There seems to be a perception in church life that basically
a pastor will succeed or fail independent of what a congregation does or does
not do. It is almost as though he swoons
into a church at the call of the people and either works wonders or he does not
and is considered to be a failure. First
of all, the ways we usually measure success and failure in a ministry are
totally bogus and are rooted in the business model which has totally captured
our understanding of what is, and what is not deemed “success.” The business model looks for full buildings,
full treasuries, and satisfied customers.
This perception is only bolstered by the advent of the mega-church. It is perceived that every church in America
is either (a) a mega-church or (b) a mega-church want-a-be. I hardly believe that is actually the case.
Let me let
you in on a little secret. A pastor’s
level of external success at a church
is directly related to the degree by which he can motivate the congregation to
do the work of ministry. There is a sense
in which if he cannot get people to attend, give, serve, disciple, worship,
etc. then he has failed; providing that he makes the case that doing these
things are of necessity. There is also a
sense that, as far as how God measures success, if he tells his people the
truth and does so in a loving and caring manner then he is a success. I heard once of a track coach who had highly
successful track teams, going to state and competing on a very high level. Interestingly enough the coach of this team
was confined to a wheelchair. His
success came not in his ability to run himself, or participate in the field
events, but in his ability to motivate and teach the fundamentals of track and
field. A pastor is in a somewhat similar
position. The pastor is handicapped in
that he cannot go into your office and invite people to church, but you are in
the position to do so. He cannot go into
the classrooms at your school, but you can.
He can hardly go up and down the streets of your neighborhood, but you
can cultivate those relationships with your neighbors. He can hardly go to your family reunion and
share Christ, but you can. He can hardly
bear witness among the parents of your son’s baseball team but you can.
When you
fail to bear witness for Christ and invite people to church, the pastor’s perceived
success at a church is hindered. When
you never quite get around to sharing or ministering the whole body suffers and
is less that it has the potential to be.
When you fail to give of your financial means, the whole body suffers
and it is often the pastor who gets the blame for the tight budget.
The pastor
has to wear a great many hats as he leads your church, some of which are night
and day different than the other ones.
Think about it – a pastor is expected to be the most kind, helpful, and
sympathetic individual in the church when there is a need, yet turn around and
be like Jesus cleansing the temple the next minute when that sort of response
is called for. He is expected to explain
the plan of salvation and baptism to a 6 year old with clarity then turn around
and explain it to the self-proclaimed atheist with a PhD from U. Cal.
Berkley! He is expected to delivery the
fruits of a week of in-depth study from the pulpit on Sunday morning, yet have
ministered faithfully all week, done counseling, visit the hospitals, talk with
those who dropped by, and drop everything and talk on the phone when someone
calls. He is expected to have wonderful
daily quiet times, spend hours each week in prayer, read the latest books, be
on top of current events, be a model husband and father, attend community
events, take calls anytime day or night, and be available for lunch or coffee
at a moment’s notice. In order to help your pastor succeed you must be able to
understand his world a little bit better.
You need to
ask and answer the question – “What can I do to help?” Over 22 years of pastoral ministry, spanning 6
churches, I have done all of the following, many of these multiple times. See if you can pick out anything on the list
you could do to give the pastor more time to do other things he desperately
needs to do: prepared sermons, prepared lessons, wrote a weblog, wrote and compiled the church newsletter, prepared
PowerPoint presentations, done marital counseling, led persons to Christ,
engaged in discipleship, wrote letters and postcards, visited the hospital,
prayed with someone, met with salespersons, ran errands, picked up office
supplies, taken out the trash, wiped off tables, done the dishes, vacuumed the
carpet, interior and exterior painting, mowed the lawn, watered flowers, swept
tile floors, cleaned out closets, patched a leaky room, trimmed trees, planted
flowers and shrubbery, watered flowers and shrubbery, laid tile, sharpened
lawnmower blades, changed the oil in the lawnmower, hung drywall, fixed running
toilets, cleaned out the refrigerator, repaired guttering, spot treated carpet
stains, hung doors, led the singing, taken and accompanied youth on outings,
taken youth to camp, prepared meals for those in need, given money, changed
light bulbs, gone on mission trips, helped persons move, invited people to
church, cleaned out the oven, stained and varnished woodwork, built shelves,
replaced wall switches and outlets, replaced faucets, spread gravel, removed
fence posts, built retaining walls with railroad ties, helped with benevolence
needs, washed windows, cleaned up water damage with a shop vac, laundered
towels used in baptisms, filled baptistery, unloaded dumpsters to lighten the
weight, unlocked the doors for repairmen, cleaned toilets, mopped floors, watched
children, installed playground equipment, cleaned out fence rows, picked up
trash in the yard and in the building, set toilets, removed stumps, changed the
church sign, took van in for repairs, stacked chairs and tables, moved
furniture, made copies, recruited volunteers, poured cement, stuffed envelopes,
addressed envelopes, did strategic planning for the church, performed funerals,
ministered to the bereaved, answered the phone, etc., etc., etc. Do you get the picture? The vast majority of the things that any
pastor often finds himself having to do, could be done by others as the shared
responsibility of the church body. Is
there anything on the above list that you might be able to do?
Perhaps your
greatest contribution is in helping with the little things that will help allow
the pastor to devote more time to study and prayer. The very reason deacons were chosen in the
early church was so that the leaders of the church could devote more time to
prayer and the ministry of the Word. The
church of Jesus Christ is best served when the body functions as our Lord
intended and we all do our part. There
is not only a job, but a true ministry for every person in the local
church. Some do much while some do
little. Whatever we do, let us do it
mightily as unto the Lord!
In Christ
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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