The dying pastor

This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"

From Scott Williams:

I'm tired of being the man. I'm tired of carrying the weight of the church on my shoulders; of feeling like the buck starts and stops with the senior pastor. There is a dysfunctional dichotomy in church circles, a separation by position which has been the cause of much hurt and confusion. I'm done with it. I'm no theologian but as I read the new testament I read about gifting, not positioning, of calling not hierarchy. We are all part of the body of Christ, each serving in different capacities, none subservient, none elevated. As a paid pastor I hold a position of calling, of servanthood, of trust. Does this then entitle me to separate myself from the laity as an authority by position, as over and above? ...I would like to propose that as a pastor my primary duty is to equip, facilitate, lead by passion, and seek God's vision. I have a calling, areas of authority, places of responsibility, and a role as spiritual elder. I disagree with many pastors who feel that they need to be out in front in every area; I just want to be a passionate, visionary, part of the team. I am still strong-willed, directive and often immature but no longer feel the need to win at all costs, to pretend I have it all together, or to go it alone. I want community. I want to be real. For so many years I have bought into the myth that I can't really trust people in my church. Did you know that your pastor probably feels that he or she needs their deepest community with people no from your church? Did you know that your pastor is probably lonely and isn't convinced he or she can trust anyone? It's a sickness that has to stop. Something is wrong when the promoter of community isn't in community his/herself.

Amazing post. That last paragraph alone is worth reading multiple times.

Comments

[Michael Gallaugher]

Forgive me, but that's a pretty sophisticated whine if I've ever heard one. Picture this: When Jesus wanted to reveal his true self to his disciples, he put a single towel around his waist, brought in a bowl and washed his disciples feet. He's the head of the church, yet lowered himself to the most lowly position. A good pastor is willing to deal with more humiliation and suffering than feeling pressure from the flock to lead by example. \

[Darryl]

Michael, I don't think the question is how much a pastor should be willing to suffer. That's not what Scott is talking about. The real question is what model of pastoring we hold to. Tons of conferences, books, and seminaries teach a CEO model of pastoring. It's long past time to get rid of the CEO model of the pastor, which has no basis in Scripture, and leads to the results that Scott talks about.

[scotty]

As a former pastor and one who sat through some pastoral "retreats" I say, "Wow! It's so true."

[Dave]

How do you begin to bring an end to the professionalism of the Pastorhood? When our denominational leadership for years has promoted the CEO style of leadership how can we convince these CEO types that this does not represent a savior who called us to serve with others and not over others, or can we? As an associate pastor in a denomination that stands true to heirarchy in its national level right down to its local churches, how do you address this problem when it has been engrained in peoples minds for so many decades? I can understand your struggles as others have obviously voiced. The question I keep asking is what do we do about it? "Low on the totem pole" Dave