Today we continue looking at some of the common complaints that we often hear from smaller churches. The original post that listed these various complaints can be found here. One of the problems with this particular complaint is that it is often true. It can be very hard to find good pastors to serve a smaller church.
Studies have pointed out that many pastors refuse to serve a smaller church for a variety of reasons. The salary and benefits they can expect to receive are part of the problem. If an individual has graduated from seminary with $50,000.00 in student debt, possibly has other debts, and is trying to raise a family it is very difficult to try to serve a church that wants to pay $30,000.00 a year with no benefits. Of course, one way around that is for the pastor to be bivocational, but not every pastor feels called to that type of ministry. More than one pastor has told me that he (I've never heard this from a female pastor.) would be willing to be bivocational but doesn't know what else he would do. He doesn't feel he is trained to do anything but pastor. I would add here that many pastors better begin to find other things they can do or seek training for other occupations because they are going to find that more and more churches are going to be looking for bivocational ministers in the future, and if ministry is the only thing they can do they may find it will be increasingly more difficult for them to find a church to serve. However, finances are only part of the reason some smaller churches find it difficult to find pastors.
It has been noted that many who now attend seminary came out of larger, suburban churches and expect to return to those types of churches when they graduate. Many of these will not be interested in even talking to smaller, rural or inner city churches. We could ask a question about God's call on a person's life and wonder why these pastors do not consider that God might be calling them to such a church, but the reality is that many ministers tend to have a very narrow view of what God might call them to do in ministry. Perhaps that's not a bad thing sometimes. Pastors sometimes get into trouble when they attempt to serve a church from an entirely different culture than they are used to. It can be very easy to violate norms when one doesn't understand the culture in which one is living and serving. Such pastors may find that after a year or so in such a church either they or their spouse and family develop culture shock and want to return to what is more familiar to them. I knew a pastor several years ago who was finishing his doctoral work and pastoring a rural church. He wanted to remain at that church at least one year after graduating to devote himself to the church full time as a way to repay the church for being away so much with his studies. His wife told him that after his graduation she was moving back closer to her home on the other side of the country, and he was welcome to go with her or remain with that church. She was tired of being away from family and living in what was a strange culture to her. He went with his wife, and the smaller church once again began looking for a pastor.
Many seminary students and graduates are now second-career people who recognize they only have a limited number of years they can devote to ministry. I get several calls each year from persons who plan to take early retirement in a few years and want to know how they can prepare themselves for ministry when they retire. We discuss seminary, and a few have taken my advice and began their seminary education. Some of these individuals have already graduated. Assuming they will enjoy perhaps ten years of pastoral ministry after they retire from their other job, they must decide where they will spend those ministry years. Many will look for a larger place of service believing they will make the greatest impact there with the years they have available.
Another reason some reject serving in smaller churches is because of the negative view some people have towards such churches. Many view smaller churches as unhealthy churches that are resistant to change, have a history of conflict, are dominated by one or two families who make all the decisions, unfriendly to outsiders, and difficult to pastor. If that is one's view on smaller churches it makes sense that he or she would not want to serve there. While this will describe some smaller churches, it also will describe some larger churches as well. And, it certainly does not describe all smaller churches. While I've never known any church to be without problems, I have known many smaller churches that are very healthy and are great places to serve as a pastor.
Of course, there are other reasons that some might give. Regardless of the reasons given, it is a fact that many ministers will not serve in a smaller church. However, that does not mean that those churches cannot find good pastors to serve them.
We must remember that none of this has caught God by surprise. He will not suddenly look down from heaven one day and be shocked at the number of ministers who won't serve a smaller church! I am convinced that God has consistently been preparing men and women to serve in these churches. What those churches and denominational leaders like myself have to do is become better at helping people identify such a call of God on their lives. For those who lack formal training we need to find better ways to help them get the theological and ministerial training they need to be effective ministers in these churches. The third step is to help such persons get matched up with a church in which they can use their spiritual gifts and training so that both the church and the minister enjoys a successful ministry together.
The one thing small churches must do when they begin looking for new pastoral leadership is to be patient. Some of these churches cannot stand to be without a pastor and will take almost anyone with a pulse. I tell every pastor search committee with which I work that their church is better off not having a pastor than to have the wrong pastor. If you are part of a denomination you need to work closely with the leadership of that denomination. If you are an independent church then you should work closely with a nearby seminary placement office. You probably do not want to call someone to be your pastor who is the grandson of a friend of a church member's uncle's second cousin. There is a high probability this will not work out well for your church. Take your time. Put together a good plan to search for the best person you can find. Conduct several interviews. Listen to more than one sermon. Find out his or her theology and doctrinal beliefs. Check every reference, and if the person will not provide references end all further discussions with that individual. Ask the references if there are other people you can contact about your candidate. Get his or her permission to run a background check and do so. Did I mention take your time?
It may be difficult for a small church to find a good pastor, but it is not impossible. And when you get a good pastor, find ways to keep him or her for a long time.
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