The Blessing of Plurality of Pastors

Pastoring is a privilege. You get to see God work in people's lives. You experience the joy of watching people grow. And you discover what's really going on beneath the surface.

But man, it can get heavy. Jonathan Levin hits the nail on the head in this article:

More than once, I’ve reflected on the fact that leadership isn’t nearly as glamorous as people think. You pour yourself out, pour yourself out, pour yourself out. You make yourself vulnerable to anxiety, blame, and worry. The pressures and stresses land on you. The toughest questions come to you. You bear the blame when things go wrong. It’s easy to spend a day, week, or month putting out fires started by others. You find yourself required to serve continually — whether you want to or not.

Sometimes it feels like you're constantly responding to other people's issues, carrying more burdens than seems reasonable, trying your hardest but never quite winning, and knowing that most people will never understand some of the burdens you're bearing. It's a privilege, but it's a heavy one.

A few months ago, we had a particularly challenging elders' meeting. The pastoral needs in our congregation were unusually high. Most of the challenges we discussed had no clear solution. We desperately needed God to work in the lives of various people in our congregation. It's not that our congregation is worse than any other; in fact, I feel blessed by our congregation. It's just that people are messy, and we happen to be in a season of particularly unique challenges.

The next day, as I reflected on the meeting, I realized that we were doing hard work, but it was the right kind of work. If I’m going to carry burdens, these are the right kinds of burdens to carry as a pastor. But I was grateful that I wasn't bearing these pastoral burdens alone. I was so thankful for the plurality of elders that God has given us.

I didn't grow up with a plurality of elders. I saw a single pastor carry the load by himself. We believed from Scripture that plurality was biblical (, but I never saw it practiced. Over the years, I've been in various situations. Most recently, I planted a church and relied on pastors from neighboring churches to serve as our ad hoc team of elders. I missed having a plurality within the church; people who knew and were known by our congregation and could help carry the shepherding load.

Now, I find myself in a church with a very healthy plurality of elders. So many times in recent months I've looked around the room and praised God that I'm not alone, that we can bear these burdens together, that they can see things I would miss, that they can challenge me and offer insights that I don't have. I praise God for this plurality. I can't imagine living without it.

If you're a pastor, you're going to carry the weight of souls, as Spurgeon once said. As much as possible, don't try to do it alone. Work towards a plurality. Get other elders in place. Read books like Dave Harvey's The Plurality Principle to help you put it into practice. Whatever you do, no matter where you're starting now, work towards a plurality of elders. You need it. And when you have a healthy plurality, it will be a blessing to your soul.