Benjiman Durfee, the newest pastor at Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls, “tried to ignore the call” to ministry for years, but his college job as director of music ministry at the First United Methodist Church in Westfield changed that.

A native of Freetown, Durfee has been passionate about music since childhood.

“I played the piano, accompanied my middle and high school choirs, and sang in district, all-state and all-eastern singing festivals,” he said. “I moved to western Massachusetts when I went to UMass Amherst, where I majored in music with a concentration in voice, focusing on choral music. I was a founding member and served on the board of Illumine Vocal Arts Ensemble and my love for music brought me through the doors of many churches.”

While still in high school, he became choir director of Central United Methodist Church in Middleborough. In college, he served as music director and administrative assistant of the Newman Catholic Center in Amherst, and the director of music ministry at Westfield’s First United Methodist Church. In 2016, Durfee also became the full-time administrative assistant for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Northampton while maintaining his music job in Westfield.

Answering the call

With the church always a part of Durfee’s life, the call to ministry “started to come early on.” Durfee’s grandfather was a Baptist minister who, alongside his wife, started the Dartmouth Bible Church in North Dartmouth, where Durfee was baptized.

“For many years, I tried to ignore the call but, as I became more involved at FUMC in Westfield, it became more and more apparent,” Durfee recounted. “Methodists have a rich history of lay preaching and before long, I found myself preaching several times a year. I started to form small group Bible studies, book groups and serve on committees. My involvement at church became so much more than a music job. I found that many years before I became a minister, I was already living out my call.”

Despite his strong call to ministry, “the idea of going to seminary always seemed elusive,” Durfee said.

“I had become established in western Massachusetts, and my finances and time didn’t seem aligned to make it possible,” he said. “However, I learned that the United Methodist Church has two pathways to pastoral ministry.”

The first is the traditional seminary route, in which one earns one’s master of divinity (M.Div.) and then pursues ordination as an elder. The second route is to obtain a ministry license by attending an intensive licensing program, being placed in a ministry context as a licensed local pastor, and then pursuing continuing education through the course of study or earning an M.Div.

Durfee chose the second option.

“As I’ve continued down this path and opportunities have opened, I’ve discerned that I would like to enter seminary and pursue ordination as an elder in the church. Virtual and remote learning have opened so many doors to allow seminary to be more affordable and accessible.”

Durfee has been hired at Trinity Church, a four-denominational (Episcopal, United Methodist, United Church of Christ and American Baptist) federated church. He works 30 hours per week, giving him time to pursue seminary studies.

“In the United Methodist Church, all pastoral appointments are set for one year at a time,” he said. “Of course, most ministers stay much longer than one year, and with Trinity, we’re blending denominational models. I was hired as Trinity’s ‘designated minister,’ which is a UCC term, generally indicating a desire for three to five years of ministry with an opportunity to assess and extend beyond that. Despite the confusing nature of blending our models and the technicality of contract language, I am hopeful that Trinity and I will be walking together in ministry for many years to come.”

Looking ahead

Durfee said one of the most concerning things to him when discussing Christianity in the United States is “seeing this kind of political cozying up with government.”

“That’s certainly concerning and a trend that’s continuing,” Durfee said. “I see the role of the church as being focused on what Jesus taught us to be focused on — raising up the poor, feeding the hungry, caring about all people, and not leaning into the interests of our political leaders.

“We have trends happening — there’s an increase of people that don’t identify with any particular faith and church attendance is declining — but I really think the future is one where we’re focused not on building our own empires, but on giving the church away, which is counter-intuitive, but that is what the future of the church is: returning to the original mission of Jesus, leaning into generosity and an abundance mindset. I think we see so much poverty and despair and suffering around the world, and I think everything we need is accessible to us. It’s about our learning to steward what we have, and to be generous and share the abundance.”

Durfee and his partner, Tyler Kapica, moved into the parsonage next door to the church with their two cats, Susie and Whitacre. Durfee said he was interested in Trinity Church in part because of its ecumenical nature.

“My whole life I’ve found myself on an ecumenical journey and, while I have my membership in the United Methodist Church, I feel that God has gifted me with an ecumenical spirit. I’m proud of the ecumenical and interfaith partnerships that we built in Westfield. It became a focus of my ministry and it’s something I believe makes communities stronger and safer.”

Another aspect of the church that resonates with Durfee is its garden.

“As a gardener, Trinity’s garden ministry — and Shelburne Falls’ Bridge of Flowers — seemed particularly suited to my interests and ministry focus. In Westfield, the highlight of my ministry was the creation and tending of our Sharing God’s Love Vegetable Garden. Everything we harvest from the garden is donated to the Westfield Food Pantry. It combines my love of gardening with my passion for food justice and creation care. Seeing Trinity’s garden ministry and outreach ministry through the free community meal assured me we would be a good match.”

The other big factor in Durfee’s call to Trinity Church regards the church’s community presence, not only through offering Sunday worship services but via its free Friday night community meals and free Clothes Closet distribution center at Cowell Gym. The church is also used as a preschool play space and Alcoholics Anonymous meeting place.

“When I went for my initial interview at Trinity, I saw the sign out front that read, ‘Came for the spirituality; stayed for the community.’ Building community and widening the circle of that community is a big part of my ministry. I was inspired when I learned more about how Trinity does its ministry collaboratively and how invested members are in becoming a resource for the community beyond its walls.”

Trinity Church services are held every Sunday at 10 a.m. Child care is provided. The service is also rebroadcast on Falls Cable during the week and available to view on Facebook, YouTube and the church website, trinityshelburnefalls.org.