Dinosaurs in the Parsonage?

I heard of a pastor who writes articles each week for a weekly newspaper--only, he apparently doesn't write them! He confessed to someone who complimented him on his article that he got it from an outside service of some sort! In this blog, we have previously discussed the rethinking that is occurring about the pastor's home visits. A lot of pastors get most or all of their sermon material from sermon books or Internet services. Many pastors do very little counseling because they refer their counseling cases to specialists in various fields. I even know pastors who don't train their own officers, but have someone from the outside come in to do the work. Is the local pastor becoming a dinosaur in the parsonage--or, in the case of Presbyterians, the manse, or the rectory for Episcopalians, or--well, you get the point? I doubt if very many ministers are guilty of all these omissions. And certainly, there is some value in using various "tools of the trade," so to speak. I have used some illustrations from on-line services. And I often follow the lectionary, which means that I don't necessarily have to ponder over choices of Scripture the way I did twenty or more years ago. (I do often vary from the lectionary, however.) But when I think of ministers who don't even put their own sermons together or write their own thoughts, or train their own officers, or do any significant counseling, I wonder what in the world they are doing. but then, I remember. Someone told me of a minister in another Texas city who is fighting for the rights of illegal aliens to get preventive health care! Ministers are increasingly involved mostly in public relations and community service organizations. Many are expected to be their church's youth leader. Many seem to find plenty of time to push their own social or political agenda--be it conservative or liberal. I believe it is a good thing for ministers to be involved in the activities of their denomination. I even think that community involvement, with the right motivation and the best interests of the local congregation at heart, can be a positive thing. It does seem however that the local ministers have drifted farther and farther away from their major responsibility. Didn't Jesus say something about "feeding my sheep?" Do we really think he was talking about soup kitchens? There are areas of ministry that others can do better than I. Certainly, some counseling situations are handled best by professional counselors who are trained in a particular field. For ministers, however, simply to abdicate that whole aspect of ministry would have been inconceivable fifty or 100 years ago. Increasingly today, we even have churches with worship leaders! Can't the minister even lead his own worship service? Obviously, mministers are finding themselves in a self-conscious crisis of confidence and competence. Do we have dinosaurs in the parsonage, or do we just have men and women who need to be renewed in their sense of call and purpose? I truly don't know; but for my part, I don't plan to become a dinosaur yet. My sermons are my own work, hopefully under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. If I write an article for a newspaper, it will be my own writing. If someone comes to me with tears streaming down their face in need of counseling, I won't automatically assume that I am totally useless. I will visit as much as I can, seek to facilitate the youth work and encourage the leadership, train my officers, and try to be as good in administration as possible. I have personal interests in many areas outside the church; but those shall remain outside the church. My ministry is not the perfect ministry. I am guilty of many flaws, oversights, and shortcomings; but at least, I won't borrow those flaws and shortcomings from anywhere else. "Out-sourcing" is big today; but I would hope that it would stop at the minister's study!