Church hopping

Normally when we think of church hopping we think of people who are always changing churches, but that is not the subject of this post. Today I want to talk about pastors who are always changing churches. These are the individuals who never completely unpack their boxes. Almost as soon as they move into a new parsonage they are looking to see what other churches (larger than the one they just starting serving) are open or about to become open. These individuals change churches every two or three years and sometimes more often than that. They would be quick to complain about church members who frequently move their membership but think nothing about seeking a new place to serve every 2-3 years. Of course, they can rationalize that by claiming that God has opened up a new place of service for them. I sometimes wonder if God is omniscient why He can't decide where these ministers should serve. I just can't see God changing His mind every 2-3 years!

This isn't to say there are not valid reasons why a minister will move to a new place of service. Actually, there are many valid reasons which we do not have time to discuss in this post. I'm talking about the ministers who consistently change churches always moving up the ladder to greater (?) places of service until they finally reach a church that is worthy of their labor. Let me make a couple of brief points to these ministers.

One, churches are growing tired of being abandoned every 2-3 years, and they are taking a careful look at resumes to see how long their prospective candidate stays at a church. When I work with a pastor search committee I encourage them to look hard at this. The best way to predict the future is by looking at the past. I tell them if a candidate has a history of changing churches every 2-3 years they will probably only stay at their church for that length of time. I see a growing number of churches automatically excluding candidates who can't seem to stay put for a time in any one church.

Two, many ministers will retire with 30 years in the ministry and realize they have not enjoyed a 30 year ministry. They had 10 three-year ministries, none of which really accomplished much of any great value. They didn't want to begin any new ministries when they first arrived at the church because they wanted to take time to know the people. By the time they knew the people they didn't want to start any new ministries because they knew they would soon be leaving. So, they did nothing that really made a difference in the life of the church or for the Kingdom of God. Anything good that did happen was almost by accident.

It takes time in one place to see lasting results. In most churches, the pastor doesn't even earn the right to lead the congregation until 3-5 years have passed, and in smaller churches the time frame may be 7-10 years. I want to encourage you to unpack your boxes, settle in to your place of service, and commit yourself to serving these people who have called to as their pastor. Stay there until you know God is calling you elsewhere. Such a commitment will lead to some of the most productive and enjoyable ministry you will ever experience.