What do we expect of those who serve as spiritual leaders? I've had occasion to ponder this question in the past, and my recent trip to Russia has made me start thinking about that question again. To help set the stage for some of my thoughts, I want to try to re-create what I have heard called the "ideal" pastor before.
The ideal pastor: He's young, so that he can work with the youth, but he has to have at least 10 years of experience. He spends plenty of time working on his sermon so that everyone gets something out of it every Sunday without fail, but he also dedicates a significant amount of time to visiting every single person of the congregation at least twice a year. He is faithfully at every meeting of every group of the church, but also has a great family life and spends lots of time with his family. He is expected to be available anytime anyone simply wants to stop in his office or give him a call, but he should also be out in the community doing the work of outreach. He should be ministering to the needs of everyone in the congregation, but should also be pastoring a growing church and be at the forefront of all evangelism efforts. He should be present at every event, and always have a kind word for everyone. He should also be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the church, of doctrine, and yet able to teach these things in interesting ways.
I remember hearing that a few times growing up, and then when I was at school to become a pastor. That's when I realized why pastors and other spiritual leaders tend to burn out so much. Look at that list of expectations (often conveyed as "unwritten" rules). Even if the number of hours in a week were doubled, any man would have a difficult time living up to such expectations.
This is not to say that we shouldn't have high expectations of our pastors or spiritual leaders. I personally believe that they should be held to a very high standard. However, sometimes we can cross the line into the unreasonable, or we put expectations upon our spiritual leaders that are not so much in line with things spiritual, but with our own personal wants and desires.
One thing that struck me while in Russia was how many of these men are being trained to serve as spiritual leaders and pastors, and yet, are in the process of their studies to be pastors. Here in America, we do not typically have people go serve as a pastor until they have been properly trained in theology (and perhaps a few other things). But in Russia, that is a luxury that few are able to afford.
That made me think. Right now, in the church body that I am part of, new graduates are finding it difficult to get assignments. It's not because there is a shortage of need, but because congregations want the "ideal" pastor from above. They want someone who has experience rather than growing with the man as he grows into the position. More and more, this is becoming a greater challenge here in America. Other places, such as Russia, have created their system around that. They train men while they are serving, and that sounds different to us simply because our model just would not work for them.
In my church body, however, we are starting to realize that the cost of moving someone to a seminary for a four-year degree program, relocating them at least two times for a year of internship (called vicarage), and then moving them to a new location to serve is fairly prohibitive. I sometimes wonder how many men have chosen not to pursue this career for that reason alone. Training someone as he remains in a community, teaching him as he ministers, and allowing him and the congregation to grow together would seem to have some benefits.
Is either of these systems perfect? Hardly. Each has its pitfalls and downfalls. Some of these problems stem from the system, and some from the expectations placed upon spiritual leaders by the congregations. While I admit that I do not have many suggestions for an improved system, what I hope for, more than anything, is that you give some thought to your expectations of your spiritual leader or pastor. Are your expectations reasonable? Have you shared them with him? Have they been explained to him at some point? And if you find that some of these expectations are not reasonable, what can you do to begin the process of changing those expectations? A challenge? Yes. But I would see it as a very worthwhile challenge.
The ideal pastor: He's young, so that he can work with the youth, but he has to have at least 10 years of experience. He spends plenty of time working on his sermon so that everyone gets something out of it every Sunday without fail, but he also dedicates a significant amount of time to visiting every single person of the congregation at least twice a year. He is faithfully at every meeting of every group of the church, but also has a great family life and spends lots of time with his family. He is expected to be available anytime anyone simply wants to stop in his office or give him a call, but he should also be out in the community doing the work of outreach. He should be ministering to the needs of everyone in the congregation, but should also be pastoring a growing church and be at the forefront of all evangelism efforts. He should be present at every event, and always have a kind word for everyone. He should also be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the church, of doctrine, and yet able to teach these things in interesting ways.
I remember hearing that a few times growing up, and then when I was at school to become a pastor. That's when I realized why pastors and other spiritual leaders tend to burn out so much. Look at that list of expectations (often conveyed as "unwritten" rules). Even if the number of hours in a week were doubled, any man would have a difficult time living up to such expectations.
This is not to say that we shouldn't have high expectations of our pastors or spiritual leaders. I personally believe that they should be held to a very high standard. However, sometimes we can cross the line into the unreasonable, or we put expectations upon our spiritual leaders that are not so much in line with things spiritual, but with our own personal wants and desires.
One thing that struck me while in Russia was how many of these men are being trained to serve as spiritual leaders and pastors, and yet, are in the process of their studies to be pastors. Here in America, we do not typically have people go serve as a pastor until they have been properly trained in theology (and perhaps a few other things). But in Russia, that is a luxury that few are able to afford.
That made me think. Right now, in the church body that I am part of, new graduates are finding it difficult to get assignments. It's not because there is a shortage of need, but because congregations want the "ideal" pastor from above. They want someone who has experience rather than growing with the man as he grows into the position. More and more, this is becoming a greater challenge here in America. Other places, such as Russia, have created their system around that. They train men while they are serving, and that sounds different to us simply because our model just would not work for them.
In my church body, however, we are starting to realize that the cost of moving someone to a seminary for a four-year degree program, relocating them at least two times for a year of internship (called vicarage), and then moving them to a new location to serve is fairly prohibitive. I sometimes wonder how many men have chosen not to pursue this career for that reason alone. Training someone as he remains in a community, teaching him as he ministers, and allowing him and the congregation to grow together would seem to have some benefits.
Is either of these systems perfect? Hardly. Each has its pitfalls and downfalls. Some of these problems stem from the system, and some from the expectations placed upon spiritual leaders by the congregations. While I admit that I do not have many suggestions for an improved system, what I hope for, more than anything, is that you give some thought to your expectations of your spiritual leader or pastor. Are your expectations reasonable? Have you shared them with him? Have they been explained to him at some point? And if you find that some of these expectations are not reasonable, what can you do to begin the process of changing those expectations? A challenge? Yes. But I would see it as a very worthwhile challenge.
I imagine congregations would be more willing to grow with an inexperienced pastor if they already had a strong base of lay-leadership from the members. It seems like lots of congregations think of church as the activity on Sunday morning where they get spiritually fed. While true, they often expect the preaching pastor to be the one providing spiritual nourishment, which doesn't always have to be the case. It would probably help to have congregational leadership, not only in practical things like Sunday school and finances, but also in more 'spiritual' leadership roles, like evangelistic outreach or spiritual mentoring. Those are the 'scary' ones, but I think they are the ones that need strong leaders in order for a congregation to work well with a new pastor. Otherwise all the weight falls on him, like you said.
ReplyDeletePart of this probably has to do with a change in perspective, beginning to think of the Church as a group of people with a mission - on Sunday mornings and beyond! - that each person can contribute to instead of just a once-a-week activity. Part of it may also be encouraging members regarding those intimidating leadership roles. You might have evangelism training or attend a conference together.
Katie, I agree wholeheartedly. I wonder if more pastors don't work to create stronger leadership within the congregation simply because they are afraid that, in some way, it takes away their influence and power. I think there are a considerable number that like to be the one on whom everyone relies, but they don't want the responsibility of it. You have to be pretty secure with yourself to share influence and authority with others, and I don't know that most pastors feel that secure.
ReplyDeleteWhen you add that to the often unrealistic expectations that congregations have because they haven't been taught how to have that leadership and influence, you get a recipe for disaster, which seems to be where many congregations now are. In a way, you could say we pastors have brought it upon ourselves by not teaching leadership to those who are not pastors.
Thanks for the comments!