A number of years ago a church went through another major conflict. Denominational people had to be called in to resolve the conflict. When things returned somewhat to normal one of the deacons addressed the congregation and stated, "We can never do this again."
One of the reasons for the problems this church had was they had a series of short-term student pastors from a nearby seminary. These pastors seldom stayed longer than 2-3 years which meant they were never leaders in the church. The real leaders came from the four primary families who made up the majority of that church. A member of each family had to be represented on every board and committee in the church. Unfortunately, these families were often at odds with one another. Sometimes there was turmoil within a family which also spilled out into the church. The pastors were helpless to address any of this and could only watch, and run, when conflicts rose up. To say the church was unhealthy would be an understatement.
The church finally called a pastor who was not a student. He accepted the role of full time pastor of the church. He was able to build relationships with each of the families. The people liked him and trusted him. More importantly, he stayed and eventually became the leader of the church. Each of the families were still actively involved in the church, but with a long-term pastor there was no longer a leadership void to fill. When problems occurred, as they will in any church, they were able to work through them because of the influence of their pastor. He has now served this church for over 30 years, and it is a much healthier church with a good ministry.
George Barna reported years ago that it takes a pastor between 3-11 years to develop an effective ministry in a church. I've stated elsewhere that it took me seven years in my church. It also had a revolving-door of student pastors who stayed for an average of 12 months. There was a huge leadership void in the church which resulted in many problems. After my 7th year as pastor, it began a significant turn-around and begin to enjoy a much more effective ministry.
Pastors are called to lead churches, but, except in the larger churches, they are not going to be given the authority to lead until the congregation knows they can be trusted. A congregation must first know their pastor loves them, and, secondly, that they can be trusted. Depending on a number of factors, that can happen within a short period of time or a much longer period of time. I can tell you that once a pastor crosses that trust threshold, ministry become much more enjoyable.
The problem is that pastors today stay at a church for an average of only four years. That number can fluctuate a little according to whose studies you read. But, if Barna's findings are correct that means that most pastors never stay long enough to earn the trust they need to lead the church. The pastor moves on, usually to a larger church, and the church is left wondering what is wrong with them that no one wants to stay and lead them.
I can hear someone now saying that some churches won't let a pastor lead, and I agree with that. There are a lot of toxic churches out there that do not deserve a pastor. When I served as a resource minister in our denomination there were a couple of churches in my area that I refused to help find a new pastor. I told them I would work with them to become a healthier church, but I would not sacrifice another good pastor on the altar of their dysfunction. Neither of them took me up on my offer to help them become healthier.
While there are toxic churches out there, there are also a lot of good churches truly seeking someone to come and love them and lead them. Once you earn their trust, you will be amazed at how they will allow you to lead them into the next phase of ministry. Yes, you can go to a larger church that someone else has grown, or you can have the satisfaction of seeing the church you now serve grow to become a larger church.
One of the mantras I've adopted in life is "It's always too soon to quit." I apply this to everything I do. I encourage you to consider this as you consider your next phase of ministry.
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