Where will smaller churches find pastors in the future?

Much has been written about the challenges smaller churches have in finding pastors. I've covered it several times over the years in this blog and have written about it in a couple of my books. It's a huge problem that is not going to be resolved easily unless these churches begin to change the way they think about calling a pastor. Trying to solve a modern problem by holding on to old ways of thinking and doing probably isn't going to work. Let's look at some options that are not only outside the box thinking but maybe beyond the box thinking.

1. Become more realistic about what the church wants from their pastor. I occasionally read online posts of churches seeking pastors. It's not uncommon to find a church of 50 people who want the pastor to preach twice on Sunday, lead a Bible study on Wednesday night, do all the visitation of members, be involved in the community, attend all committee and board meetings, and grow the church. They prefer a seminary graduate and are only able to pay at this time a total salary of $30,000 a year. These are churches that need someone to come in and do a reality check with them. Even if they find a pastor willing to accept these conditions it's highly likely they will be looking for another pastor within a couple of years. 
2. Consider calling a bivocational pastor. Although the number of bivocational pastors are growing across almost every denomination, there are still some churches unwilling to consider a bivocational person. We used to think that bivocational ministers were only for small, rural churches of 20-30 people, but we are now seeing churches of 100 calling bivocational pastors who are doing a great job.
3. Consider sharing a pastor with another church. The Methodists have been doing this for years. I once led a conference for UMC bivocational pastors in one district and preached in one of their churches. The pastor of this church served four churches. It can be done, but many churches won't even consider such an arrangement. It's time to put this option on the table.
4. Consider becoming a satellite of a larger church. I once proposed this to a church who was struggling to find a pastor. Under my proposal, they would not give up any of their independence as a church. They would have the pastor of the larger church preach by satellite into their church at the same time he was preaching in his church or they could opt to videotape his message to be played the following week. He would provide some leadership and visioning to the church, but their basic pastoral needs would be met by a trained lay person from within their congregation.
5. Consider calling a woman as pastor. I'm sure this will cost me some followers! If you are certain that it is theologically impossible for a woman to be a pastor, then ignore this option. Just be sure it is a theological position you are taking and not a cultural one. It bothers me that a handful of denominations are absolutely certain that a woman cannot pastor a church when so many conservative denominations have women pastors. If you automatically reject women as pastoral candidates for your church you have excluded a large percentage of your potential candidates.
6. Consider calling a retired minister. Just because there is snow on the roof doesn't mean there isn't still fire in the furnace. I realize most churches want younger pastors, but there are many older pastors who would enjoy serving in a small church, and they bring a wealth of experience and training that younger pastors don't have.
7. Consider calling someone from within your congregation and help them get the training they will need to be an effective minister. I've seen this work very well in a number of small churches. This training doesn't have to be a full seminary degree. There are some excellent online certificate programs that can provide quality training for lay people to fill this role. A number of denominations also offer such training for their lay leadership and bivocational ministers.
8. Consider merging with another church. This is my least favorite option although it is doable. When churches ask me about this option I suggest that for it to work well both churches need to sell their property and purchase or rent something new. Otherwise, the church that met in the building will always consider it THEIR church, and there will be a division between the two congregations that might never be resolved.

Here are some options a smaller church might consider as they seek new pastoral leadership. Reject the ones that you are sure won't work in your setting, but don't reject them too quickly without giving them serious consideration. Pastoral leadership is out there for the smaller church if you change the way you go about seeking those persons.