Tuesday, April 15, 2008

On young pastors

My church is contemplating calling a young man for the pastorate here. He's so young, he's the age that Jesus was while He was ministering in Judea.

While certainly I cannot argue that we're going to hire our incarnate Lord as pastor, I do think that a quick look at the Gospels ought to dispel reluctance to consider a man in his thirties for the pastoral office.

10 comments:

Gino said...

but a pastor is much more than a preacher.
he's also a business CEO.

managing a congregation today is a lot more different than what Jesus was doing in his time.

not that i think a youngish man of 30 cant handle the task, but i do understand why some would have reservations.

W.B. Picklesworth said...

If you call a pastor based on his management skills then you deserve what you get. There should be plenty of laypeople who can provide stable leadership on that front. The pastor has plenty to do preaching and teaching the word, visiting the sick, praying and leading spiritually.

As for the age, are you talking senior pastor? or an associate?

Gino said...

ben: most churches i'm aware of, the pastor is also the business manager, responsible for the smooth operation and finances of the flock.

being catholic as i am:
the pastor is not only ultimately responsible for the congregational finances and upkeep of facilities, he was also lord of the parish school.
schoolwise, generally the pastor just 'looked over' the place, and placed somebody with school skills in charge(the principal,usually the senior nun of the serving convent). but, he was ultimate authority, and could fire bad teachers just with his word.
if you had issues with the school administration, you could go above them to the pastor. and he would lower the boom if need be.

i assumed this was the case,generally, with protestant congregations as well.

Bike Bubba said...

Gino, there is a truth that a good pastor must have some management skills; one of the chief parts of that is that he's got to (at least in congregational church government) delegate some things to the deacons and other members. If he's not doing this, his spiritual leadership is suspect, IMO.

Gino said...

it's a tough job, to be sure.

Gino said...

it's a tough job, to be sure.

Anonymous said...

I, for one, hope there is plenty of opportunity out there for a young person just out of seminary!

I'm also reminded that Paul didn't interview Timothy about his business skills or administrative experience. Timothy, despite his relative youth, was called into ministry for his faithfulness, his heart, his vision and most significantly because that was whom God directed Paul to put in charge.

Paul knew there were always countless administrators and accountants around, and that help was available from others (including wise counsel and encouragement from elders), but a man of God was a precious commodity.

I have a sense that much of the American church, regardless of denomination, is more comfortable with the pastor as Administrator/CEO model and happy to compartmentalize things as "the Pastor's job" (especially if those are the duties that make the members themselves the most uncomfortable). They're scared of, or uncomfortable with, a pastor who will study and preach the word, actively disciple the Body and hold it accountable, and who will focus on equipping the congregation so that they too can preach and teach the word, visit the sick, pray for others and take the word and the power of Christ out into their daily lives.

Indeed, Paul exhorted young Tim to "set the example" for the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity - he didn't tell him he had to do it all himself!

Bike Bubba said...

Well said, NW: though certainly an "overseer" (or Bishop for our "Roman" friends) would have to "oversee" something, "pastor as CEO" has done an enormous amount of damage to the church--in my opinion that might not be humble enough. :^)

(and the age is the same as Ben's, for reference)

And Gino; yup, and you can say that again. :^)

Macey said...

Spurgeon was 19 when he was called to the pastorate of New Park Street Chapel! They called a teenager! Bottom line, God ultimately calls a man to do His work and neither age nor lack of conformity to the world's system (e.g. CEO model) can thwart His purposes.

imfreenow.blogspot.com said...

Age is not the issue in this so much as who it is. Age could be a problem in one case, but in another case, a young person could be extremely mature and qualified. I've seen such a vast difference in people who are young in their maturity levels, and have been in awe of the maturity of some and would certainly bow to the wisdom and capability of some and be willing to be under them. You just have to use wisdom and be selective - age can't be a be-all-end-all factor.

Based on my experience with my dad, my complaints about the pastor's position are that he should not have all the administrative duties as well as all the shepherding duties. I have been relieved to be in the larger churches where there are several pastors and duties are divided up. A man may be a good shepherd but not a good administrator.

Also, there has got to be accountability for the leader. He has to be accountable to someone over him even if he has a lot of people under him. But all this applies to any person of any age.

Above all, the shepherd of the flock must have a passion for people, a love for people and not be trying to prove something about himself.