Saturday
Aug072004
Pastors and the E-Myth
Saturday, August 7, 2004 at 10:12PM This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"
Michael Gerber's book The E-Myth Revisited guesses at why most small businesses fail. Most people get into a business because they're good at what the business does - shoe repair, engineering, whatever. They excel at the technical requirements of the job. Start a business, and all of a sudden they're no longer doing what they're good at. Instead, they are hiring, filing returns, marketing - in short, they're running a business. It's the difference between a practitioner and an entrepreneur. Think about this with pastors. It seems that most pastors have a choice. You can stick with what got you pastoring. For most of us, it was probably a sense of calling and a desire to make a difference. I used to dream that pastoring would involve time in the Bible, praying, providing spiritual direction, etc. In other words, pastor = spiritual practitioner. Another model has come into being. Instead of being a spiritual practitioner, pastors are church entrepreneurs. In this model, pastors read business books, attend leadership conferences, develop and execute a vision, and grow the church. In this model, pastor = entrepreneur. Pastors as spiritual practitioners Prayer Bible Equipping Spiritual direction Soul Pastors as entrepreneurs Vision Leadership Church growth and health Institution I'd hate to create a straw man, and I doubt it's all one or the other. This is worth thinking about, though. What should we expect from our pastors? Can a pastor reasonably be both a spiritual practitioner and an entrepreneur? If he or she does one, who does the other?
Reader Comments (16)
Or, maybe some are called/gifted toward one and some to the other? Or maybe it's more of a spectrum than and either/or and we all fit in different places along the line?
A Pastor should have a Vision for the local body for which which he provides Spiritual Direction. He should equip several select members of that body to do the work of the Ministry, while providing Leadership to those (select) members. To that end, he should be spending time in Prayer and Bible Study, so that he can provide oversight to the entire local body. The select members whom he leads (disciples) should then be in charge of the Institution, Growth and Health, and Soul of the body. A slight re-ordering of your two models, but in my opinion, it is not a matter of Entrepreneur vs. Spiritual Practioner at all. According to Scripture, the church is more an army than a business, thus the Pastor should be more like a General, or a Captain (of a ship.) These General Officers provide leadership and soul to the officers lower in rank, who in turn provide leadership and soul to those below them. While the Captain of the ship (or the General of the Army) usually bears the ultimate responsibility for the entire crew, nobody expects him to row the boat or dig the ditches.
I sympathize with pastors who find themselves in a situation where they are suddenly expected to be entrepreneurs. I have heard the church over the years called an army or a family and it probably is in some ways like both. If it is an army maybe it is like a gorilla fighting unit and the pastor is in charge of the supply line (equipping the fighters to fight in their own little areas of battle) and Colonel over the MASH unit? The position of General is open to the temptation to
Pastors are called to be pastors to the whole church, not little pockets. Serving others in an attitude of christlikeness seems to be crucial. I dont recall Jesus ever acting like a military sergeant or business leader. Lucy
I do not understand why we still struggle with issues like this one. When the Jewish nation was leaving Egypt, Moses tried to do everything himself, and God gave him the answer as to how to husband his energy. When Jesus was travelling all over Israel, He modelled the same principle. Choose several men (or women) to follow you. Disciple them, and teach them to do the same. No, Jesus did not act like a military sergeant, or a business leader. But the PRINCIPLE is that of a military operation or a large corporation. The leader of the local body is not supposed to do the daily grunge work any more than the CEO of General Motors cleans the toilets, or the General digs the latrines. The leader of the local body is there to lead. He is there to teach others The Way. He has put in his time in the ditches, hopefully, and has been called to the higher ranks and greater cause. Why do we still expect him to lay the bricks, find the money for the mortgage, teach the people, hire the staff, sweep the pews and perform all the other daily functions of the church? While I agree that he is responsible for the overall health of the local church, it is asking the impossible to expect the Pastor to do it all. Thus there is a God-ordained hierarchy within the church to meet the needs of the individual members. Thus, the "little pockets;" hence, the deacons; ergo, the "work of the ministry," and the necessity of the different giftings and callings within the church. While the position of General IS open to the temptation to "Lord it over rather than to serve", - and we see this reality in operation in many churches,- the ideal is for the General to serve in a Christ-like manner. Was there ever any doubt that Jesus was the leader of the twelve who followed Him? So who handed out the baskets of food to the five thousand? Who gathered the remains? Did Jesus not send out his twelve disciples to the nation? Did they not come back excited that what he taught them actually continued to bear fruit? We have become very lazy and comfortable in our pews. We have been ill served by the pastors who thought they were the be-all and the end-all of their ministries, and would not allow the disciples the opportunity to serve. We have suffered because the leaders of the church wanted to keep all the power to themselves. The fact is: Jesus is The Supreme Commander and He has called each and every one of us to serve in whatever capacity He has gifted us, from Private to General; from lay-person to Pastor; from usher to Assistant Pastor, from local Pastor to Regional Director.
ahhh well yes, modern leadership is not the same as pastoring. But a pastor is not higher than anyone else, just a different calling. I honestly dont think real pastoring can happen in the church as it is. Lucy
"I honestly dont think real pastoring can happen in the church as it is." If not, why not? God's Word never fails. If He gave us the road map, do you honestly think it won't lead us to our destination? If real pastoring cannot happen in "the church as it is," then the fault lies in the church, (or us) not in the Word He gave us.
Arthur, unless you've changed and now belong to a local church, I continue to find it hard to take you seriously when you comment on how the church should be, even though I pretty much agree with your ideas. Lovingly but firmly spoken.
Your comments are accepted in the attitude with which they are spoken, Trish. And I love you for having the fortitude and concern to voice your opinion. I wish I COULD say that I have found a local body to attend; one that could meet my needs and fulfill my desire to serve. Unfortunately, such a body continues to elude me. The sad fact is, that the churches in our area all seem to suffer from the same malaise that afflicts so many churches, the symptoms of which we are discussing here, and on which I have commented in the past. May I ask you a question, Trish? Let us say that you are suffering from an illness that requires hospitalization, but the local hospitals either do not have the facilities or the expertise to treat you. You have attended several of these centers and have accepted treatment, but find that although there is some help, the condition persists, and you cannot afford to travel to another hospital in a distant city for the treatment you need. So I ask you: Does the fact that you know what treatment you need, and you know you cannot find it in the facilities around you, preclude you from commenting on what the medical system should be like? I view my situation in much the same way. I accept the available treatment from the local hospital, (church) knowing that it is not the complete answer. But I do not attend this facility every week. I undergo a regimen of medication and therapy, (bible study and prayer) in my own home, with the occasional visit to another specialist (ministry) in another city. I also join a support group (like-minded Christians and friends) to discuss available treatments and the doctor (Jesus,) encourage each other, and share experiences. I am sorry if you find that you cannot take my comments seriously under these circumstances. I am doing all I know to do, and having some theological training helps me understand the nature of my condition and keeps me informed as to the available treatments.
I might add that having some training and knowledge also allows me to suggest what treatments others should be discussing with their local doctor. Suggest only, not prescribe.
Right on Arthur, keep doin what you're doin and its gonna work out for you. You never know when a church plant is going to come along that will be just for you. In the meantime we had that deal about praying for each other and know that I still am. And again if you're ever out Oakville way on a Sunday well you know where to find me and you are most welcome. Bring the family, come for lunch. Bring your brother along also, Ed could fill in for him:)
Thanks George. I'm also holding up my end of the deal. One of these days I might just take you up on that trip to Oakville. I need to spend some time with Darryl and that Specialist in another city I was talking about.
Yes, Darryl, you have drawn the line very well. Our pastors should be devoting their time to prayer, fasting and reading the bible...just like the early church. They appointed faithful men full of the Holy Spirit to take care of running the day to day physical needs of the church. Acts 6:1-4 [In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."]
1 Cor. 12:12-31 is relevant here because it reinforces the diversity in the body of Christ. There are some with "gifts of administration" distinct from the other gifts. Acts 6:1-7 seems worthy of consideration in this discussion too. Blessings.
Peter and Andrew: Thank you for the scriptural backup.
Oh Arthur, Arthur, I so want to respond properly to your post and flawed analogy but I'm off on holidays this very hour. I will get back though in 2 weeks. Hope its crystal clear that there's no animosity just craving for truth to inform our behaviours.