Be the Spark of Excitement and Anticipation for the Coming of the Pastor

Whatever the process is in your church that selects, interviews, and invites a pastor, there will inevitably be conversation and interest in that process. Small conversations will irrupt around you and will be opportunities for encouragement and investment into the church’s support of the incoming pastor and the process that is bringing them here. Investment is the best word to use here because the statements that you make in these circumstances are critical for the development of the necessary energy needed to equip your new pastor for the task of learning, leading, and loving the heart of your church. There is nothing more beneficial for the pastor than the support of the ENTIRE church, and that is the goal that you must have as you attempt to interject support and energy toward the future.

Supporting the process that brings the pastor is just as important as supporting the pastor. Committee members, Deacons, or Elders that work toward bringing the best pastor possible need to be supported individually. Each of these workers must be encouraged and supported throughout the process through words of affirmation, cards, or even treating them to lunch. Make whatever efforts are necessary to ensure that the energy of each of these individuals does not fade will begin to sap you of energy yourself. If and when this happens, don’t forget to take time to be supported as much as you are supporting others. If you can get the church leadership to be a part of this encouragement process, there will no doubt be encouragement for you throughout this process as well.

Don’t Fight the Pastor’s Battles – Future 1

The primary mission for the church wile without a pastor is to find one. However, a lot of what goes on in searching for a pastor and persevering in ministry without a pastor doesn’t take in consideration what will need to take place after a pastor is found. We, as humans, tend to fix problems with the easiest and most available solution. This is a process most apply described by the term Occam’s Razor which, at its most basic definition, indicates that the simplest explanation for a particular result or hypothesis is the most probable. The same type of mentality is used in churches when presented with a problem, especially when there is no pastor.

Vision is the fundamental element of the role of the pastor. The pastor is the one who searches the word, spirit, and hearts of the people for ministry that is effective both inside and outside the church. The role of focusing a church on a particular ministry, activity, or issue is something that is the unique duty of the pastor; as is preparation of the church for the future. Many programs, ministries, and other aspects of the church tend to be cyclical and contain many steps prior to completion. With this in mind, it is understandable that the pastor must be capable and willing to address future issues now to ensure the survival of their particular church.

When other individuals, namely you, are attempting to provide leadership to a church throughout the searching process, it is critical that you understand that a pastor will be found and that what you do now will have to be overcome when the new pastor takes office.

I say overcome for a reason. It is likely that some of the things that are needed as a group while the pastor is out will not be necessary after a pastor is found. Search Committees, Interim Pastors, Some Lay Leadership, and other programs may not survive the natural transition from pastor to pastor.

However, if your plan for the future supersedes that of your new pastor, you rob pastoral leadership and impede his vision for the future of your church.

We must remember that the solution for a particular situation without a pastor is most likely not the same solution with the pastor.

One of the most detrimental activities that can happen before the pastor takes office is that the future will be so constricted by the actions of the church that the pastor’s vision is rendered useless.

Don’t Fight the Pastor’s Battles – Past

I have never been in a church without a past. Unless you are the one beginning a church, there is something and someone that came before you. Inevitably there will also be a great deal of turmoil in the wake of any previous events. For the most part, there is a great deal of inflated emotion concerning previous pastors. Pastors were either loved or hated and that nearly always creates divisions in the church; tiny fissures that grow into major chasms that can tear churches apart.

It is tempting to want to help your church overcome some of these unpleasant standards in their policy, polity, and lack of productivity. However, there is a fundamental problem with any such activity. The root of the problem is based on another individual at another time altogether. Teaching that led to such problems cannot be untaught, emotions cannot be unfelt, and words cannot be unspoken. To attempt to refight these battles, one-by-one would be to revisit the painful past without any possible hope of a brighter future. The only product of such activity will be to increase the distance between sides of the argument and to set the very existence of your church on a razor’s edge, where any push or pull could sever all remaining ties. The unified body would split into at least two factions whose existence would culminate into passionate opposites with every intention on superseding each other in all public opinion and the utter destruction each other through all possible means.

If you are one who might be reading this and believe that I am nothing more than an over-zealous cynic, I invite you to drive a short distance from your own city and find a Sunday paper in another county. The Church page will be filled with titles like:

First Baptist Church

South Side Baptist

North Point Community

Trinity

Trinity Baptist

Calvary Temple

First Assembly

Spanish Assembly

St. Joseph’s United Methodist

First United Methodist

Straight and Narrow Baptist

Agape Fellowship

Bridgepoint

Cornerstone

First Foursquare

Independent Believer’s Fellowship

Etc.

And though you might attempt to justify each of these by saying, “To each his own,” you must admit that this is a lot of churches for a town of only 465.

Churches have split over the most insignificant things imaginable. For instance, I was a minister at a church that had a group of people leave our fellowship and begin a house church because we had sandwiches for a Sunday night fellowship. Having voiced their concern that sandwiches were too Low-Class for “The Lord’s Day,” the felt it necessary to exit our congregation and begin a more deliberate worship setting. As far as I know, they are still deciding what to call themselves, I think it is between ‘First Casserole” and “Pot-Luck Fellowship.’

Ministers who find themselves in such a situation must attempt to help heal wounds and clear the air for future ministry, but they must not attempt to do things that only the Holy Spirit can do. This harkens back to another post, “Do Your Job Well!” No wiser words can be spoken when deliberation of past hurts and wrongs begin to arise. This activity will help to protect you, as well as keep the church focused on current issues.

Make today matter in the life of your church and the past just might be allowed to rest in peace.

Power, Authority, and Responsibility

Power is the fundamental undermining element in the struggle between politics and structure; the investment into the church to obtain power or prestige. It is also the element of transition that can conquer any church when the pastor’s office is vacated. When power is moved or abandoned, a political vortex is created which can corrupt every aspect of ministry and positive influence in the church’s inner and exterior community. Influence is not the same as power, but power can make influence oppressive rather than constructive.

The interesting element to this situation is that the presence of such a political vortex necessitates a focus from the church and her staff on power itself. One might assume, just as I did early in my ministry without a pastor, that power and the pursuit of such power should be abandoned and pushed to the corner of the room in order that the church would be able to focus what ‘truly matters.’ Conversely, when power is available, but leadership does not take an active role in dividing responsibility, those who might assume power for personal gain will gladly take such an opportunity.

Responsibility being divided will be unique to every church, and we have already discussed these issues to some extent. The main point is that each member of the leadership group, including you, must make sacrifice to fulfill the needs of the church.

Power on the other hand should be actively funneled to the Holy Spirit. Coming from a Baptist church, I am aware of the way that some churches are hesitant to relinquish control of the activities, programs, worship services, and other endeavors to the Holy Spirit. However, it is critical that the Holy Spirit be in soul possession of power. The Holy Spirit must be given this power in order that the church not be guilty of making themselves idols any longer than they already have.

The most effective way for a person, other than the senior pastor, to begin the process relinquishing power and authority to the Holy Spirit is through the reading of scripture in the presence of the entire congregation. The reading of scripture is a humbling process and displays each element of proper leadership in this trying time. It is the assumption of responsibility and the relinquishing of authority and power to the Holy Spirit through the scripture that is above dispute.

Power hungry individuals will be unable to dispute the authority of the scripture and each of the leadership will be actively involved in the lifting up of the Holy Spirit. Though the process may be slow, the focus of the church will be continuously propelled toward the only one who is worthy of focus, worship, and adoration.

Politics vs. Structure

Most people absolutely HATE the idea of politics in the church, and for good reason. The seeking of power inside the body of believers is one of the most disgusting and repulsive activities that some people engage. However, structure is a necessary element of any group of people, and is often the predecessor to the power-grubbing process we call politics. Though the political agenda of some people is something to be guarded against, the structure of responsibility is necessary in order that all work not be done by one person as well as to ensure that all areas of ministry are adequately completed and attended to.

Even Moses and the Israelites were not above having a group of elders who divided the work in order that all may be ministered to. Exodus 18 indicates this type of systematic structure to deal with complaints and the judgments of arguments within the camp. For one person to attempt to coordinate the affairs and discrepancies of an entire people is ridiculous, therefore, partnerships with wise elders is necessary for the proper facilitation of these duties.

No matter what your denominational background may be or the structure that is set up in your church, it is necessary to know this structure and the people who work in it. It is also necessary to be an active member of this structure and to conduct yourself in a fashion that is above reproach.

Structure is not the enemy, nor is the passage of time when it is used to seek the wisdom of the scripture and the guidance of the spirit. The product of structured church work that must be avoided is stagnation and power. The Almighty is the only true judge, and is awesome and powerful. He, being without fault, will incite his people to good work as well as provide all power and energy necessary to accomplish this good work. Our groups of elders and pastors must work together to accomplish His work instead of our own. To know these people well, and work fervently with one another to accomplish the work of the Kingdom should be our goal as we find ourselves a part of the organizational structure of our church.

See Value in the Timeline

One of the most valuable aspects to having a real understanding of the timeline involved in the pursuit of a pastor, as well as the time spent without a pastor in a church is the active involvement of the membership and leadership of the church while there is a noticeable need for such involvement. A properly formed timeline can help the entire church prepare for a pastor because they begin to see needs for activity as they are associated with marked goals and agendas for the production of a church that is ready for a pastor.

Sadly, pastors leave churches under a cloud of turmoil far too often. These are times when the leadership of that particular church must produce a timeline that is concrete, concise, and goal oriented. Such a timeline will help those ready to work know what is most important at that particular moment, as well as those who are not yet ready to work but are being developed into future leaders and workers for you church. Keeping in mind that the timeline must be able to change at any time will help you to maintain a living nature to your church instead of falling into the trap of a one size fits all approach to this critical time in the life of your church.

Your Job...

Your job means different things for different people, and while there are many interpretations of the same thing, a job description is meant to help focus a minister for the betterment of the church. The same is true for department heads and committee chairmen they need only look at the vision statement for their ministries. If you don’t have a vision statement for your ministries, now is the time to write one.

A great many people seem to think that the job description is more about control than direction. Though some situations may prove that statement to be true, the elements of a good job description will help to assess, and produce ministry opportunities for your church. Your job description is the very thing that your church created to make you ready for your job. To neglect such a document is the same as telling your church that their desires don’t matter and that you are a better judge of ministry than they. The validity of that argument is not the issue, the call on your life that was placed by your new church and the Holy Spirit provoked your move to your current situation. Therefore, the validity of the document and expectations from your current church are valid points for the ministry you hope to do in partnership with this church. Until you and your church adopt a new description of duties your interdependence rests on the assimilation of your current job description in your everyday life.

My suggestion is that you would acquire a job description from your trusty secretary and laminate it. In the event that you don’t have a secretary, get your fingers dirty by opening the files in that back closet…you know the one. At the onset of your day, you should put it in front of you and begin to pray about the items that you see. Pray that the Lord grant you the ability and forethought to assimilate the items you see throughout the day. Remember, this exercise is not meant to validate the authority of the job description, but is intended to validate the relationship you have with your church through the services you provide. When the church sees you working to accomplish the items they value most, they will see the heart that brought you to this job in the first place.

Supporting your church in every possible way also means that you will create peace when whenever possible. Peace can come, at least in part, due to a humble attitude of service from the staff; and humble service is the seed that bears leadership.

Our Churh Must Have Time to Feel

If ministry is about people, then we must be about people. When a church looses a pastor there is a great deal of pain involved. Each member of that church had some opinion about the loss of the pastor. Whether the departure of the pastor was amicable, beneficial, or catastrophic, the people of the church no longer have their pastor.

In much the same way that you as a leader in your church needed time to rest in Him, your people will also need that time. They, on the other hand, will be less likely to see this for themselves. One of our jobs as we attempt to minister to our congregation in the absence of a pastor is to help them identify and address their own spiritual unrest.

Our ability to create opportunities that help the church address their issues with the former pastor and create a new, scriptural desire for their next pastor are critical. Additionally, if an Interim Pastor is appointed and helps to create these opportunities, one of our jobs when helping to minister to our people is to be an active participant in the process while maintaining the openness of the group to speak their mind on all issues.

Let’s face it, most people are not ready to bear their hearts in a group, even their church family, but our active participation may help to coax their involvement. We will hear a lot of anger and disappointment during these discussions, some resentment is clouded in a façade of laughter and joking, but we must begin to see our congregation as people and not positions. Each member, from the least to the most well respected, will be affected by this loss, and each must be given the time to heal. That time will begin by you seeing them as a person, and giving them a chance to be honest with you as well as themselves.

Find Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

Most likely, my most fundamental failure during my early years without a pastor was my inability to take rest in the Lord. Resting in general seemed like a dereliction of my duties, and might just result in my being asked to resign. I began to believe the lie that, “business is next to godliness.” That yoke was laid upon me by the evil one, and I bore that burden for far too long.

My days were long and my toil was great. My ambitions were lofty and my planning was calculated. My hope was steadfast and my aim was true to tradition. The only problem was that my focus was on building great facilities, programs, music, and numbers. The absence of the Holy Spirit during planning was evident in every venture of the church. Occasionally I would find myself in the darkest of times (usually after deacons meetings, or personnel committee meetings) where I would weep and cry out for God’s direction and strength; and God would faithfully deliver me and my broken church to a time of great passion and good work.

Resting in Him is the only way to start the process of growth. It is not through work that we find success, it is through the deliverance of us by the Spirit.