To pastor or plant that is the question?
For some time now I have been mulling over in my mind the
concepts of church planting verses the idea of taking on an already existing
church. I do this because of the issues that arise from taking on an existing
church and the problems that inevitably arise from such a venture. Recently I
heard of a friend, who has handed in his notice at his church, he had been
there just over two years. He was leaving - so he has said, for personal
reasons. I don’t think he was leaving because he had not succeeded or had
failed in his vision and plans. Knowing the man as I do, I know he has
successfully planted and grown two other churches in his time in ministry and
handed them over to younger men who have taken them on to greater things.
In this blog then, I would like to look at the issues of
church placement, as I would put it, as opposed to church planting. This I will
discuss in my next blog, when I will look at the advantages of church planting.
As you will see I have a distinct bias towards church planting.
Church Placement.
Over the last six months or so I have looked at the
Christian jobs websites and looked carefully at the jobs that are advertised
for senior pastors to take up positions around the country. Only one advert in
the last six months has advertised for a senior leader. Some of the job
descriptions and application forms are very detailed and ask for a lot of
information. It is clear that the recruitment boards have sat down and thrashed
out the fine detail and understand clearly what they are looking for. Or have
they? In one such job description the recruiters were looking for a senior
pastor who would agree with the vision and mission of the church and work
closely with the leadership team, they were looking for a team player. In
another the recruiters were looking for a senior pastor who would see himself
as part of the board of elders. In the advertisement for the senior leader’s
position the recruiting board were looking for a leader with a proven track
record, who would lead their church into a new era of growth working closely with
the existing staff and leadership team, and at the same time being mindful of
the already close relationship that the team had with the small congregation.
The problem with
these adverts is that the recruiters have made up their minds as to what they
want, the person best fitting their
mould of what they want in a senior
pastor. Church placement therefore happens when a denomination places you in a
particular town or city church or when you are invited to take on an already
existing pastorate. The big questions then, are you suited to the job?
The answer is dependent on two things, what do you want and
how do you see yourself fitting the mould that has been given you to squeeze
into. If you want to keep the status quo and are happy merely just to pastor
your small flock. To work within the confines of the board or elders, not to
rock the boat and only make small incremental changes then so be it. However if
you have other ideas then you are asking for trouble.
The Honeymoon Period.
When a person takes on an existing church there is a six to
eight month honeymoon period. This is when you are getting to know your
congregation and they are getting to know you. More importantly the recruitment
board are watching to see if you meet their exacting standards. At the same
time the new pastor- if he has new ideas, is looking to see if he can implement
these ideas. Everybody appears happy- on the surface at least.
The honeymoon period is followed by the first year of this
marriage. For some this becomes a fruitful partnership between the senior
pastor, his leadership team and the congregation. For others this is when the
nightmares begin to take place. The senior pastor begins to see rumblings in
the leadership to changes that he wants to make, many thinking that these new
radical ideas could scupper the quiet tranquil peace that has existed in the
congregation for decades. These rumblings are at first almost invisible, but
are sensed rather than tangibly felt. A visit from head office follows; they
have had phone calls expressing concern. Conversations as to what you want to
accomplish are discussed. The leadership begin to feel that you are not doing
what they want, they are beginning to feel uncomfortable, and the senior pastor
begins to feel that he is being undermined. All this usually comes to a head
after about two years. The result is that within the next six months the senior
pastor ether buckles to demands and returns to the status quo or there is an
uneasy truce between him and the leadership team. The senior pastor looks for a
new position or the recruiting board reconvenes on the quiet and looks for ways
to get rid of the senior pastor.
What happened? Two different groups of people
had two different views on the position being offered. Like the swing in the
illustration.
In the ads on the Christian jobs websites, I mentioned
earlier, the one thing that stood out for me was that these recruiters did not
want a person who would think for himself. They were not looking for a person
who would lead and build the church, bring vision and something new and
contemporary and vibrant, but someone who was going to do things their way and
meet their view of what a pastor/ leader should be.
Here are my top tips for recruiting boards;
1 )
Do you want a pastor or do you want a leader?
There is a difference, pastoral work is to do with ministry and leadership is
to do with taking a church forward in its vision. The bigger a church grows the
less ministry work a senior leader does and the more leadership direction he
undertakes.
2)
If the average age of the congregation is over
50 years of age don’t get a 30 or 35 year old you will kill him. The older the
congregation the more staid in their ways. Get someone who is semi retired or
50 with no aspirations.
3)
If you want a younger person, then give them the
freedom to grow their own vision in their own way, let them see you as sounding
boards and wisdom, not brick walls and voices of disapproval.
4)
Don’t get someone straight out of Bible school.
5)
Be willing to step aside once the recruiting
process is complete; let the successful applicant grow in the role.
6)
Give the successful candidate the authority to
run the show; don’t keep putting obstacles in their way. If there is no sin (sexual,
fraud etc). Hand over the spiritual reins of the church. The board of trustees
are there to look after the legal entity that is the church.
Top tips to candidates applying for these roles;
1)
Find out as much as you can about the church
from other sources, not just the information given by the recruiting board.
2)
Get the demographics of the area, population,
other churches, schools etc. Taking over a church of 10 or 15 in a small
village with a population of 350 is not going to build you a church of 1500.
3)
If there has been a church split speak to people
who may know what has happened.
4)
Write down all the changes you would like to
introduce over the next two years. That way there are no surprises for the
board or congregation, they will know what is coming. These can always change.
People need to get used to the idea of change.
5)
Ask to look at the financials. If they are not a
generous church, you may have an uphill battle to get financial backing for expansion.
6)
Negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate, if God
wants you in that town there are other ways of building a church than taking
over another person’s problems. If they want you they will be willing to accept
your changes. Then again you could always Church Plant.
Hopefully the above tips will help people understand that
the right person needs to be in the right place at the right time. To the
recruiting boards I would say; remember its God’s church not yours, your views
may not be His views or your thoughts His thoughts. Your choice may be just
that, your choice and not His. To those looking to go into ministry, taking on
someone else’s church can either be incredibly rewarding or an absolute
nightmare that will scar you for life.
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