On Calling a Pastor

It looks as though I am about to come to the end of the process of seeking a pastoral call. I will say more about that when everything becomes official. Apparently, most major denominations do a very conscientious and methodical job in helping pastors get relocated. I have commended the ladies in our PC(USA) Call Referral Service with whom I have spoken on many occasions; and our Internet tool, the Church Leadership Connection, is very effective in pointing pastors to opportunities and information. Still, there are aspects of the call process that trouble me. While I am writing this from the perspective of a PC(USA) pastor, I think many of my observations will apply to all of the main-line denominations and some of the smaller assemblies as well. Several months ago, I mentioned in earlier blog entries some of my concerns about the plight of rural and small churches. I believe that these churches need greater support and ahigher priority within our denomination. A certain percentage of our churches are always without a pastor. To some extent, this is inevitable, given the procedures necessary for a search process. But sometimes, this process seems to be unnecessarily lengthy. Branches of a corporation are not long without a branch manager; and it seems to me that the search and call process in many cases does undue harm to the ongoing ministry, especially of smaller churches. Of course, we do have interim pastors; and they go a long way toward addressing this problem in many cases. We also have commissioned lay pastors in the Presbyterian Church. I believe that in certain situations, these can be very helpful. On the other hand, I want the professionals who serve me to be fully trained. I want my lawyer to be a law school graduate, and my doctor to be a medical school graduate; so why shouldn't the pastor, even in a small church, be a fully trained seminary graduate? My main concerns are with the secrecy of the process. When a pastor believes that it is time to seek relocation, there is no vehicle to let the Session know about those feelings. Even in a troubled church, the pastor is reluctant to let the leadership know that rlocation is being sought. Churches sometimes lose members because people are unhappy with the pastor; but often, the pastor is just as unhappy with the church. If the congregation, or at least the Session, could have some way of knowing that the pastor has reached the conclusion that a change is needed and that he/she is seeking relocation, a lot of church strife could probably be avoided, and the pastor would not have to be so fearful of being asked to resign. What actually happens is that the pastor embarks on the relocation process, goes off on secret trips, claiming to be on vacation, while the church continues to experience unrest and turmoil! (I should know; I've had to do it a few times myself.) It's tremendously taxing emotionally, and frankly borders on being deceptive. I know that in some districts and conferences of the Methodist Church, steps are often taken to allow pastor and congregation to have a more open understanding about whether they desire to keep a certain relationship going--subject, of course, to the District Superintendent and the bishop. This seems to be a step in the right direction. And then, there's this practice of preaching in a "neutral" pulpit when the pastor nominating committee is nearing its decision on calling a particular person to a pastorate. The PNC goes off secretly to a neighboring church to hear the candidate preach to a congregation who is asked to allow this intrusion into its own routine. I've never understood why the candidate couldn't just preach to the congregation who will be asked to consider that candidate to be its next pastor. (That does happen, but not very often.) Usually, the calling congregation has to vote on a candidate sight unseen, sermon unheard. I know there are reasons for this practice; and some of those reasons may be quite valid. I wonder, however, if those considerations outweigh the advantages that might be gained by a congregation being somewhat more familiar with a potential future pastor. I know that some pastors will always try to fool a committee; and some churches will tend to misrepresent themselves in various ways. These tendencies cannot be completely corrected, given the sinful nature of humanity. But perhaps there are some very practical ways that our call processes in the major denominations could be improved, thus leading to happier, more productive, and more spiritually satisfying pastorates in our churches.