and buries three neighbors. Alcoholics live on each side of him. Jon's a regular, visiting those confined in the hospital, in prison and the mental institution. The pastor engages the local men at the country store, while they take measure of him. He works on the farms and calls on members and nonmembers alike in their homes. Jon juggles the demands of a heavy schedule of ministry needs with his passion for theological knowledge and truth. He teaches Sunday school and confirmation classes besides leading weekly prayer meeting. The pastor tackles difficult issues such as evolution, demons, salvation, the Trinity and prayer. He deals with real life issues such as rape, incest, teenage sex, child abuse and threats to his own family. Jodie is the loyal and steady preacher's wife, and together they struggle to raise their children in a time before seat belts, locked doors or child proof containers. One of their boys disappears, and the other suffers a near-death trauma. Though segregation is the rule of the day, the pastor befriends a local black family, hires the daughter as a sitter and ultimately lays his ministry on the line in her defense. Pastor Jon McKissock balances the delicate mix of spiritual leader and servant to his fellowman in an unusual and powerful way that is sure to stir the heart of any reader. While his passionately held theological views may not fit the mainstream or strike the chord of a particular brand or denomination, they are presented in a thought provoking and balanced way that should challenge the thinking of those seeking a broader understanding of Christianity.