1. A seminary graduate, eager to do well, finds himself ejected from a pastorate after two years. His next job: driving a milk truck.
The major conflict had been between him and a prominent layman who held a high denominational position, the de facto leader of the church. “It had to do with philosophy of ministry and openness to new ideas,” says the former pastor. “Younger families wanted some contemporary music, and he said my generation didn’t know what good music was.
“The conversation got to the point where he said I was the most stubborn person he had ever seen. I told him I thought he fit the description. ‘Well, you wouldn’t respect me if I weren’t,’ he said. I replied I hoped it was reciprocal.”
Other confrontations centered around whether this new congregation should have a full traditional program. The pastor was more interested in doing things to reach the community than in attending all the business sessions of the national conference. In fact, he had even left a district conference session early one Saturday afternoon to come home.
He attempted to resolve the conflict by talking about the differences, but later he said he knew his departure was inevitable. The lay leadership met in secret session, and the night before the pastor and his wife were to leave for vacation, the board requested their resignation.
The result was a gradual personality change in this pastor. He turned from a fun-loving person to being edgy and defensive. “If I felt my ideas or authority were resisted, I would react more quickly with forcefulness. I’m generally pretty easygoing and can roll with the punches, but that ability diminished as the tension and stress grew.”
Though this couple have confessed their hurt and bitterness to the Lord, there is still a trace of resentment because “our friends in leadership never stood beside us.” They have read Psalm 37 many times, trying to regain their confidence that God is sovereign and in control.
2. He was a young but highly successful pastor. At twenty-six he had assumed a church of two thousand members when the senior pastor became ill. He had prestige and growing influence in the denomination. By his own admission he was “out classed, with no experience and full of pride.”
His heady rise led to an extramarital affair with a deacon’s wife, which lasted two years. Although the evidence was circumstantial, it was enough, and the deacons asked him to resign. He denied the whole matter.
Panic struck him, for he knew he didn’t have any marketable job skills. All contacts led to “nothing available.” He had been given three months’ severance pay with three months to move from the parsonage, but he had five children.
In the nick of time an offer came from a small church in another state. Eager to vindicate himself, he accepted. He told no one about the past and hoped it was buried.
Fifteen months later, he stepped into the pulpit one Sunday morning and found a petition for his resignation signed by 350 people. He was shattered. With hindsight he says, “It was a group of carnal sheep with a carnal shepherd trying to run the church like a Rotary Club.”
Forty of the congregation asked him to be pastor of the new church they were forming. For six months he wrestled with the matter and thought of suicide. He had plummeted from a large, prestigious congregation to forty dissidents.
A spiritual catharsis came through a personal and dynamic encounter with the Holy Spirit. “I emerged from that a different creature. It was the greatest thing to happen to me and was the making of a minister. It freed me to be honest with my wife and my church.” That group of forty has now become twenty-five hundred.
3. It started out as a normal deacons’ meeting. Then someone cleared his throat and said, “Ah, pastor, while you were on vacation, some of us had a meeting. Some people are saying they are not getting fed spiritually. Our church finances are down, and our attendance isn’t what it should be. We feel some changes need to be made. Pastor, we-ah-feel we need a change in pastors. We would like for you to look for another church and be out of the parsonage in no more than three months.”
The pastor had been in the ministry more than twenty years. This was a church of 140 members. Some other churches in the area were experiencing rapid growth. The chairman of deacons was a former insurance agent, had served as interim pastor, and was also chairman of the finance and the building and grounds committees.
Although the church held a congregational form of government, the deacons never brought the issue to the congregation. The pastor contacted denominational officials, who offered their assistance, but the deacons rejected any outside influence as unnecessary
He had received some warning statements such as, “As soon as I get back on the deacon board, you’re gonna be gone.” The pastor had not taken the comments seriously, because the deacons had fired the previous pastor, causing much dissension in the church. “I didn’t think they’d do it again,” he says. But they did.
He still struggles with his damaged self-esteem. Anger and bitterness have caused him to want not only to leave the ministry but to cast the whole church aside. “I said, ‘Listen, God, my parents sacrificed to send me through college and seminary. I’ve worked hard to please and serve you. Is this the thanks I get? What are you doing? Why me?’ “
He sent his resume to the denominational leadership for a new placement. Friends tried to make some contacts. Nothing broke. Finally he turned to the secular field, which proved just as fruitless. “Every time the telephone rang, I jumped. I almost grabbed the mail from the postman. As the day of salary termination grew near, I lost interest in everything: the news, football, even food. I snapped at my wife. I felt sorry for myself.”
God graciously led him to another church where he and his wife are getting pieced together again as people and as God’s servants.
A Volatile Time
Literally hundreds of ministers of all denominations are currently going through the emotionally and spiritually wrenching experience of being fired. Some, it must be admitted, are being removed for sexual immorality, heresy, or financial transgression. Many others, however-a rising proportion-are being dumped for things called “incompetence” or “ineffectiveness.”
Common factors include:
1. Secret meetings by the ruling body.
2. A sense of betrayal. People the pastor has considered personal friends are party to the dismissal without attempting to sit down and talk as brothers in Christ.
3. No outside, impartial, third-party mediator to help the two sides understand each other. The prevailing idea is that the pastor is the most easily dispensed with, and if he is gone maybe the other problems will go away, too. (This appears to be a myth. More often than not, the church falters spiritually and numerically. Often one firing is prelude to another.)
4. Low self-esteem. Most pastors are self-critical and tend to demand more of themselves than they realistically should. Being fired only accentuates a negative trait.
A business editor who lost his job wrote in the July, 1979, issue of Folio, “The waiting is undoubtedly the most depressing part of any job hunt. After a while, you’ve exhausted what you usefully can do. So you sleep late, don’t shave, wander around the house and feel progressively more sorry for yourself. The odd jobs that you’ve never had time to do, you now have time for. But mysteriously, they still don’t get done! Each day of your unemployment, the old American work ethic nags you a little more as you realize you’re no longer a part of the economic mainstream. But each day, with enforced inactivity, your desire to work again gets progressively weaker.”
5. Panic. Pastors have little time to make a move they hadn’t expected. Bills have to be paid, housing found, food and clothing purchased. And few have resources to fall back on.
The current swell in pastoral firings is perhaps an unforeseen fallout from the renaissance of the laity we have seen in the last twenty-five years. I began my ministry in the late fifties, about the time we were discovering that lay people were more than ecclesiastical errand boys who ushered, gave money, and served on such “vital” groups as the centennial celebration committee.
Somehow the pastor’s place was devalued along the way, to the point that now we see pastors being sized up and judged almost as ruthlessly as plant superintendents and baseball managers. After all, the church needs to be businesslike-or does it? How does the drive to root out ineptness fit with the call to be a divine institution, indeed the family of God, with a God-ordained leadership? Should modern management be brought into the church en toto, or must it undergo some adjustments? These are questions for every pastor, lay leader, seminary professor, and denominational executive to ponder.
To Fire or Not to Fire
Modern church constitutions give the bishop, presbytery, congregation, or governing board the power to remove a pastor. When should they use it?
First, some Scripture. In the Old Testament, idolatry was punishable either with the death penalty or one of three forms of excommunication (being cut off, cursed, or separated from the nation). The same was true of contempt for Yahweh, sexual offenses (bestiality, adultery, incest, homosexuality-Lev. 20:10-18), violation of worship rituals such as Sabbath breaking, and social crimes (murder, an incorrigible child, kidnaping-Exod. 21:12-17).
In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul addresses the problem of incest and instructs the congregation to withdraw Christian fellowship from the offender. Beginning in verse 9, he broadens this discipline to include the professing Christian who is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, slanderer, drunkard, or swindler. Quoting Moses, Paul says such people are to be expelled.
On the basis of these passages, it is proper to dismiss a pastor for doctrinal deviations from orthodox Christianity as defined in official statements and creeds. Sexual immorality is also a proper cause, but such allegations, as in doctrinal matters, must be verified in writing by a minimum of two eyewitnesses (see 1 Tim. 5:19) to protect the pastor from a frame-up. Unethical behavior such as theft is another cause for dismissal.
However, those who are strong are exhorted always to seek to restore the weak (Gal. 6:1). When lay or ecclesiastical leadership confront a pastor, they should always keep the goal of redemption in view. God is not glorified by simply cutting a person off without providing opportunities for spiritual restoration. David’s confrontation by Nathan is the clearest illustration, for David kept his leadership in spite of his sins.
It is also proper to pursue a pastoral change-not really a “firing”-if the relationship is not working out. If congregation-wide dissatisfaction is evidenced by declining attendance or offerings or negative comments, the ruling authority needs to work sensitively with the pastor to obtain a relocation. More often than not, it is no one’s “fault.” It is only a mismatch, and the pastor should feel neither guilty nor a failure.
Members of a congregation should also remember God has given them direct access to lay their burdens before him. If more lay leadership prayed more, there would be fewer firings. God knows how to move his people!
A pastor should not be fired if he is in a political conflict with a wealthy or prestigious board member or group who feel they know more about churchmanship than the pastor. It is better for the church if the lay people resign, or even leave, than for the pastor to be forced out to coddle the power-oriented. Pastors should not be dismissed if the objective evidences of conversions, numerical growth, and enthusiasm indicate the blessing of God. Nor should a pastor be fired if he is faithful to the Scriptures in preaching.
As one pastor put it, “It is legitimate for a board member to feel a pastor’s ministry is over and to say so. It becomes wrong when all the person sees is the bad and gets together a group of allies who exert their power and authority. Dishonorable actions can cause a church to lose the blessing of God.”
Both the Old and New Testaments emphasize this concept. God specifically chose Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt into Canaan. That had to be the worst pastorate in history! First Corinthians 10:10 recounts the story, saying, “And do not grumble, as some of them did-and were killed by the destroying angel.” The Greek word for grumble is an onomatopoeia: gogguzo. Their griping sounded like low-sounding gongs all over the camp.
Korah, Dothan, and Abiram “became insolent and rose up against Moses” (Num. 16:1). Their argument sounds strangely contemporary: “The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Num. 16:3). Soon the ground split apart, swallowing the dissidents and their families, while fire from the Lord consumed their 250 supporters.
Though Saul had lost God’s blessing and was a poor leader, David refused to touch “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 26:9). Paul appointed church leaders and then wrote, “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live at peace with each other” (1 Thess. 5:12-13). He later had to be reminded of his own teaching when he called Ananias, the Jewish high priest, a “whitewashed wall” (Acts 23:4). He quickly recanted.
Keys to Prevention
How can pastors and churches avoid the trauma of a forced resignation?
Studies indicate that a pastor’s leadership will be tested within the first eighteen to twenty months. If he attempts to meet that challenge with defensiveness, determined to “win,” the war will ultimately be lost and the pastor will be looking elsewhere for a ministry.
Communication holds not only marriages but also churches together. Pastors need to work at building congregational trust in their integrity and leadership. They must also take the time to build personal relationships with lay leaders.
Actually, good communication begins during the call of the pastor by clarifying expectations. The pastor needs to be honest about strengths and weaknesses, philosophy and strategy of ministry, time usage, spouse’s role in the church, expectations of lay involvement, and other issues. For example, I have made my wife’s role clear to every board. I have also stated that I would not be doing a lot of counseling.
When I candidated at my present church, I asked for time to write.
Likewise, the lay leadership need to tell the pastor their views. If they don’t like or want contemporary music, they should say so. If they like or want contemporary music, they should say so. If they like applause, don’t like pink socks, or want the pastor to visit the hospitalized twice a week, they should make these things clear.
Once the pastor arrives, humility and transparency about thoughts, goals, and feelings go a long way toward preventing church conflicts. When the communication lines are broken, third-party mediation can be a source of help. A local church can bind itself to inviting an impartial panel of outsiders trained in conflict resolution should the need arise. Constitutions and bylaws can require such mediation before a pastor is dismissed.
Churches must exercise care not to elect to the controlling board more than one member of an extended family, or even a group of close friends. Networks exist in all churches, but when a power coalition develops, people can become intoxicated with their own sense of importance and power. This may require a bylaw provision to guide the nominating committee.
If You Must
When a ministry is not fruitful, and personal discussions with a pastor have not yielded the desired results, the leadership should sit down, spell out the continuing problem, and ask the pastor to relocate. Enough time must be allowed to find a new place of ministry or a new vocation. Up to one year should be given. The church isn’t going to fall apart. Rather, God will honor that kind of mature leadership. This is the point where the church should distinctively differ from the business world. It’s not employer-employee, it’s family. The church’s success is not predicated upon business acumen but upon the Lord of the church giving the increase.
If dismissal of the pastor becomes necessary, one church growth authority recommends that lay leaders consider stepping down as well. This may not always be practical, but it does eliminate self-aggrandizement by the laity.
Church people and denominational officers must free themselves from the fear of wealthy laymen who are spiritually immature and prone to use their clout. The church must reject that intimidation.
Pastors going through dismissal proceedings should seek counsel and encouragement from other colleagues within the denomination or outside. As one pastor said, “I found out how much other pastors care. I received moral and prayer support. We’re not as competitive and jealous as some might think.”
Since God has chosen to use adversity to produce maturity and character in those he calls, being fired can yield good fruit. One pastor clarified his desire to be in a country church. Another said his devotional life increased as he grew closer to God and to his wife-the only ones he had to talk with.
A third said that after it was over, he had come to feel a lot better about himself, discovering an area he needed to change. “I need to learn to be more objective about my ideas. When I feel I’m not being heard or am feeling threatened, my voice lowers, and I come across as angry. It appears I’ve lost my cool. I can see that in the discipline of my child as well.” To a fourth, his experiences led him to a new understanding of death to self, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Each of them said firing gave greater sensitivity to others’ suffering. As a result, each sought to extend love and encouragement. “I needed someone to reassure me that I was OK, that God loved me and I wasn’t a failure. I had no one-so now I try to do that for others. The period of struggle can have a happy ending. The Devil’s temptation is to doubt God and to seek revenge. We must be honest before God and go on.”
If you’re called by God to minister, you can’t just jump tracks to another career. You’re addicted. Preaching is fire in your bones that will not be extinguished. If you’re fired, with no place to go, it’s natural to question where God is and what’s wrong with his church. Maybe Moses felt that way as he listened to Korah rant. Jeremiah, while in the pit, had perhaps a few questions of his own as muck oozed between his toes. Regardless, both came to know God more intimately through their experiences, and pastors can do the same today.
But a few precautions by pastor and laity alike, linked with massive doses of thoughtfulness, can avoid the wrenching agony of the firing of a pastor.
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WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE FIRED
1. Evaluate your life for sin. Are there attitudes, actions, or neglect that need to be confessed to the leadership or even the congregation?
2. Reject the temptation to become bitter. It’s a poison that will only eat away the heart.
3. Draw close to God and receive the comfort and encouragement he provides. Read in the Psalms. Practice John 15 and Philippians 4:6-7.
4. If married, spend time conversing with your spouse. Give your children the facts, but protect them from your hostility. Assure them of God’s fairness and steadfast love.
5. Accept the counsel of colleagues both within your denomination and outside. It may be profitable to go through formal personal and vocational counseling. God may be directing you into another field of work. Don’t stay in the ministry just because you started there or because of family pressures.
6. Update your resume. Include personal data, education with major area, and a summary of work experiences, starting with the most recent. State the cause of leaving each job. In applying for secular work, a skilled consultant can help you identify your most marketable skills.
7. Don’t be too proud to register for government assistance. That’s one reason fellow believers are paying taxes.
8. Work on a constructive, joyful frame of mind. Philippians 4:8 outlines the thoughts to choose. Self-depreciation will only paralyze you and prevent creative thinking and action.
9. Wait patiently for the Lord to direct you. He is your shepherd. He loves you and has promised to meet your needs.
Roy Price is pastor of The Alliance Church, Paradise, California.
Copyright © 1983 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
