SPE – Pastoral Relations October 15, 2007
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The Sacred Responsibility:
Supporting the Pastor We Have Called to Serve Us
Bradley N. Hill
Responsibility for congregational health lies with both congregation and pastor, but many congregations fail to recognize the sacred responsibility they have to the pastor called to shepherd them. Evidence of this failure can be seen in the alarming number of pastoral resignations that occur each year, creating a rolling brown-out in church leadership.
According to Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries, approximately 1,500 U.S. pastors depart their pulpits each month.1 Approximately 23 percent of these pastors are fired or forced out, and in most cases the church never knows why. Similarly, in a Christianity Today International article, John LaRue reports that 34 percent of all pastors serve congregations that had either fired or otherwise forced out the previous pastor.2
The Nature of Nurture
Congregations, of course, rightly expect their pastors to nurture them. However, they also have a sacred responsibility to nurture their pastors (1 Tim. 5:17-19). There is a correlation between the health and well-being of the pastor and the long-term productivity of the church. Longer-term pastorates are well-correlated with effective evangelism and sustained church growth and health.3 The losses to a church from rapid pastor turnover are incalculable.
However, the pastoral relations committee (PRC) can play a key role in fulfillment of the congregation’s sacred responsibility to nurture their pastor. The PRC is where the agendas of church and pastor meet. When functioning well, the PRC finds ways and means to sustain the excellence of the pastoral staff. (more…)
