Our church has had three pastors in five years. Each was younger than most members. Each arrived with a “vision for the church,” tried to implement that vision, met resistance and then backlash, and eventually left. What advice can you give our church—and its next pastor?
I would dare to guess as to some of the conversations among your various search committees. At some point, someone said, “We need a leader with vision.” Or, “We can be a good church; we just need a pastor who will inspire us to do something.” In those well-intentioned but rather vague comments, you were hoping for a catalyst to move the church forward.
Here is my next guess. You have hired a young pastor fresh from school, and he has visions of growing a great and glorious church. Your new pastor has looked toward and listened to the great church-growth voices of our time tell him how make his mark on the ecclesiastical world. Your new pastor walked into your church, and he saw the need for a new building. He drove through your town and saw multitudes you were unable to reach. He listened to your worship music and saw the need to turn off the organ and install a set of drums. He saw a budget shortfall and deduced a lack of commitment.
The church’s comments about vision and moving forward may have spoken to missions or children’s ministry, just to name two examples. The pastor’s vision involved the list of must do’s from the latest church-growth seminar that led to a complete makeover.
I would offer two suggestions. To the church, I would say as you are searching for a new pastor, the church and the committee need to ask: “Who are we and what do we want to be? Do we want to be a neighborhood church, a regional church? Do we want the focus of our church ministry to be: Children? Senior adults? Global missions? Contemporary worship?” By the leadership of the Holy Spirit, examine the gifts in your church and share that vision with your new pastor.
The second suggestion is to your new pastor. The first words out of any new pastor’s mouth should be: “How can I help? How can I help you in Sunday school, in worship, in ministry?” That communicates to the church this pastor is seeking to understand you and be one of you. “How can I help?” communicates humility on the part of the pastor. The temptation of every new pastor is to whip things into shape as quickly as possible. “How can I help?” communicates, “I do not have a vision for a church I do not yet fully know.”
Vision and ministry comprise a shared experience between the church and its pastor. As a church, know who you are and look for the pastor who is going to get to know you before casting a vision.
Stacy Conner, pastor
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First Baptist Church
Muleshoe, Texas
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