Should Pastors Pastor?
Megachurch pastors are not likely to see themselves as that—pastors. According to recent findings from Leadership Network’s Large-Church Senior Pastor Survey, 81% of Sr. Pastors with more than 2,000 attendees view their role as “preacher/teacher” while only 16% see themselves as “pastor, shepherd, or spiritual guide.” And only 10% say they are strongest in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. (You can find an article on this study in the Christian Post.)
Sad News, Not New News
While to me this is very sad news, it is hardly new news.
Pastor, author, and professor Eugene Peterson noted in a 1993 article for Christianity Today that the practice of pastoral soul care and spiritual direction was a forgotten art. Through his research he concluded that until about a century ago, pastoral work was synonymous with soul care—the Scripture-directed, prayer-shaped care that is devoted to persons singly or in groups, in settings sacred and profane.
In his 1989 book, The Contemplative Pastor, Peterson noted that pastors now focus on running a church (administration) and have abandoned their historic call to pastoral soul care. Peterson saw many of the ministers of his day as CEOs and polished public speaker. But can they relate? Do they care? Do they practice pastoral care? Are they even aware of their ancestors in pastoral practice?
“Yes, But”
I can hear you now…
“Yes, but there’s no way a pastor with 2,000 people can counsel, pastor, or shepherd everyone!”
I’m not saying they could or even should provide personal ministry to everyone.
I’m saying they should be able to shepherd someone! More importantly, the Bible says that a pastor should be able to shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-5; Acts 20:25-38; Colossians 1:28-2:2).
Objection # 2
Or, you might say, “Yes, but the work of the pastor is equipping the people to do the work of the ministry, not doing all the work of the ministry.”
I agree 100% that pastors are equippers. Of course, nothing in the survey noted this as their self-identified role.
Additionally, how can you equip people for the personal ministry of the Word (counseling, shepherding, spiritual direction) if you have little or no experience or ability or passion in that area? And how many mega-churches have equipping ministries for lay counseling, lay care-giving, lay shepherding? (Answer: a very low percentage.)
Another Potential Objection
Or, you might say, “Yes, but through the pulpit ministry of the Word, so many more are fed.”
Here’s my problem with that—if a pastor is not involved in the personal ministry of the Word (shepherding, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction), then the preaching is more from theory than from real-life, raw, relevant ministry experience.
Hiding behind the pulpit ministry of the Word can easily become an excuse to avoid the personal ministry of the Word. The pulpit ministry of the Word and the personal ministry of the Word are not enemies. They should be partners.
Join the Conversation
What do you think?
Should every pastor be involved in the personal ministry of the Word through shepherding, pastoral counseling, care-giving, soul care, and/or spiritual direction?
Should pastors pastor? Or, does pastoring a mega-church grant pastors a pass on pastoring?
Is a pastor a soul physician or a CEO/public speaker?
This is a question that has troubled me as a staff member as well. From my own observations and experience, I’d say that both are obviously needed in a church. As a church grows, the need for someone to oversee details, systems, staff and the like is obvious. Also, a strong communicator can challenge us in our journey with Christ. But being a pastor cannot stop there. What people long for is someone who will listen, give them spiritual direction, care for them, and love them. They desire a relationship. And obviously, it’s impossible for this to happen at a really large church. We topped out at about 1000 on high Sundays and I can say that even then it couldn’t happen.
My opinion is that neither can be abandoned for the health of the church. If a person’s giftings are more in the administrative area – for example- and not in counseling, they need to share that with someone who is gifted in that area, understanding it is indeed important. I believe the personal input into other’s lives will last much longer than what we hear someone say from the stage/pulpit.
I really appreciate the balance in your post. It is a both/and and not an either/or. The people and the pastor miss out when a pastor remains aloof from everyone. I know some people will say, “But it’s favoritism if a pastor shepherds/counsels just a few.” I disagree. The pastor/staff/elders/leadership simply need to explain that the pastor oversees the equipping of every member as a minister, and as a member, the pastor ministers to some–whether in the small group the pastor is in, or the pastor’s staff, or the elder board, etc.
Doc K, thanks for the challenging thoughts. After studying Syriac with Dr Meyer I am even more convinced because I did some research on the pastoral theology of the eastern fathers. This is missing in most pastor’s understanding or study. I also heard Jay Adam a few years ago talking about this and the relationship between preaching and counseling. He agreed with your point that it’s impossible to preach relevantly to an audience one knows little about. But if you’re shepherding/counseling, etc., one will know how to preach to their real lives. While not all pastors are highly gifted in leadership, all pastors need to provide some leadership and keep close others who are more highly gifted in their weaknesses. Definitely a both/and type issue. A side note is that there are expectations of pastors as to what they should do and their congregations have expectations of them. Gift fit, personality, strengths and weaknesses, should be considered and churches need to wisely allow pastors to lead in their sweet spots. Thank you Doc K! God bless you.
Ed, I share your passion for looking to church history to help us today to identify what it means to pastor. And, as you say, it’s definitely a both/and: pulpit and personal ministry of the Word. Your side note is also vital: no one can meet every expectation of every member of a congregation. I think that’s where we need to educate our people to biblical expecations. Bob
I completely agree. Pastors should be pastoring somebody – preferably a lot of somebodies. In smaller churches, the pastor will have a lot of one-on-one contact with the entire congregation. As the church grows, the pastor needs to shift tacticts. At some point he will need to focus his pastoring to the key lay-leadership so that they can equip the rest of the flock. If the community grows even larger still, the pastor’s role comes in pastoring the large staff required, so that they can pastor the key leadership, who will pastor the rest of the flock. I’ve met many who try to practice that CEO model and it usually ends up with a spiritually-bankrupt church.
I was watching the millitary history channel the other day and there was a documentary on General Patton. General Patton was a brilliant strategist, but that alone did not make him the great General that he was. Patton always wanted to be on the front lines with his men whenever possible. During an interview, one soldier said that knowing that your leader was there with you made all the difference in the world and everyone’s morale was boosted when General Patton was near. Patton’s nickname was “old blood and guts” because of a battle speech that he often would give to the soldiers before a fight. He would tell them to keep their wits about them even when they were covered with the blood and guts of their friends. As pastors we need to learn from General Patton, and yes be great leaders and strategists, but also be able to get down into the blood and guts of our congregation through personal ministry/counseling.
Pastor Tim, Wow! That’s a powerful analogy/illustration. I’m going to use that. Thanks for taking the time to share your great insight. Bob