Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 12

Ten Non-Negotiable Rules for Child Safety in Churches

Make My Church Safe releases this week! I wrote it to be a concise guide to the best practices in making your church safe for members and attendees of all ages. Get your copy today!

Child security is one of the most important discipleship issues in the church. We must create robust security measures in our churches, making our campuses internally safe for children, so they can grow to spiritual maturity and become equipped to confront the dangers of evil in the world.

Millions of people volunteer in church children’s ministries every week. Most care deeply about children and wouldn’t hesitate to make great personal sacrifices to protect them. When your church has a proper system of protection, you mitigate the risks and help your leaders discern when personal failures occur that must be addressed.

1. Never be alone with a child who is not your own

You might never do anything to harm a child, but a lot of things can go wrong when you are alone with a child who is not your own. Always seek help when anything questionable arises. “I don’t want to bother anyone with this issue” is not an excuse. Yes, most of the time you can handle a problem with a child without involving others. But churches and volunteers must always be prepared for those instances that happen some of the time. It is better to have a fast and firm policy that ministry leaders, staff members, and volunteers are never to be alone with a child than to have a system in which people are making situational decisions about whether or when it’s okay. The best policy is to require that at least two people always be present with a child.

2. Background checks for everyone, every year

Though background screening will only catch those who have been caught before, it is still a critical part of any good safety plan. If you loosen this standard, you create an environment that may attract people who desire to harm a child. Your church becomes an easier target. Background checks are less about catching someone and more about deterring the wrong people from your ministry. The best practice is to renew the screening annually for anyone who serves in any capacity around children, even if only for a short time (such as a week-long Vacation Bible School). All background checks should also be cross-referenced with the national sex offender database.

3. Establish a six-month rule for all volunteers

Potential volunteers should demonstrate a faithful pattern of commitment to the church for at least six months before serving in the children’s ministry. And not just six months of church attendance, but six months or more of becoming known with others in the congregation. No matter how much your children’s ministry might need volunteers, do not give a new church member immediate access to minors. The purpose of this rule is to prevent potential predators—who typically prefer quick access to their victims—from targeting your church. Many predators will not wait for extended periods and will move on to other places where access is easier and more immediate.

4. One-on-one conversations with every potential volunteer

Before serving with children, each volunteer should have an informal interview with a trusted leader or staff member. The purpose of these conversations is to look for any red flags or potential concerns. People who are dedicated to child safety will not push back on this step. Good volunteers will be glad the church has a vigorous system of safety and will gladly adhere to this guideline.

5. Simple, and non-negotiable, check-in and check-out procedures

A common but effective process involves printing two matching tags at check-in. One tag sticks on a child’s back between the shoulders (so they can’t tear it off). The other tag goes with the parent who checks the child in. No one can pick up the child without the matching tag. This system not only protects children from random strangers but also from the more common problem of an unauthorized person whom the child knows.

6. One-foot-in, one-foot-out bathroom supervision

Every child will likely need a bathroom break at some point on Sunday. Your system should account for the movement of children through the halls and into the bathroom. No adult should ever be alone with a child in a bathroom. If possible, dedicate specific bathrooms on your campus for children only. Keep these bathroom doors open at all times. Require adults who accompany children to the bathroom to stand at the threshold of the door with one foot inside the bathroom and the other foot outside the bathroom. This way, volunteers can easily speak to the child in the bathroom while maintaining visibility to others.

7. Use floaters and management-by-walking-around

The more levels of accountability you have, the better. One way to add a layer of security is to empower a floater to walk between classrooms and down the halls. The floater’s presence provides accountability, and his or her responsibilities includes observing activities, checking on teachers, listening to problems, reporting issues, and providing appropriate solutions to volunteer questions.

8. Install safety mechanisms such as cameras and signs

What are the observable environmental safety issues on your church campus? Is a certain room or stairwell too dark? Do you need alarms or buzzers on doors to alert teachers when they are opened? Do you have clear signage for those who need to exit the building? With the availability of inexpensive cameras, almost every church can afford to install a monitoring system in key areas. People will feel safer when they see these visible safety improvements, and you will also deter potential harm.

9. Practice ongoing training

Every children’s ministry volunteer should receive additional training throughout the year. Information you might cover in these training sessions includes playground safety, first aid tips, trauma-informed care, fire and emergency evacuation routes, allergic reaction prevention measures, classroom management, bullying prevention, and hygiene helps. Church leaders should conduct an annual audit of the church’s safety systems. Invite someone outside your ministry to poke holes in your processes, and use the feedback to shore up any weak areas. Regular evaluation ensures a safer church environment.

10. Put all important policies in writing

Many churches fail in their safety efforts not because of a lack of concern, but because of a lack of consistency. Formalize and publish your policies, distribute them to volunteers, and review them regularly. Top church leaders should guide this process. A culture of safety will never develop if loose standards exist and expectations are not made explicit. When an incident occurs, your church should have a template for documenting what happened. Consider distributing a one-page checklist that contains instructions for “Who should I contact if. . .?” Keep the checklist updated and let your volunteers know you expect them to use it when needed.

The primary objective of children’s ministry is to equip children to be ready for a challenging world in which spiritual warfare is quite real. Should church be fun for kids? Yes, absolutely! But safety and discipleship are the greater goals. As a church leader, you are responsible for keeping children physically, emotionally, and spiritually safe in the church. A safe environment is one in which children can be prepared to face the inevitable battles in an unsafe world.

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Anatomy of the Firing of a Pastor

Please read these first few sentences before you look at the subheadings. I want to be clear about a few points. 

First, some pastors are fired for moral failure. This article does not address that category of firing. Second, my article makes some church members the bad guys. I want to be clear that they are the exception and not the rule. Third, I realize that each firing has its unique characteristics. What you will read is a typical pattern, not a fixed sequence of events for every dismissal of a pastor. 

This article reflects on seven phases of the firing of a pastor. I have worked with countless pastors who shared their stories with me. These phases are common in many of them. Also, I will use a recent conversation to provide a real narrative of a real pastor in a real church. I made some slight adjustments to protect the identities of the pastor and the church. 

Phase 1: The Pastor Made a Decision a Power Broker Did Not Like. 

This phase can begin with an individual or with a small group of members. It can be cumulative decisions or one decision. The church I’m using as my case study began with one person who had significant influence in the church. The pastor declined to recommend the power broker’s family member for the open worship minister position. 

Phase 2: The Power Broker Forms a Negative Coalition Against the Pastor. 

At this point, the pastor has no idea that the power broker is working against him. He is still unaware that any opposition is taking place. The power broker never meets with the pastor. Instead, he goes directly to the personnel committee of the church. It is a strategic move by the power broker. He has considerable influence over five of the seven members. The other two are weak and will not question the power broker. Also, the personnel committee acts as the pastor’s supervisor. 

Phase 3: The Negative Coalition Gathers “Fake Facts” Against the Pastor. 

The power broker never mentions the issue of his family member not being recommended for the worship minister position. Instead, he leads several of the members of the personnel committee to create a false narrative about the pastor. “He didn’t visit Jane in the hospital when she had surgery.” “He spoke rudely to Marion.” “He made some decisions where he did not have authority.” “People are saying that the pastor hardly ever works.” “People are saying that he is not friendly to anyone.” “People are saying that all the new members who have joined the church under his tenure are causing trouble.” 

Phase 4: The Negative Coalition Asks to Meet with the Pastor. 

The pastor is caught off guard by the requested and unscheduled meeting with the personnel committee. The pastor contacted me (Thom) to ask if he should be worried. I told him that I was concerned and that he should be prepared even though he couldn’t think of any reason why there would be a problem. The expressions and body language of the personnel committee immediately communicated a bad situation to the pastor when he came to the meeting, especially since he thought most of them were his friends. 

Phase 5: The Negative Coalition Presents the Concerns to the Pastor and Asks for his Resignation.

All of the concerns were false and prefaced with these three cowardly words, “People are saying.” The pastor’s first thought is to fight the charges since he knows they are false, but the power broker makes a sinister comment without explanation, “If you do not resign, your family will suffer.” The pastor accepts the four months of offered severance and signs a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The NDA clearly stipulates that if he says anything negative about the church, he will lose his severance. 

Phase 6: The Pastor Announces his Resignation the following Sunday during the Worship Service.

The NDA prevented him from saying anything other than that the dismissal was not due to moral failure. The church is stunned. The absence of any explanation causes the rumor mill to create multiple false narratives. 

Phase 7: No One Comes to the Pastor’s Defense.

This church is congregational in its polity. The personnel committee does not have the authority to fire a pastor without a congregational vote. Such is the reason the personnel committee demanded his resignation. Any member of the church could have met with the personnel committee and demanded transparency. But no one was willing to rock the boat. Pastors typically tell me that this phase is the most painful. One pastor called it “the sinful silence of the majority.” 

In this particular case, the pastor was able to receive a call to another church just as the severance ran out. Most pastors are not that fortunate. A number of pastors never return to vocational ministry after such a traumatic event. The pastor and his family are traumatized. 

In most cases, the church that fires the pastors suffers as well, sometimes for years. One member of the church noted in my story told me, “I will regret forever that I did not speak up. It took me a year to ask my former pastor for forgiveness. Since the evil event took place, it’s like a cloud of darkness is over our church. I wonder if it will ever go away.” 

It is a sad story. It is a tragic story. 

Sadly, it is a story that is much too common. 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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A Brief History of First-Wave Church Bloggers, Content Creators, and Influencers in the Internet Age

Before streaming videos, podcasting, and social media, there was a time when blogging ruled the Internet. Sam interviews Marty Duren and Ben Cole, two early adopters of the medium whose widespread influence gained national attention. From 2004 to 2010, bloggers like Marty and Ben shaped the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. They reflect on this period of influence and give their thoughts on what will happen in the future.

You can find them at blog.martyduren.com and x.com/BaptistBlogger.

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The Idol of Worry, or the Answer to Worry?

I admit it: sometimes I allow the idol of worry to divert me from the answer to worry. Maybe you do, too. 

Let me explain. You might think that worry that consumes us would drive us to prayer. The burden is deep, so we pray. The anxiety is palpable, so we turn to God. The anguish is overwhelming and persistent, so we give it to God in prayer. 

You would think this would be the case, but that’s not always so. At least not for me. 

I know what Jesus taught us about worry: “Don’t worry about your life . . . So don’t worry . . . don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matt 6:25-34). Paul, too, echoed those same words in his letter to the Philippians: “Don’t worry about anything” (Phil 4:6). 

I read these words, and it’s hard to miss what Jesus and Paul emphasized: “Just don’t worry.”  Indeed, I cannot help but conclude that my worry is nothing less than a lack of trust in the sovereign hand of God. Worry grips my heart with angst and robs me of the rest that ought to be mine in Christ. 

Even as I write those last words, though, I’m reminded that I already know the answer to my worries. Jesus put it this way in His discussion about worry: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt 6:33). Paul, then, also offered direction for dealing with worry: “in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6). 

In essence, my seeking the King is the remedy for my worry. Temporal “stuff” is often the source of worry for me, but the eternal King reigns over all—including those things that trouble me. I can, and must, seek Him through taking my petitions to Him. Even if that prayer sounds remarkably like the struggling faith of the father of a demon-possessed boy in Mark 9—“Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief” (9:24)—I must turn to Him with thanksgiving. I can trust the One who knows my needs before I ever ask Him (Matt 6:8). 

The process is simple, it seems. 

Seek God. Pray about everything. Worry about nothing. 

Nevertheless, that process gets complicated when you do what I too often do: try to reach the latter goal without intentionally doing the first two steps to get there. Here’s the way that sometimes happens for me. 

Worry eats at my heart.I get discouraged not only because the worry remains, but also because God has not yet removed it from me.I know better, but the nagging stronghold of worry can turn my attention inwardly toward self and away from God.Seeking God in prayer—the remedy for worry—gets little attention, and what I admitted in the first sentence of this post becomes reality: I allow the idol of worry to divert me from the answer to worry. Seeking first my own solutions gets in the way of my seeking God first.

Perhaps you understand. If so, I trust this is not the end of the story for either of us. Now in my 50th year as a believer, I’m still learning to prayerfully turn, in Paul Miller’s words, from worrying about things to watching for God to work through those things.[1]  I have much room to grow, however, so would you pray for me that I would keep learning? 

I have just said a prayer, too, for any Church Answers readers who share my struggle. God bless!

 

[1] Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World (p. 60). The Navigators. Kindle Edition.

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Leading with Community: You Can’t Lead Solo

After two decades in ministry, by far the hardest part has been feeling like I’m navigating seasons of leadership alone. Calendars are filled with events, Bible studies, and fellowships for other women to connect, engage, and dig deep, while I’m hustling around tending to all the tasks, keeping each plate spinning. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve found significant fulfillment in leading and serving those around me. But I’ve often hit seasons of discouragement and isolation, flooded with the lie that I’ll never get what those I’m leading are experiencing.

Navigating these experiences requires intentionality, wisdom, and not just in our personal walk with Christ, but also in the relationships we cultivate around us. Leading with community isn’t just a suggestion—it’s a necessity. Here are four ways we can lean into community in various seasons of ministry.

1.  Mentors: Guiding Through Experience

Mentors are invaluable sources of wisdom and experience. They’ve often walked through the seasons we’re now facing, offering insight from both a biblical and practical perspective. A mentor can help identify blind spots, challenge areas of growth, and encourage perseverance when ministry feels overwhelming.

Practical Advice:

Seek out a mentor who has experience in areas where you feel called or challenged.Schedule regular check-ins, whether in person or virtually, and come prepared with specific questions or struggles.Approach mentorship with humility, ready to learn and be stretched.

2.  Friends: Encouraging Through Vulnerability

Friendships are a lifeline, especially in leadership. Everyone needs relationships where they can just be themselves, apart from power dynamics, roles, and expectations. Leading others can sometimes feel isolating, but close friends remind us that we are not alone. They provide a safe space for vulnerability, offering support and laughter through the ups and downs of ministry.

Root on your team together, take a shopping trip for the next theme night, or hit a walking trail and catch up on life. Everyday moments, check-ins, and laugh emojis remind us there’s life outside of work.

Practical Advice:

Cultivate friendships with other women in ministry who can relate to your journey.Be intentional in your time together—plan regular coffee or phone dates to stay connected.Share your heart openly with trusted friends, allowing them to pray for and encourage you.

3.  Peers: Collaborating for a Stronger Impact

Peers offer a powerful opportunity for collaboration in ministry. By partnering with others who share similar passions, women in leadership can amplify their impact. Collaboration not only fosters creativity but also prevents isolation, reminding us that we are part of a larger body working toward the same kingdom goals.

Practical Advice:

Find opportunities to collaborate on ministry projects or events with your peers.Share ideas and resources, drawing from each other’s strengths to serve your congregation or community more effectively.Be intentional about reaching out to peers outside your immediate circle to broaden your perspective and grow together.

4.  Seasons of Transition: Navigating Change with Community

Ministry often comes with seasons of transition—new roles, unexpected challenges, or even stepping out of leadership for a time. I’m currently navigating the loss of close friends and community from my previous position, and quite honestly, the heartache of having to start over. Wading through the shallow waters of trust and commonality, I’ve found myself discouraged, but I know I need it. If you are in a new season, give yourself room to grieve what was lost and push through the temptation to shrink back. You and I both know that we need people around us—to be known and loved. Remember, this is just a season.

Practical Advice:

Show up even when it’s hard; don’t isolate yourself during times of change.Ask for prayer and discernment as you seek God’s will for the next steps in your ministry.Recognize the grace and goodness that God provided in previous seasons, and trust that He will do it again.

Women in church leadership are not called to walk this journey alone. We need the wisdom of mentors, the encouragement of friends, and the collaboration of peers to faithfully serve God’s kingdom. As we lead, let’s commit to surrounding ourselves with community, knowing that God has designed us to grow stronger together.

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Churches Are Still Relevant But Not Trustworthy: An Unexpected, New Perception Gap

How do the unchurched really feel about the American church? Do these feelings differ from those who regularly attend church? The Church Answers Research team just completed a new, significant study to answer these questions. 

We surveyed 604 people in the United States from a variety of backgrounds. We asked the same questions of two groups.

Those who attend church regularly.Those who do not attend church regularly. 

After comparing the two groups, we found new, surprising insights of the unchurched.

The unchurched believe churches are generally good for their communities. Both the churched and unchurched believe churches are generally good for their communities, with almost 6 out of 10 unchurched people agreeing or strongly agreeing. The general perspective of churches is far more positive than negative among the unchurched. Pastors and church leaders should not assume a pessimistic or negative attitude from those who are not regular in church. Indeed, there is reason for optimism.

But there is also a significant problem. A new perception gap has emerged among the unchurched.

The unchurched believe churches are still relevant but not trustworthy.

A major surprise emerged in the data: Non-attendees view the church as more relevant today than churchgoers! We had to recheck this data several times because it was counter to many common assumptions. Here is what we found.

Among the churched, 40% agree or strongly agree that the church is largely irrelevant today, while only 27% of the unchurched believe the church is largely irrelevant.

But the issue of trust was a different story. Attendees generally trust their churches (81%) and pastors (76%), while trust levels were lower among non-attendees with churches (30%) and pastors (35%).

The dichotomy is fascinating.

Churched people: I trust the church but believe it’s irrelevant today.Unchurched people: The church is still relevant but not trustworthy.

The unchurched seem to believe the concept and ideals of churches are helpful to communities, but the actual churches and current leaders cannot be trusted. They like the idea of the church from a distance but would rather not get close because of trust issues.

The churched seem to believe their churches and leaders are trustworthy because they are close to them. At the same time, a significant portion of them don’t think their church is relevant to others.

Why might this dichotomy exist between the two groups? We believe two major reasons are insularity and scandals.

Insularity: Only 1% of churches have an ongoing evangelism emphasis. How have churches grown in the last twenty-five years? For most, it was not due to evangelistic efforts and conversion growth. It was not due to biological growth. Transfer growth has driven most of it. As a result, churches are full of people who are long-time believers, with few new believers among them.Scandals: Since the unchurched are not hearing from the churched, headlines and media reports sway their perceptions. Again, these perceptions are not necessarily negative (they believe churches are good for communities and think they are relevant today). The unchurched simply do not have a personal connection with churched people that helps build trust. 

The perception problems of churches are both self-imposed and self-inflicted.

Churches have a self-imposed perception problem not shared with the unchurched: “We’re irrelevant!”Churches have a self-inflicted perception problem swaying the perceptions of the unchurched: “We have scandals and cannot be trusted.”

Facts are our friends: While biblical doctrine will always offend some, the bulk of church perception problems are self-imposed, self-inflicted, and largely fixable.

Click here to download the entire report for FREE!

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My Church Took a Direct Hit from a Major Hurricane—Here’s What I Learned

Floridians are a tough bunch. Hurricanes happen. We prepare for them and know how to weather storms. But two back-to-back major hurricanes in as many weeks is a lot, even for the most grizzled local. Helene brought a record surge to our coastal community, and Milton was a nasty wind event. I rode out both storms. Milton’s eye passed through my neighborhood, and the backside of the eyewall was like nothing I’ve experienced in previous storms. My church, West Bradenton, responded immediately. Here’s what I’ve learned from the past few weeks. 

The flight, fight, and freeze responses are unavoidable. People react differently to an acute crisis. My church started serving the neighborhood at first light after the storm. We focused on the most desperate first. One home had been split in two by a large tree, and I was expecting the possibility of finding someone who had passed away. A shirtless gentleman approached us. 

“Are you the homeowner?” 

“Yes.” 

“Are you ok?” 

“I’m fine.” 

“How did you manage the storm?” 

“I slept through the whole thing,” he laughed. “But there was a lot of alcohol involved!” 

You must minister to people where they are, which includes a host of factors—geography, socioeconomics, language, and emotions. When someone is experiencing a fight, flight, or freeze response, often the most important variable for ministry is their emotional state. 

Most of the recovery work is done by locals. The running joke around here is true. Waiting for a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle. But once the storm passes, everything happens fast. In an area like Bradenton, our grocery and hardware stores will be restocked before the supplies you ship arrive. Some of our stores run on generators and are open when the power is out. The first boots on the ground are locals. Our county “first-in” team did a phenomenal job clearing roads. It was local men and women who stepped up. Locals chainsaw and deliver generators. Locals pull carpet and cut drywall. One of the best ways to support disaster relief is to give monetarily to a local church that is doing the work. We burn through cash more than anything else. 

There is always that one thing you need that no one can get to you. Following Milton, our biggest issue was finding gas to power generators and chainsaws. We had water. We had food. What we needed was gas. People were camping at gas stations waiting. Fuel lines were miles long. My favorite non-profit organization—One More Child—made emergency shipments to us. Fuel supplies are not what they do, but they understood the crisis and responded. We were rationing half gallons to keep medical equipment running for people with life-threatening conditions. Thankfully, our Governor opened supplies just in time. I don’t want to overdramatize what was happening, but I believe we were mere hours away from a complete societal meltdown. 

The hardest internal work is controlling anger. The church steeple is blown apart. The fellowship hall roof almost collapsed. There are 34,506 leaks in the education building. Your best chainsaw threw a blade, and we can’t find a replacement. People from outside organizations call and say they can send help. They don’t show. The frustration quickly turns to anger. Perhaps this anger is justified. You can lead from a place of anger. But it does not take much for justified anger to turn toxic. Channeling the emotion of anger into positive energy is one of the hardest parts of leading during a crisis. 

Old school is the best approach to communications, operations, and supply chains. Cell phone service was spotty. Severed fiber optic lines meant Wi-Fi was hard to find. Power was out for a week. We managed about 200 volunteers who responded to hundreds of requests for help. After this storm, we are investing in GMRS receivers and other equipment that does not require power, cell towers, and Wi-Fi. 

The media is hit-or-miss with coverage of these storms. Not every hurricane is a news event. A small Cat 1 storm is like an afternoon thunderstorm, but the media would make you believe it’s a buzzsaw barreling through the entire state of Florida. Most national news outlets have not researched evacuation zones and understand who should leave and who should stay. In many cases, it’s more dangerous to leave than to stay due to gas shortages on limited routes north. Climate change stories are abundant, but we need more stories on insurance problems, the best ways for the federal government and non-profit disaster relief organizations to respond, and the locals who work tirelessly to rebuild their communities. And I wish we could give non-stop coverage to the good people of Appalachia until every single issue is resolved for them. 

I’ve learned a few things from this storm. West Bradenton will be even more equipped to respond when a future storm hits. I’m grateful to serve with amazing people who didn’t stop until everyone who needed help received it.

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Widowed and Worshiping: The Unseen Shift in Church Pew Dynamics

I pastored a little American Baptist Church in rural Southern Illinois for over seventeen years. When I took over the pulpit in 2006, around 50 worshipers would gather on a typical Sunday. A slow decline was already in place when I arrived. A big chunk of the membership decline came through death. I buried many people during my tenure at First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon. We never had a big split or a controversy. Thus, the downward slide could best be described as incremental, not sudden. By 2016, our numbers fluctuated between 25 and 35, depending on the time of the year and the weather. However, from 2020 onward, the decline accelerated. As the calendar turned to 2023 and 2024, the number of faithful folks gathered at First Baptist was significantly smaller. 

In the six months before we closed our doors in July of 2024, it would be common

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Why Many Churches Seeking a Full-Time Pastor Can’t Find One

The ad made me smile at first. 

Then, I realized my reaction was wrong. The church ad said it was seeking a full-time pastor and provided the following information. My response should have first been sadness. It was yet one of many churches that are unrealistically seeking a full-time pastor. 

This ad was modified to preserve anonymity. But the facts are common in many churches: 

Our church is looking for a full-time pastor. We have been without a pastor for over two years. Our town is growing, so we believe it will be a great opportunity for a pastor to lead us to growth. 

Our average worship attendance before COVID was 88. Our current average worship attendance is 22. 

The salary for the pastor is $34,000 annually. Please contact us directly if you are interested. 

The median household income in this community is $64,000, but for families with a head of household between the ages of 25 and 44, the median income is $86,000. 

Yes, this church will struggle to find a pastor, but there is more to it than just the pastor’s salary. If this church is typical, there will be six primary reasons the congregation will not find a pastor. Let’s look at each of them. 

Yes, the pay is not reasonable. 

Most pastors are underpaid. Most full-time pastors are underpaid. Most pastors could get a secular job with much better compensation. But churches should not try to find the cheapest person available. 

To be fair to the church noted above, they are likely offering the best salary they can because of their size and decline. But they should not expect a full-time pastor with that pay. According to our research, full-time pastors work 58 hours a week. The church above is, therefore, offering $11.27 per hour. 

Churches think that the past can be repeated. 

This church had full-time pastors in its relatively recent history. Indeed, a church of 88 average worship attendance likely has the funds to modestly compensate a pastor to work full-time. I get it. They long for the good old days.

No church should live in its past. While the Word of God is unchanging, the world around the churches has changed dramatically. It is time for the church above to think outside of the box. 

A parsonage is rarely a solution. 

Some churches have a parsonage. They rightly view the parsonage as “in-kind pay.” 

Realistically, though, most pastors do not want to live in a parsonage. The family who moves into the parsonage is commonly restricted in what they can do to the house. The pastor does not build any equity since the church owns it. The parsonage rarely comes close to what the pastor’s family would choose if they bought their own home. 

As a personal note, when I was a pastor in Florida, my family and I lived in a parsonage. The church graciously paid our electric costs as well. One day, an influential church leader showed up at our (their?) home to tell us that our electric bill was too high. He asked to look around to find the problem. He concluded that we were using our dryer too much with three young children. He told us to stop using the dryer. They would put up clotheslines in the backyard. 

Fortunately, another church member intervened. He had a professional look at our home. He found that the old HVAC was not functioning well. It was replaced, and the electric bill went down significantly. 

A new pastor is perceived to be a silver bullet. 

Though I don’t know for certain, I would not be surprised if the church above thinks that a new pastor would solve all of their challenges. We refer to that attitude as “the silver bullet syndrome.” Ironically, the term originated from folklore, where silver bullets in a gun were the only weapons capable of killing a werewolf. 

There is so much more I could say about churches, pastors, and werewolves. I will not yield to the temptation to do so. 

There are fewer pastors available. 

The demographics are obvious. The Baby Boomer generation, the largest generation in U. S. history, provided more pastors than any previous or succeeding generations. But Baby Boomer pastors are dying and retiring. Younger pastors are not replacing them. The numbers of pastors in Gen X, the Millennials, and, especially, in Gen Z are dramatically lower. Simply stated, there are fewer pastors available, especially full-time pastors. 

We are following the trends on the median age of pastors in the United States. Our data indicate that the median age just hit 60 years old. That information speaks volumes about the paucity of available pastors. 

Too many churches do not think outside the box.

Churches seeking full-time pastors often do not know another paradigm, nor do they see a new solution. But the possible solutions mean that the members of the church must do the ministry of the church. That’s not a bad thing! 

The most common solution is the bi-vocational pastor, a solution that has existed for 2,000 years. Sadly, churches with bi-vocational pastors have often been perceived as second-class churches since they can’t afford a full-time pastor. Frankly, our team has worked with bi-vocational churches that are impacting their communities in extraordinary ways. When the laity are equipped and unleashed to do the work of ministry, churches get healthier. 

We coined the second solution as “co-vocational.” It is a term that we prefer to “bi-vocational” for several reasons. First, “bi” means “two.”  A bi-vocational pastor is a person who holds a church job and one marketplace job. But many pastors have multiple side gigs, not just one. “Co-vocational” thus includes pastors with one or more jobs in the marketplace. 

We believe that “co-vocational” will communicate a new paradigm, whereas “bi-vocational” may have some baggage. We work with a number of pastors and staff who kept their marketplace jobs while accepting a part-time position in a church. They have embraced the term “co-vocational.” 

A third solution is the circuit rider pastor, meaning that the pastor serves two or more churches. The circuit rider pastor originated largely in the Methodist tradition, where pastors would ride horseback along designated circuits to preach and lead churches largely in rural areas. These pastors played a vital role in the spread of Christianity in the United States. 

Here is my bottom line. While we are entering a new era for churches in the United States and beyond, I see it as a new era of opportunity rather than problems. And it is this new model for pastors and staff that will likely play a significant role in this exciting future.

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Pastors, Stop Trying to Fix People’s Problems

I once made the mistake of giving my cell number to a troubled transgender alcoholic. For several nights in a row, I had the privilege of answering my phone at 2:00 AM, only to have the same conversation ending with the same advice: “Stop going to gay bars, getting drunk, and picking fights with drag queens.” My advice was simple. The situation was not. 

The mistake was not that I reached out to someone desperate for help. Of that, I have no regrets. My mistake as a pastor was buying into this person’s perception of me. He thought I would “fix it” and give some magical advice to make the pain disappear. Of course, I shared the gospel. Of course, I shared how Jesus heals. But, I did little to lower the lofty expectations of my abilities to solve his issues. He believed I could fix it. I played the part. I am a pastor, after all. It’s what I do, right?

The Unhealthy Exchange

Crises are daily occurrences for most church leaders. Fires rage. We charge in with water pistols. We want to help. The leadership mistake is not the visceral reaction of jumping into a crisis. The problem occurs in a common exchange between shepherds and congregation, and this exchange only deepens the crisis and further entrenches the challenge.

In a crisis, the innate reaction of most followers is to call upon a leader to solve the problem. Presidents, counselors, teachers, dentists, and pastors all receive this call. Some problems are technical: I have a cavity; fix it! Other problems are adaptive and embedded deep within the culture. For instance, a pastor may make the technical change of reworking the worship style in a week, only to realize the adaptive problem is built into the culture of the church. All I did was add a drum set and remove the organ; why is everyone upset?

A cycle of distrust can form over time between followers (flock) and leaders (pastor). A congregation places unrealistic expectations on a pastor while at the same time granting the positional authority to lead them out of a problem. The pastor also makes unrealistic promises to gain power. When the pastor inevitably fails, the congregation rushes to blame the pastor. In Leadership without Easy Answers, Heifetz calls this the “leadership straight jacket.”

Sin nature pushes people to give problems and power to pastors in exchange for impossible promises. This exchange makes both leaders and followers feel better about themselves, for a time. The congregation gets to say, “It’s not my problem anymore.” Pastors think, “I like the power of being the problem-solver.” However, the cycle of distrust builds as people realize pastors cannot solve all their problems and rescue everyone from an intensifying crisis. The exchange slows as the congregation recalls power from pastors and blames them for the unresolved crisis.

The Congregational Prototype

A crisis exacerbates the tendency of pastors to fall into the trap of their congregation’s perceptions. Leadership in the church is—to a degree—the product of social construction by the congregation. In other words, perception is reality. What the people perceive about pastors becomes the reality of how they are defined. This attribution grows into a self-fulfilling prophecy for the leader and church.

If the leader fits the profile of expectations, then the exchange between congregation and pastor works more smoothly. A congregation is more likely to perceive a pastor as successful if the pastor’s characteristics and behaviors match the congregation’s implicit ideas of a pastor. The more leaders represent the congregational prototypes of how pastors should look and act, the more likely the church is to trust pastors and give them power. It’s why some people don’t trust pastors who wear ties (or low-cut t-shirts). They just don’t look like pastors. It’s why we talk about pastors being a “match” for a particular congregation. In general, prototypical leaders have more of a license to fail. In general, non-prototypical leaders have less leeway in what the church deems as acceptable behavior and leadership style. 

A crisis pushes people further into camps. When a congregation likes a pastor (a positive prototype), people are more likely to grant authority and power. People are more inclined to assign blame when a congregation dislikes a pastor (a negative prototype). 

The Real Fix

The goal for pastors is to avoid the trap of exchanging power for promises. The goal of a congregation is to get beyond their desires for an ideal prototype. In a crisis, however, the exchange becomes a drug. Pastors get their fix by being the drug of choice for their congregations. Congregations get their fix by a false high of temporarily discarding their problems. 

Church leaders are called to equip people to see Christ as the solution. We cast vision. We lead. We teach. We do a lot. If we’re not careful, people might actually think we’re the ones who are doing the fixing. Stop trying to fix people’s problems. Lower the expectations of your ability to solve the problem. Raise the expectations to see Christ as the answer.

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