What is the favored automobile of the preacher? My brother drives a Toyota which costs as much as my car! I am ussed to seeing Chevys, Cadillacs and Lincolns...now I see Mercedes, Jags, BMWs, Lexus and even a Rolls or two! What happened to (my Father's)Oldsmobile! Personally, I drive a SUV......Let's have a few laughs! C'mom Bill and Denise, let me hear you!

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2002

Answers

Back in the day, preachers in the 'hood steered some serious wheels, e.g. "Deuce & Quarter", El Dorados even the ultimate "muscle car" a 'Vette. Now if I have to interpret these terms for the SUV generation y'all in some serious trouble. Now what was really interesting was the remarkable similarity in automobile preferences for inner city black preachers and pimps, hustlers and numbers runners. Somebody sang a song in the 70s with lyrics something like "Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scence with a gangster lean......." Despite such alleged "symbols of malfeasance", I don't recall, while growing up in Wash DC, racial profiling being as prevalent then as it is now. I Wonder why?? Just keepin' it real :-) QED

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2002

Ray thanks for bringing up the issue of cars for the pastor. I am proud to tell everyone on the board that I have a very expensive 2002 FOOT MOBILE! Let me list some of it's feature white new balances, complete with K-mart black socks. With my foot mobile I am able to make home visits. Seriously I do not know how to drive and I do not have a car. I walk everywhere, my town is still small enough I can get to people. In the winter when it is 20 below zero I walk. My daughter said when she was 15, "Mom I am tired of feeling like we are in an episode of little house on the prairie!" So she got her license and got a car. My daughter and I do ministry together so she drives us in her 1989 mazda hatchback. One last note when I was a child and my grandmother would take me to church in cleveland, ohio I remember the pastor asking for a collection for his car payment on his cadillac, we did that every sunday! For me as a pastor I know God will provide everything I need to full fill his call for me to spread the gospel message. God bless, oh ray thanks for offering to buy me a car, red is my favorite color!!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2002

Once again, I am going to date myself but believe me when I say I am not all that old. When my faher was pastoring the Bishiop moved pastors on a regular basis and one often found it to be completely on the other end of the State. I was very young when my father died but we always lived in the parsonage and walked almost every place we went, except when we rode on public transportation or were driven by a member of the church.

When I was old enough to drive, I like my friends asked my mother for a car. I am pleased to say that her decision was immediate and she said, "NO". She then told me that she would work for me to acquire a college degree and then I could always afford any form of transportation I desired to have. I truly thank God for her wisdom, for she was "right. On".

My church never owned a parsonage but Since the Discipline says that the church should provide the pastor with housing this arrangement was always made. My church also has a history of being assigned pastors who were students at Morris Brown. Back in the day, my grandparents had a room in their home, where the pastor could always stay. On the weekends when their school work was done they walked or rode the public transportation to a point where they were met by my grandfather in his Model T or Model A. On Sunday or early Monday morning they were driven back to the bus where they rode to Morris Brown. Just last year we retired a Presiding Elder who was once a pastor of my church. He often recounted how each Sunday he came the church was surrounded with Henry Ford's famous Model A.

In recent times the pastor has driven whatever the Lord, their jobs or the church allowed them to afford. I can never recall any of these being anything other than the standard American Family car.

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2002

If I recall, we may not see too many pastors driving Oldsmobiles in the future, as this division of GM is going the way of the Studebaker.

Grandpa Phillips, who pastored in Pittsburgh PA (Carrone Baptist) for 49 years, usually drove a Cadillac, often older, which he maintained meticulously. He also had to transport six children around. Grandpop Payne, who pastored Enon Baptist, Baltimore, for 53 years, drove (in my time) a ''56 mercury, '63 Cadillac, '66 Cadillac, and '76 Chevy. Uncle Porter, who pastored Humboldt Parkway Baptist (Buffalo) and Enon Baptist (Baltimore), drove compact station wagons and at one point, a Chevy Corvair. Uncle Channing, who pastored Lincoln Temple (Washington), drove station wagons, the easier to port his 5 children. Uncle Wendell, who pastored Heritage UCC (Baltimore) had a caddilac and a van, but preferred to get around on a Kawasaki 1200. Bishop John, when he pastored St. Paul Cambridge, drove an Oldsmobile Toronado. I believe he had a Jaguar when at Bethel Baltimore. My current pastor drives a Saturn during the week, but has a Lincoln for when the family is with her.

-- Anonymous, August 12, 2002