Having received news of several resignations from Baptist church pastors located in different parts of the state and in various sizes of congregations, I am beginning to wonder if there is some kind of flawed system or inhuman expectation for our pastors today.
I do want to qualify this essay by reminding the reader that I am not and have never been a pastor. I have also never served a church in any kind of full-time capacity, but instead have been a part-time minister of music throughout my strange career. This further means I have not had theological training and therefore tend to respond to church situations somewhat instinctively based on experience and common sense rather than having a solid academic foundation in the discipline of ministry or pastoring.
Yet in spite of my layman's view of the business or maybe because of it, I am quite concerned about several things related to pastors and churches expectations. What are the requirements for successful pastoral ministry? Are they too stringent to meet, or simply too vast to understand, or are the clientele too diverse to find any common ground? Maybe we congregation members are looking for a man, one who is called by God into the ministry and one we believe can do all things well, to have god-like qualities and superhuman strengths. Maybe the system itself is flawed and cannot be fixed without a paradigm shift in thinking or without some kind of acknowledgment that no person can do all the things that are expected from a pastor. It is actually absurd in many ways.
Let's think about it for a minute. A pastor is expected to preach the word, but not just preach the word but to do so with theological accuracy, an entertaining style, a particular length (preferably not too long), to make the sermon both Biblical and relevant to our times. Sermons are to be corporately universal but also individually gainful including the latest well-researched psychology that parallels rather than repels scriptural proof. All these and more make for a perception of preaching excellence by the typical congregation member. Yet this is but a small drop in a large bucket of the expectations of a pastor.
Other responsibilities include all forms of counseling, ministering to the sick, the elderly, the impoverished, the downcast, the young, the lost, the saved, and, truthfully, the list never ends for those who need a minister. But what about the building itself? and the staff? and the money? Shouldn't the pastor administrate all these things, ensuring everything runs smoothly, with money left over, and all staff contented in all situations? Of course everything the pastor does is supposed to result in growth in numbers as well as baptisms. In addition he should navigate through committees, deacons, ministries, mission work, and visitors, making sure he communicates fully and openly, seeking consensus from all constituents but remaining strong when tough decisions need to be made.
The contradictions are wildly ironic and almost laughable, in a Faulknerian paradoxical way, when examined deliberately with subsequent application. He should be professional but compassionate, transparent but flawless, brilliant but approachable, sacrificial but healthy, serious with a sense of humor, popular but introspective, youthful and mature, idealistic but pragmatic, patient but firm, concrete in beliefs but open to ideas, and business-minded but a humanitarian. In other words, today's pastor should be all things to all people without sacrificing his firm religious and spiritual convictions.
Does such a person exist? Not on this earth! Yet is it possible to teach a church to recognize the difficult task and support a pastor as he leads a church in the ultimate purpose: to glorify God and enjoy him forever? I believe the answer is yes. It certainly is a challenge, however, in today's complex world and the challenge can only be met through acceptance of God's truth, recognition of man's flaws, commitment to a greater purpose, and mostly an unswerving and comprehensive adherence to loving each other. Ministers must remain true to their calling and churches must find ways to love and support their ministers. It can happen and has happened. We, the church, must find a way for it to happen again.
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