Troubled, Pastor Jim Hastings again sat alone in his office on Monday morning. On his computer screen were three letters he had already composed. He knew that at least one of them would never be mailed.

He opened his desk drawer and reached for a letter he had read many times since its arrival last Thursday. Half-reading, half-scanning, he rehearsed the words he had almost memorized by now. “Being satisfied with your spiritual maturity, confident of your Christian character, and believing that your pastoral gifts and skills are suited to our needs, we the people of Coastlands Church, call you, Reverend James P. Hastings, to be our pastor. If you are led by the Lord Jesus Christ to accept this call on your life, we, in turn, promise to….”

He knew the rest of the letter—a description of the church, a list of his duties, the compensation, etc. He again reviewed what he knew of Coastlands Church. It was almost universally thought of as one of the three flagship ...