Is the pastorate getting harder? How would you answer that question? From your perspective, is being a church leader more difficult, more demanding, than it was ten, twenty, or thirty years ago?
I’ve been asking pastors, denominational leaders, and church consultants that question, and the answers often erupt like a geyser. “Yes! You wouldn’t believe what it’s like now. … “
Add to the anecdotal evidence of board wars, dysfunctional people, and budget strains some sobering statistics. The Southern Baptist Convention monitored the number of pastors who were fired during an 18-month period in 1988 and 1989. A full 2,100 ministers were dismissed, a dramatic 31 percent jump from five years earlier. A similar increase has occurred in the Christian Reformed Church and other denominations that log such numbers.
A spate of books have sounded an alarm, including Pastors at Risk by H.B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman, and Today’s Pastors by George Barna. The dour state of affairs has generated articles in numerous periodicals, including The Christian Century, Ministry Today (a Leadership-like journal from Britain), and The Banner, which notes, “Church members today have less to offer at church, yet greater emotional and spiritual needs than ever before.”
Is there any good news?
I have prayerfully thought about this and scanned the church horizon, and I say yes. I see several encouraging signs, and I’ll name two. Surprisingly, the pressures of ministry today have helped bring them about.
First, when the water’s rough, you need all hands on deck, and many churches increasingly use a team approach, even in areas long considered the pastor’s sole responsibility. I know several congregations in which preaching duties are shared, so the senior minister doesn’t carry the entire burden of preparation. In my own church, lay people preach half the time on Wednesday evening and perhaps 10 percent of the Sunday morning services. Other pastors have shared their load in visiting the sick, coordinating weddings, even leading long-range planning. We’re rediscovering the Reformation’s call for the priesthood of all believers.
Second, the thorny conflicts among God’s people have driven many pastors to their knees (just as they did Moses, David, and Paul), and there leaders are meeting God. I talk often with pastors who have chosen to become better rather than bitter; they have learned that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Ps. 34). Across denominations, there is an upsurge of interest in prayer and Experiencing God, as one popular book is titled. This month I’ll be joining a “senior ministers’ spirituality forum,” a first for the group sponsoring it. This issue, in fact, is devoted to “Intimacy with God” to encourage efforts such as these.
In the face of significant challenges for church leaders, all of us at Leadership stand committed to the following: (1) We will closely monitor the state of ministry and provide honest, practical information (for example, the list of pastoral support centers on page 96). (2) We will be part of finding and disseminating biblical and workable solutions. (3) We will continue to pray for God to strengthen leaders and enliven the church.
Kevin A. Miller is editor of Leadership.
Copyright (c) 1994 Christianity Today, Inc./LEADERSHIP Journal
Copyright © 1994 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
