Fr. Paul Lundberg
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
Montgomery, AL
Biography
Fr. Paul Lundberg was raised in a bi-cultural household: his father an American Protestant and his mother Greek Orthodox.
During college, he decided to become Orthodox, after which he worked as a high school English teacher before going to seminary. Upon graduating from the seminary, he served as a layman in various ministry roles before his ordination to the diaconate in 2014 and the priesthood in 2015. He currently serves in a part-time capacity as a priest for the Greek Orthodox parish in Montgomery, Alabama, and as an administrator for a mission parish in Auburn, Alabama. Living in suburban Atlanta during the week, he divides the weekdays between working remotely for the Church (the pan-Orthodox Connect Conference for young adults and work for the parish, mission, and metropolis) and operating his executive coaching practice.
In your opinion, what makes a great homily?
A teacher at seminary once taught me that the three most important elements of one’s experience at Church on a Sunday morning were uplifting worship (music), a good homily, and warm fellowship. In the past, I spent much more time on homilies than I do now, trying to make them great works of oratorical art. I now view a homily as a single brush stroke on an impressionistic painting. If the homilist is reasonably diligent and the hearers attentive, they will see the big picture over time. I believe a great homily will inspire hearers to try doing something different or provide them with memorable insight. My homilies are published on the podcast “A Sojourner’s Sermons” and I welcome your responses to what you hear there.
What parish ministries do you personally enjoy facilitating and why?
Music: The Russian Orthodox novelist Dostoevsky once wrote that beauty will save the world. The conversion of his country centuries before followed upon the famous report of Prince Vladimir’s emissaries, who attested to the beauty they experienced during their visit to Constantinople. It’s easy to make faith abstract, a collection of ideas, but music opens us up, moves us emotionally, and humanly integrates our experience of worship.
Ministry leadership development: I’m fascinated by the challenge of leadership, which seems to be more art than science and very personal. Leadership development in the Church is an especially interesting challenge because the Lord gives us such a countercultural understanding of leadership as service, and because there are no external incentives (like sales commissions, for example) to motivate people. It’s also interesting because leadership is about change; in the context of Orthodox Christianity, which focuses on the preservation of our tradition, this requires great discernment and care.
What fictional character would you be best friends with in real life?
I think I’d enjoy being best friends with the host in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, who was the innkeeper who organized the tale-telling that comprises this great work of literature. I share his love of a good story and his appreciation of the variety of personalities in the world. I aspire to his generosity of spirit and fun-loving character!
If you had chosen a different path in life, what career would you have chosen?
A few years ago I became acquainted with the theory of personality known as the Enneagram. I’m a style 9, nicknamed the “peacemaker”. For this reason, it seems that a career in conflict resolution would have been a good choice for me had I not become a clergyman. Mediation and arbitration are great alternatives to guns and lawyers!
One of Fr. Paul ’s favorite recreational activities is skiing. Fr. Paul and his brother, Steve, have started an annual tradition of taking a trip each winter. This picture is from their trip two years ago to Snowshoe, West Virginia. They are looking forward to going to the Rocky Mountains next season for some real snow.