I just read a terrifying article. Nothing wrong with the article. The content was dead on, and I knew it as soon as I saw it. You might want to read it, too, if you are a part of a church. If you are a pastor, you should read it and then share it with the people who hold you up when you feel like you are falling apart.
Ministry Best Practices: The Most Dangerous Jobs
They bring out some serious points. Ministers are quitting their jobs over the same things all across the country. Forty percent of us seem to be having issues with problem members at least once a month.
And the number one reason we leave ministry is the constant battle of convincing congregations that we aren’t crazy.
The #1 reason pastors leave the ministry is that church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.
But the real problem I see my colleagues facing has much more to do with the tasks we are sent to do and the support we rarely see to get those tasks done.
I took an informal poll consisting of myself as the sole respondent. The single question I asked myself was this: “How many of your friends used to be pastors in the United Methodist Church?”
The answer was a little frightening. I ran out of fingers to count on. As I reviewed the stories, I found myself wondering how many of them had been sent in to turn a church around, and were then abandoned when the church bristled at the notion of change.
When the issues are difficult, there’s a great deal of stress. Sometimes the easiest way to relieve the stress is to appoint the pastor elsewhere. But is that always the best way to resolve the issues? Sometimes, I wish that pastors were required to pitch their way out of a bad inning. Sometimes, I wish that church members were called into account for their bad behavior instead of moving the pastor to “protect” him or her.
Can a District Superintendent take care of the day-to-day work of the District and still manage a deteriorating conflict situation? Should they have to? I’m raising the call, again, for the formation of a team of volunteers to help resolve conflicts and arbitrate disagreements within local churches.
Granted, no pastor ever has the right to inflict harm upon a church. But when we do the task we were sent to do, someone is going to get their back up. And people can say and do horrible things when they are scared and stressed about changes as profound as a paradigm shift.
Do pastors make mistakes? Yes, we all do. Each year at the Memphis Annual Conference, my colleagues and I answer that we are blameless only because of God’s grace and help to live. I know we make mistakes all the time. We are human.
But there are limits to the ability of a human being to serve as the sole link between the local church and the expectations of the denomination.
When the expectations rise, I am committed to standing with the leaders I have called upon to make those changes. Pastors working in the current environment are asking, more loudly than ever, if they will have the same support from the Districts and Conferences they serve.
I will give you a call sometime. I think we could benefit from hearing each other’s stories.
Joey:
Good reposting. I found one of the comments worth posting for another look at things:
We are going to HAVE to do a much, much better job of spiritual direction and formation earlier in the process. There is no doubt that people who feel called by God ARE called to do something. But I think we have to be much more discerning with people who are entering pastoral ministry to be sure (a) they are indeed called to it, and (b) they know what they are getting into. We have not always done a good job with (a) and have done an even poorer job of doing (b).
We would do well to put more effort and money into clergy recruitment and development, and place fewer of our chips into the seminary experience. Educating poorly-formed discipleships and servants who may or may not be suited and effective in pastoral ministry is a horrible waste of time and money.
Bad html tags. Here’s the quote:
“90% ministry is completely different than they thought: I’d be more interested in what they thought it would look like
70% have a lower self-image: God called yo to lead, not be liked
40% are in conflict with a church member: how many of those conflicts are because of their own poor leadership and choices?
85% are tired of dealing with problem people: I really think 100% of us are
70% do not have a close friend: can only blame yourself for that
70% felt called into ministry before starting: NOT 100%?
After 3 years only 50% feel called: were you even called into full-time ministry at all?
My short skinny on this? Too many are entering full-time ministry with false assumptions, no calling, no gifting, and no passion to lead God’s people (especially when it’s not easy).”
Craig,
Thanks for posting. I knew you’d had a rough time at one point. I look forward to teaching and learning from the successes and mistakes we’ve made.
Your son is adorable. The “awwww” factor is off the charts on Facebook. 🙂
Grace and peace,
Joey
Sky,
You’re absolutely right. Many of the folks I thought of who are no longer in ministry had poor mentoring. Some had no interaction. Others had one mentor after another when their assigned clergy moved or just plain lost interest.
I’m hopeful that we can intervene in areas where folks are in over their heads. The Call to Action report that is due for presentation at General Conference will remove some of the guaranteed appointment obstacles — if approved. That will clear the way to help some folks into better lines of professional work.
But there’s also a deep and abiding need for pastors to be supported in the hard conversations about changing age-old traditions in favor of effective means of ministry.
I like your thinking on preventative efforts on the front end. Maybe we can stop folks from tumbling down the hill instead of parking the proverbial ambulance at the bottom where they land. Call on me if I can be of assistance.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Grace and peace,
Joey