Pastors Changed
Maybe the most dramatic change in the last 51 years for me has been the change in expectations from Pastors. When I started, a Pastor was a Shepherd, preaching, soul winning, marrying the young, burying the old, and carrying the sick. These were the reasons we entered the ministry. We wanted to care with all our being for the needs of people.
Then the role of the Pastor changed, from Shepherd to CEO. The church growth movement and other cultural expectations began to cause Pastors to need to be able to run organizations efficiently, and to make decisions quickly. We were expected to be able to handle staffs well, and lead them effectively.
I evolved into the CEO model, but never liked it. Only one staff member in all my 51 years of ministry ever called me "Boss"; I often asked him not to do that. At some point, being a Shepherd was not enough; I had to be the chief superintending officer of a bustling company. I know it is trite to say, but it is true that in my lifetime, churches tended to move from being organisms to being organizations. Good or bad? I don't know. That's just the way it is.
Ruth and I have said for years that someday we might like to return to a small church Pastorate, where we can again know everyone and care for them personally. We'll see what happens. The Lord's will be done.
Then the role of the Pastor changed, from Shepherd to CEO. The church growth movement and other cultural expectations began to cause Pastors to need to be able to run organizations efficiently, and to make decisions quickly. We were expected to be able to handle staffs well, and lead them effectively.
I evolved into the CEO model, but never liked it. Only one staff member in all my 51 years of ministry ever called me "Boss"; I often asked him not to do that. At some point, being a Shepherd was not enough; I had to be the chief superintending officer of a bustling company. I know it is trite to say, but it is true that in my lifetime, churches tended to move from being organisms to being organizations. Good or bad? I don't know. That's just the way it is.
Ruth and I have said for years that someday we might like to return to a small church Pastorate, where we can again know everyone and care for them personally. We'll see what happens. The Lord's will be done.