It almost seems to be a pattern for some churches. In fact, it is. Every pastor stays only a short time, and nobody seems able to change the way things have been. Short pastorates seldom lead to increased church health and church growth, though, so this issue matters. Here are some reasons this pattern happens:
- The church doesn’t do a good job with the pastor search process. Sometimes, they simply choose somebody they know without really doing vetting. At other times, they pick pastors they don’t really know because their process gives them too little time with prospects. Sometimes they rush the process, and sometimes they take so long they decide to settle for whomever they can get. Then, they don’t improve the process the next time around.
- They don’t really cover the process in prayer. When they do pray, it’s perfunctory. That’s what they’re supposed to do. They don’t truly fall on their faces and seek the leading of the Spirit of God. They then wonder why the process seldom seems to work.
- The congregation isn’t willing to deal with power groups who bully their way to maintain their control. In fact, this may be the number one reason I’ve seen for this problem. Everybody’s tired of the bullies, but nobody has the energy left to stand against them – so they perceive they should continually step into any leadership vacuum. The cycle then continues when they run off the next pastor.
- The search team doesn’t check references—or perhaps worse, they ignore what they learn if it’s negative. As a reference for folks I know, I’m surprised by how often I never hear from a search team considering a pastor. I realize only “positive” references are typically on a resume, but it still matters to do the checking.
- Frankly, too many pastors are not inclined to settle down and stick it out in one place. Even when they know positive tenure contributes to church health, they still get antsy after a couple of years in one place. They always see greener grass somewhere—and they don’t help with this problem.
- Those lay leaders who might help with the problem eventually give up themselves. There are enough good churches around to find a place where the turnover is less frequent, the pastor/congregation relationships are stronger, and the vision is much clearer. I understand why strong laity may gravitate in those directions.
- In some cases, the devil seems to have a stronghold in pulling down leaders of the church. One after another falls in some way. There could be a number of reasons for this issue, but we ignore the reality of spiritual warfare as a cause at our own peril.
- After a while, the church just assumes every pastor will stay only short-term. It’s all they’ve known for some time, so they expect nothing different. At the same time, though, they don’t fully believe their pastor will be there long term, so they don’t get on board with his vision and potential changes—and the frustrated pastor looks elsewhere. The problem continues.
If you have been – or are – in one of these churches, what causes do you see?
I was an interim pastor in two churches after serving 40 years in churches (the last two for 13 and then 11 years). What I saw as a contributing factor in one church’s short-term pastorate was their unwillingness to come to terms with their real history.
There are many who are attributed with this quote but Winston Churchill’s version is quite apropos. In a 1948 speech to the House of Commons (Germany surrendered in July 1945,) Churchill said, “For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by all Parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that history.” The first of his six volume set, “The History of WWII” would be published soon. This was not a bold confidence of pending victory but a determination to retell it with Churchill and the United Kingdom in the best light.
Churches are often only aware of the story as told by the “guardians of respectability” who care little about any reputation but their own. Before you read an autobiography, ask yourself if you can trust the author.
I think #8 is a major factor in small churches. Too many pastors use them as a “stepping stone” to a bigger church with a better salary package. They put little confidence in pastors because, after all, they were there long before he came and they’ll be there long after he’s moved on.
In my experience, which I will admit is limited, small churches do not do much long-range thinking and planning. They have a need and seek to meet it as quickly as they can—irrespective of whether the pastor that they call is the best person to lead the church in the long-term. Their focus is on short-term needs, not long-term ones. They have a constricted view of the role of a pastor—preaching, teaching, communion, visitation, and so on. How the choice of a pastor can impact the future of the church is not a part of the equation.