Faith journey leads to ministry

When Maureen Olson became a minister, she found her voice.
“In my mind I was always making these connections between people and God, but I was never saying them out loud,” she said.
“When I was graduated from seminary, I told my teachers, ‘You gave me voice.’”
Sunday afternoon Olson, 57, will be ordained as a minister at First Presbyterian Church in Yates Center. She also pastors at First Presbyterian in Neodesha.
Her journey has been long and full.
To begin, she is wife to Eric Olson and mother of sons Nic, Ben and Whitney.
As a young family they moved to Iola in 1995 where Eric took on with Sonic Equipment and eventually Kneisley Manufacturing and Maureen managed B&B Theatres.
As members of Iola’s First Presbyterian, Maureen was heavily involved with its Sunday School program. In 1999, that talent was recognized and Maureen was asked to become the church’s full-time Christian Education director.
For Maureen, the transition from managing movie theaters for 15 years to working at the church tracked her growth as a Christian.
“I loved it,” she said of the career change and how it helped her spiritual growth.
In 2005, Maureen enrolled at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa.
As a student in her mid-40s, Maureen said she “fit right in.”
“Most seminary students are like me, who did something else for 10-15 years and have experienced something to help develop that call from God,” she said.
“Going back to school after 25 years takes a little more concentration,” she said. Greek and Hebrew, especially, posed challenges.
“Learning to read from right to left was a challenge for this old brain,” she said. “It’s something to do before you’re 50.”
Understanding the ancient languages helps Maureen better understand the original intent of the authors, she said. “The Bible has been interpreted so many times. An interpretation from the 21st Century can be very different from the 1st Century.”
The desire to go to such length is Maureen’s personality.
“I’m a research nut,” she said. “And then I love sharing my discoveries. Being a minister is a bit like being a storyteller. I weave what I have learned into my sermons.”
It took Maureen four-and-a-half years to complete seminary.
“I had the advantage of looking at it as a life experience, not necessarily something to get through,” she said. The 87-hour program can be completed in three years if enrolled full-time year-round. Maureen usually took three classes a semester. For every hour of a class, triple that is expected in homework. Typically, Maureen studied 27 hours a week. The drive to school was “two hours and five minutes,” give or take.
Besides learning the Bible inside and out, seminary helped prepare Maureen how to be a minister.
“Phillips taught us how to define our borders,” if the demands of a congregation become overwhelming. “We learned the importance of setting limits, but understanding there will always be emergencies,” she said.
The curriculum included a course in administration and how to handle conflict. Knowing how to run a business is especially helpful in a small church, where staffs are typically small.
As for conflict management, well, there’s nothing that says the House of God is without differences of opinion.
Maureen also credits her 15 years in theater management as critical to her ability to defuse tempers.
“I handled disputes fairly often,” she said. “Life experiences help you become a good manager.”

IN 2007, she began performing “pulpit supply,” at area churches. In layman’s terms it’s like being a substitute teacher.
In 2010, she began pastoring in Neodesha on a regular basis. Yates Center took her on in 2012.
The Yates Center congregation has 45 members, of which 30 regularly attend. In Neodesha, the congregation has 15 members, of which 15 are regulars – “rain or shine.”
Besides preaching at both churches on Sunday mornings, Maureen has office hours on Tuesday in Yates Center. Her position is considered part-time.
Ordination services will be at 5 p.m. Sunday at Yates Center’s First Presbyterian Church.