An Introduction to Pastor Dave Pflueger
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
I am Dave Pflueger and I am a long time resident of the State of Washington U.S.A. I am a Christian who has embraced the Sacramental Theology of the Eastern Orthodox Churches; they teach that there is not two or seven Sacraments, but instead believe that any miracle, circumstances, or mystery that reveals the Love of God, the Greatness of God as Creator, or the Light of Christ is a Sacrament of the Church of Christ and therefore worthy of honor among the faithful. Thus they have a countless number of Sacraments. Following the path of history, I believe that clergy should offer the Miracle of the Sacred Great Thanksgiving as often as they can, because through this Mystery the very presence of Jesus is among us in the Cup of Salvation and the Bread of Life, and therefore the souls of the faithful may be fed. I also dearly believe that the laity has the responsibility of surrounding the observance of the Sacred Great Thanksgiving with prayer and praise of God in a manner that is meaningful to them. Thus my spiritual walk can be summarized by these two statements: "Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God's point of view. It means to secure and keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God's purpose alone." Oswald Chambers. -and- "Progressive sanctification, the process of deification by which a person can be set apart from a sinful walk to a holy practice." Robert G. Gromacki
I began my jouney through this life in a family that has an extended history of service to humanity and the greater Lutheran faith community in North America as clergy and lay leaders for the last several generations. Jesse Pflueger, my Grandfather, was a Professor at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington and Adam Pflueger, my Great Grandfather, was a Professor at Capital University, a Lutheran school in Columbus, Ohio. My parents, Ray and Betty Pflueger, were married in October of 1956; they were educated, career focused, and family oriented. Ray Pflueger (1922-1999) was a Lutheran Pastor and Betty Pflueger (1922-1989) was Nurse (R.N.). God bless their marriage with four children, of which I am the oldest. For the first half of my youth, my parents lived in Portland, Oregon and Bellingham, Washington. The second half of my youth was spent in the City of Pasco, Washington; which at that time was a small rural city in the agricultural region of eastern Washington. In addition to special education services, I spent many hours with mental health professionals and attended many treatment programs as a means of maintaining my disabilities during my youthful years; while most of these were out patient programs, some were confined. In June of 1977 I received a high school diploma from the special education department of the Pasco School District. Within eight years after leaving High School I had received vocational training to be a school district janitor and to be a small off-set press printer (bindery and press operations only). The janitorial trade has served me better than printing, because I have served as a janitor in a school district, a large halfway house, and I even had my own unsuccessful janitorial business during the 1980's.
During the 1980's the Lutheran diaconal program was presented to me by two different Pastors of the American Lutheran Church (A.L.C.). After the second one offered the program - I accepted it and started my training for commissioned diaconal ministries in the Pacific Northwest District of the former A. L. C.; this training also included spiritual discernment. While my studies were completed in late 1987 I was unable to serve because of the merger that created the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988. The merging Lutheran bodies agreed not to continue the diaconal program in the new Church. My inner city diaconal studies and spiritual formation was done at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle under the late Rev. Nyer Urness. All this left me feeling like the carpet had just been pulled out from under me; all my hours of study and training now meant nothing, the Church of my youth was gone, and if that was not bad enough - I was being treated unfairly by some Lutherans in the Seattle area, these Lutherans were deeply fearful of individuals whom they could not comprehend. After a period of time I departed from the Lutheran community and sought out another spiritual home.
Ever since the spring of 1991 I have been a member of The Episcopal Church U.S.A.; I entered the Church through the rite of confirmation by Bishop Terry of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. The Episcopal Church is contemporary branch of the greater Anglican community; and Anglicanism itself is both Old Catholic and Protestant. One of the hallmarks of The Episcopal Church is the freedom of personal conscience towards religious matters and the liberty to express them. While The Book of Common Prayer is the book of rites for Anglicans of The Episcopal Church, I found another treasure within its pages, a wonderful Catechism that has some classical points of North American Anglicanism and some theological concepts of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. I have so embraced this Catechism that it has become my own personal articles of religion. Not long after joining The Episcopal Church I began to study for the Order of Lay Reader of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane and when I had earned this honor I served Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Pasco, Washington through worship and a revised version of the Nightwalk pastoral outreach ministry. Also during the early 1990's I became apart of the Anglican Cursillo movement. After moving to Tacoma, Washington in the Fall of 2004 I accepted the request of the Rector to serve Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia as a licensed Lay Eucharistic Minister. The three most obvious features of the Episcopal Church are tolerance, restraint and learning. For the better part of seventeen years I sought a parish that was tolerant of those who are not self sufficient because of poverty, disability, or illness; and through the resources of the parish provide for their needs. That restrained prejudice viewpoints of those with developmental and psychological disabilities; and unconditionally welcome and incorporate these individuals into the parish. That was cautious about secular influences and placed a premium value on learning both the Gospels and living a Christ centered life. Sadly, I was unable to find such a parish in the State of Washington. So, I separated my household from the Episcopal Church; a disappointing departure in more ways than one.
During the 1990's I gained my administrative skills not in a school, but through the political arena. I was elected by the general population of the Ninth Precinct of Franklin County, Washington to serve as a member of the Democratic Central Committee of Franklin County as a Precinct Officer. In time the members of this Central Committee elected me to serve on their Executive Committee as the Treasurer. In the summer of 1994 Governor Mike Lowry appointed me to serve the citizens of the State of Washington as a councilman on the Washington Rehabilitation Advisory Council (DSHS-DVR); I served on the Council for nine years. As a member of the Council I served on the Operations and Finance Committee and during my term I also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Council as a Vice Chair.
In the middle 1990's I received support of Rev. Robert Carlson, my Pastor at Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, to enter formal religious studies through Sophia Divinity School. This school is a ministry of The Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch - Malabar Rite (aka Church of Antioch). This came about because Rev. Carlson and I realized that the Episcopal would most likely be unwilling to complete the religious and spiritual development that the American Lutheran Church had started. The Church of Antioch is a progressive Independent Catholic Church that dismisses any doctrinal conformity and embraces the ritual traditions of the Catholic faith. It also presents a metaphysical expression of Christianity to the greater Catholic community and places a high value on personal religious freedom of all kinds and on all levels. Through my studies I was able to take all his previous religious studies and wrap them into a single package. Although my course work at Sophia Divinity School was often hinder by my serious learning disability, I pushed forward and earned key Minor Orders. A short note about these Orders: In many schools today an academic period is called a quarter, before our modern times a divinity student would not be studying to successfully complete a quarter, but instead the student would be studying to earn an Order (a grouping of classes and exercises). The Minor Orders that I earned are: the Minor Order of Cleric, the Minor Order of Doorkeeper, the Minor Order of Reader, and the Minor Order of Healer. Because the Church of Antioch stood by me as I worked to overcome his disability to gain religious and spiritual insight I have a lasting respect for the Church.
Speaking of influences. During the 1990's I was the sexton at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Pasco, Washington for five years. Through this association I received a deep understanding of the religious concepts and spiritual nature of this Eastern Catholic Church. Although many years have gone by since serving the parish, I still reflects the Catholicism of the Greek Orthodox Church, especially in the areas of Mariology and the Sacraments.
As my divinity studies continued and I spirituality grew through the guidance of the Church of Antioch, Bishop Rodney of another faith community became aware of me and followed my progression. In 2006 Bishop Rodney offered me the Old Catholic Priesthood through the hands-on rite of ordination and on the 9th day of September 2006 I was ordained a priest in the Chapel of First Lutheran Church in Tacoma, Washington. Today many clergy have post graduate degrees and therefore serve the Church of Christ through the vocation of Word, Sacrament, and Professional Administrator; since my clergy formation is an entry level form of training and education, I serve in the vocations of either Word, Sacrament, and Teacher (sage) or Word, Sacrament, and Laborer.
Today I am fifty years old and throughout my adult years I have made it a goal of mine to turn the disadvantages of my developmental disability (autism) and my very mild psychological disability (due to autism) into assets that serve the greater human community. I am the father of two autistic children and this has placed me on the front lines as an advocate for those with developmental disabilities. I am also very aware of the discrimination towards Medicaid and Medicare clients by many medical professionals and the general lack of social services for those with developmental and psychological disabilities in the State of Washington. I am a participant of Christ's Catholic Church, which was founded by Karl Pruter. He was apart of the Congregational Catholic movement that had its beginnings in the 1930's and some of these congregations were apart of the mergers that brought forth the Evangelical Church, the Reformed Church, and the United Church of Christ. I am a participant of the Moment of Blessing Ministry of Associated Ministries of Tacoma and Pierce County; I serve as a missionary outreach Pastor to those who are disenfranchised by both society and by many faith communities. And, I offer my pastoral skills as a Volunteer in the Jail Chaplaincy Program at Pierce County Corrections center.
Summary ...
Raised and nurtured in the American Lutheran Church. Elected and appointed public servant. Became an Anglican through the Episcopal Church U.S.A. Advocate of those who are disenfranchise by American society. Spiritually developed by the Greek Orthodox Orthodox Church. Theologically educated by progressive Independent Catholics. And, active in ecumenical ministries.
"I am very much a blue collar Christian, with roots in rural western America. I enjoy the simple things of life - family, children, and fellowship with those who are close to me." Dave Pflueger
"My personal religious convictions and practices are my own and they do not belong to a Christian denomination or to a single church." Dave Pflueger
To God who is able to do far more abundantly - beyond all that I ask or think, according to the power that works within me, to him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. AMEN. Ephesians 3:20-21
