A danger in any “problem-solving” column is pat answers. Because of that, we hesitated to develop such a column. Yet often an “outsider” to a problem can cut through the fog with brief objectivity and fresh ideas.
So, for the next few issues we’ve decided to reserve this space to look at specific problems sent to us by you, the reader. (Questions should be addressed to Leadership Problems, 465 (Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60187. All inquiries will be kept confidential.) ‘
Ted Engstrom, William Enright, Ezra Earl Jones, and Haddon Robinson discussed the following letter. The response is based on their observations.
Q
I am very concerned that LEADERSHIP speak to smaller churches We have few financial resources or professional personnel to provide us with the help we need.
Just last Tuesday my board said I was wasting too much time doing non-pastoral things and not doing the essentials-primarily membership visitation. I know that in larger churches the pastor doesn’t have to worry about visitation. But in smaller churches the people expect it-almost demand it.
My problem isn’t one of time management; it’s a conflict of philosophies. I feel that if our church is to grow, I need to spend my time visiting local residents who haven’t attended and the new people in town (4,000 population). Visiting members should not be essential.
Will you address yourself to this?
A
This inquiry presents an excellent opportunity to turn what seems like a discouraging situation into an effective ministry strategy. First we need to look at what the heart of the problem might be.
The question of the pastor not doing “essential” things such as visitation is symptomatic of a larger, very common mindset. By nature, churches in smaller communities are closed to outsiders and often do not want to grow. People in smaller churches are comfortable and secure in knowing and understanding their relationships in the church. Their universe, with its unstated but welldefined borders, already contains the “essential” components. Outsiders are an unknown; they tend to upset the mix.
But this pastor is committed to numerical growth. His reasons may include a commitment to personal or corporate evangelism as a means of fulfilling the great commission, or an intense desire to build a successful ministry in a vocation where tangible results are often hard to measure. Unfortunately, almost all readily employed measuring devices for pastors relate somehow to size and growth. In this situation, numerical growth may mean bringing new people- outsiders-into an environment that isn’t ready to receive them. It’s ironic to note that in growing churches, five out of seven new members join because of a relationship with a friend or neighbor rather than because of a pastoral call.
Also, regardless of the size of the church, the unasked questions that often prevail in the mind of the lay person are: “How much does the pastor care about me? I know his name but does he know mine? Does he care about my problems and my family?”
Considerations about the great commission, community outreach, or numerical success become greatly overshadowed by these deep-seated personal concerns. It’s not surprising for the board of a small church, especially in a small town, to equate “essential” things with membership visitation. That may be the nice way to say it. The not-so-nice way is for the board to suggest that the pastor is paid a salary to care only for the needs of the members. As this pastor admits, the problem isn’t related to a lack of available time or time management; it’s a conflict of philosophies.
Ministers who are caught in this kind of problem usually respond in one of three ways. Many adopt a defensive posture as they prepare for a pulpit blitzkrieg, and build legacies of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and mistrust. Others turn to such non-threatening alternatives as service club involvement, community responsibilities, and general busy-work that will expand and fill their time.
But a third and more challenging approach-and it takes all the grace and creativity a minister can muster-is to turn the point of contention into a point of contact. Why not convert a church member’s expectation into a prime opportunity for ministry leadership?
It’s a basic principle of parish ministry that a pastor cannot do effective pastoral work unless he knows the people. And he cannot know the people unless he spends quality time with them. Since one of the most enviable benefits of small-church ministry is the opportunity to demonstrate personal concern for everyone in the church, wouldn’t a personal visit with individual members, especially board members, be the perfect time to talk about important matters? It’s been our observation that far too many pastoral calls seldom get beyond chitchat about the weather, the ballgame, someone’s illness or misfortune, and the mandatory closing prayer.
Pastoral visitation can be the perfect time to develop a common ground of understanding, interest, and motivation. In the comfort and security of a church member’s home, substantive questions can be asked such as:
A. Will you tell me about yourself? I want to know about you-not your job, your family, or your work at the church.
B. What is God doing in your life?
C. What do you want him to do?
D. How can the church help this to happen?
E. If you could choose to hear four or five sermons, what would they be?
F. Why are these subjects so important to you?
G. I have a dream for our church that I want to share with you. What is your dream for our church?
It’s a simple matter to expand this pastor-to-person interaction to the corporate level. Board members or lay leaders who have established a personal dialogue with the pastor will find it much easier to corporately wrestle with the pastor’s vision for a growing church.
Is there a better seedbed for lay discipleship? Can a better base be laid for the development of caring and outreach groups that will look after both the needs of the church and the needs of the community?
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