Celebrating a job well done.

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2026 Blog #11

April 13, 2026

Celebrating a job well done.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the retirement of the police chief here in the town of Glen Rock, NJ. I haven’t lived in Glen Rock very long and this chief is the only chief that I have known. Church members of the Community Church of Glen Rock who have lived here longer were able to tell me more about Chief Dean Ackerman, our now, former chief.

People tell me that he has served on the Glen Rock police department for forty years. That is amazing dedication and loyalty. In our culture, such loyalty is very rare. As I use myself as an example, I have been an ordained minister for almost forty-two years, but I have worked in four different settings. I envy Chief Ackerman for his ability to be so steadfast in having such longevity in one place.

Other folks in town told me that since he was a beat cop, he was always “fair.” This, too, is something that is often lacking in our culture. We have all watched deplorable displays from political candidates as they unfairly slander one another. Other people, based on race or gender, treat some people unfairly. Chief Ackerman, it was said, treated everyone fairly.

One older friend of mine told me that Chief Ackerman remembered what his job was. He was here to administrate the police department and to keep citizens safe. Over the years of my life, I have seen people who get distracted in their jobs and forget the task for which they have been hired. In such cases, these people don’t “stay in their lane,” and get involved with other projects to the neglect of what they have been hired to do. I’m told that the chief always remembered what his job was and he did it all the time, staying “in his lane.”

Chief Ackerman, who has been chief for ten years, has spent the last several years working on a succession plan. Captain Michael Trover, who has now become the new chief, worked with Dean to learn the job. Not many of us, or the organizations that we work for, are farsighted enough to have good succession plans. Dean cared enough about Glen Rock and the department to make sure that Captain Trover was ready to take over before he retired from being chief. Many folks think only about themselves. Chief Ackerman cared for the department and the town knowing that these were more important than any one individual. 

Chief Ackerman deserves a fun and peaceful retirement. He has done his job well. I hope that all of us do our jobs well. May we be dedicated in our jobs. May we be fair to all people that we meet in our jobs. I hope that we remember what our jobs are and not be confused and distracted. I hope that we will know that our jobs won’t last forever. Someday we shall move on, and it is good if we prepare our successors for the benefit of the companies that we work for.

I suggest that no matter what work we do, let us do it well so that we may bless those we serve and glorify God through our work. Also, let us show proper appreciation to those who serve us through their work. How often do we thank others for their efforts?

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