7 Problems with Single, Senior Pastor Ecclesiology
After almost twenty years of pastoring Southern Baptist churches, I’m convinced that there are serious problems with “single, senior pastor ecclesiology.”
Admittedly, the thoughts presented here are based on my personal, anecdotal experience as a Southern Baptist pastor. I’ve pastored three small-to-medium-sized churches in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas. My observation is that the prevailing ecclesiology in Southern Baptist churches involves a single, senior pastor. By single, I don’t mean unmarried – I mean the church views only one man as “the pastor” of the church.
I’ve found this to be true in Southern Baptist churches of various sizes – small, medium, large, and mega. In my observation, this single, senior pastor may be (1) the only staff member, (2) the only staff member recognized with the title “pastor,” or (3) the only staff member with the responsibility to lead the entire congregation. In other words, even when a church has staff with “pastor” in their title (music pastor, youth pastor, children’s pastor, senior adult pastor), Southern Baptist churches tend to look at the senior pastor as “the pastor.” Everyone else tends to get lumped into the category of “staff.”
I am setting this single, senior pastor ecclesiology in contrast with an ecclesiology that recognizes a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers). Within this plurality of pastors, some may be employed by the church and some may be employed outside the church. The question at hand has nothing to do with the source of a pastor’s paycheck. Instead, the question at hand has to do with whether a church ought to be led by a single, senior pastor or a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers).
I think there are at least seven problems with the prevailing single, senior pastor ecclesiology in Southern Baptist churches.
Problem One: Southern Baptist pastors don’t tend to stay at one church for very long. This is certainly true in small to medium sized churches. Often, this regular rotation of the top leader leaves a church scrambling in the interim. These churches often turn to outsiders to lead their church during a critical time of transition. I don’t deny that an outside perspective can be helpful at times, but I also think it’s odd that so many churches don’t have anyone internal who can steer the ship during transition. Surely a healthy church ought to have someone or someones capable of leading in the absence of “the pastor.” In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), there is a built in group of shepherds who can pick up the mantle of preaching and leadership when one pastor leaves.
Problem Two: As previously noted, Southern Baptist pastors don’t tend to stay at one church for very long. In some instances, churches end up reinventing themselves every time a new pastor comes and goes. When each new pastor wants to implement his vision and programming, churches often go through dramatic changes every time a new pastor shows up. In many instances, churches tire of this repeated whiplash, and they implement policies that prevent a new pastor from implementing his vision. This, in turn, frustrates a new pastor and contributes to his desire to look for greener pastures. In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), there is a consistent group of shepherds who are responsible for the vision and programming of the church.
Problem Three: Southern Baptists are obsessed with “celebrity.” This is true of our church members who latch on to any bona-fide celebrity who says “God” in public. This is true of our pastors who idolize and imitate the pastors of mega-churches. This is true of our conventions who platform the pastors of our largest churches. In larger and / or growing churches, the cult of celebrity is particularly an issue for single, senior pastors. It’s “the pastor” who gets the majority of the credit when his church grows numerically. People talk about his preaching, his charisma, his vision, and all of this talk promotes one person to celebrity status. In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), there is more than one man responsible for the growth – or decline – of a church.
Problem Four: In Southern Baptist churches of any size, the single, senior pastor model contributes to pastoral burnout. Find a man serving as “the pastor” of his church – not your pastor, but a pastor who can be honest with you. That man will tell you, it’s a heavy weight to feel like you are the only one people want to talk to for counseling, the only one people want to perform weddings, the only one people want to make hospital visits, and the only one people want to speak at funerals. All of this, on top of the weight of preaching most Sundays. For what it’s worth, I think pastoral burnout is one reason pastors tend to move so often, and it’s possibly a reason we have fewer men entering the pastorate. What man wants to be all things to all people in a particular church? Who can carry such a weight? In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), there is a group of men who are called to bear the weight of pastoral ministry together.
Problem Five: Nature abhors a vacuum. Often, what happens in the absence of a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers) is that a plurality of deacons (or a committee, or a board) take up the responsibility of leading a church. Many times, these deacons see their role as a check against the influence of a senior pastor who may want to make dramatic changes without considering the long-term impact of those changes. After all, if things go south, the pastor can leave and the deacons will be left to handle the mess. One can understand why so many deacon boards wield so much power in Southern Baptist churches, but there are two problems with this situation. One, deacons are called to serve, not wield power. Two, deacon boards in Southern Baptist churches are often filled with men who do not meet the biblical qualification for deacons. Instead, they were selected based on their willingness, eagerness, social standing, or financial influence. In this common scenario, a group of men who are not even qualified to serve as deacons end up serving as quasi-defacto-elders. In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), the deacons are free to serve and the other pastors (elders, overseers) can lead alongside and in the absence of a senior pastor.
Problem Six: The prevalent single, senior pastor ecclesiology in Southern Baptist churches prevents qualified men from serving in the role in which God has gifted them to serve. When a church prevents qualified people from serving, that church is operating at less than its potential. This was Paul’s point when he used the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ. Every part needs to play its God designed role in order for the body to function properly. Single, senior pastor ecclesiology assumes that only one man is qualified and called to lead a church. All others are told to simply sit on the bench or serve in other ways. Perhaps our crisis of aging pastors and empty pulpits is the result of our churches not raising up and discipling young men who can function as pastors (elders, overseers). In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), qualified men can be called to serve as vocational pastors, bi-vocational pastors, or lay pastors.
Problem Seven: The Bible clearly teaches us that there is wisdom in numbers. This idea is set forth in Proverbs 11:14 and 24:6. It is also on display in Acts 15, when the church leaders met at the Jerusalem council to decide a critical matter. At that meeting, one man didn’t pull rank and make a solo decision. Rather, a number of voices were heard, and a consensus was reached. Intuitively, churches know that there is wisdom in numbers. This is why Southern Baptist churches tend to have controlling deacon teams and powerful personnel committees. Certainly our deacon teams can be used as a great source of wisdom, and there is nothing unbiblical about a personnel committee. However, the biblical model seems to be that a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers) are called lead the church with their collective wisdom. In a church with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), the collective wisdom of the pastors guides the church rather than the isolated thoughts of one man.
Disclaimer One: In writing this post my intent is not to “take shots” at men who find themselves serving as a single, senior pastor. I served in two churches where I led as the single, senior pastor. I know for a fact that many who serve in this way would love to have a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), but they feel like their church is not ready for or open to that change.
Disclaimer Two: In writing this post, I don’t want to raise the issue of a church having a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers) to the level of orthodoxy, nor do I want to present this issue as the centerpiece of biblical faithfulness. I do think there are good biblical and pragmatic reasons for a church to be led by a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers) rather than a single, senior pastor.
Disclaimer Three: In writing this post, I certainly don’t want to present the idea that a church adopting a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers) will “fix” all of the problems in that church. The reality of indwelling sin in both pastors and parishioners ensures that we will have problems regardless of our ecclesiology. However, the certainty of problems in every church does not mean that certain kinds of ecclesiology don’t create unnecessary problems. My conviction is that single, senior pastor ecclesiology presents churches with a numbers of challenges and problems that they would not otherwise have to face. Certainly, our churches face enough challenges as it stands without our ecclesiology adding to those problems.
Disclaimer Four: I am well aware of the fact that those who favor single, senior pastor ecclesiology often raise the point that even when a church has a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), there will still be one, main, key leader. Almost always this ends up being the person who does the majority of the preaching from the pulpit. While I agree that even with a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers) there will end up being one, main leader, I also think there are significant differences between the two models – both in the minds of the leaders and in the minds of the church members. I hold this view because I pastored two churches where I was the single, senior pastor (one where I was the only staff member, another where I was viewed as “the pastor” who also had staff). Currently, I pastor in a church that has a plurality of pastors (elders, overseers), and I am convinced there is a significant difference to the way we operate – both in the minds of our leaders and in the minds of our church members.
