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 PrintableVersion When should church and pastor part company?The ending of a pastorate is often a difficult time for all concerned. Indeed, even in the most satisfactory circumstances, when a pastor is confident that he has been called elsewhere by God, and his family and both congregations recognise God’s wise hand in the move, the change is still a difficult one to manage. For the pastor, eager for the new challenge and opportunities that the Lord’s providence is bringing him, there is still the pain of leaving his friends behind. There is also the problem of needing to begin, almost from scratch, the business of rebuilding the ‘capital’ of a justified reputation for truth and godliness, both in the church and among the local community. For his family there is the difficult business of uprooting from the security of established relationships and territory, to begin all over again in strange surroundings. That can be painfully and almost unbearably difficult, especially for those at a ‘difficult’ age or with a certain kind of personality. And the church that is left behind may face harrowing difficulties in deciding on a replacement pastor. Tragically, in the real world of sinful humanity, churches and pastors often can part company in less than satisfactory circumstances. The elders (or deacons) may simply tell their tired pastor at the end of a Sunday evening service that his ministry at their church is now finished, without any consultation with the wider church membership, many of whom may feel bereft and deeply unhappy at their pastor’s departure. Or the first time a church hears that its pastor is even a little unsettled may be when he announces to the astonished fellowship at a mid-week prayer meeting that he has accepted a call elsewhere. And all too often the induction report of the ‘wonderful providential leading’ of a man to a new pastorate hides the reality of a former church grieving over its sense of bereavement (or even betrayal) at the loss of its faithful minister. So when should church and pastor part company? When to go?One of the most obvious difficulties with this issue is the lack of proof texts, or obviously key passages of Scripture, throwing light on the subject. Indeed, it sometimes seems that there is little in Scripture to correspond with the ‘ministerial merry-go-round’ that has often characterised evangelicalism! That is not to say that God doesn’t provide us with real help on this legitimate issue in his Word. It is simply that such truth needs to be applied with wisdom to specific situations. The New Testament, in particular, provides vital instruction on this matter. On the one hand, it gives us ideals. It pictures local churches with plural eldership/leadership, in which all the members care for each other. It shows us churches deeply committed to the health and progress of other churches, and willing to see God taking gifted men from their congregation to serve him elsewhere. It shows us men (and families) willing to be flexible to God’s leading and mobile for the kingdom of God’s sake, with others prepared to be committed to the same fellowship for generations, whatever problems arise there. On the other hand, it also shows us the brutal reality of church leaders falling out with, and parting company from, one another. It reveals churches split over loyalty to men who lead them, and churches beset with every imaginable kind of worldliness that dishonours the Lord. And all this is recorded for our education, including wrestling with questions of when it is right for churches and pastors to part company. We live in days when long ministries have become fashionable, and are almost regarded as normative in evangelical circles. It is no longer unusual for pastor-teachers to stay 30 or more years in the same church, and some believers (and even congregations) view this as essential. However, notwithstanding the obvious benefits of a long ministry (if that ministry is God-centred, caring and lively), there are important reasons why it is often right for pastors to step aside or move on from the ministry of one local church. Reasons to goFirst, there are those instances of moral, doctrinal or ministerial failure (when a man shows himself worldly, unbalanced, inaccessible or clearly incapable — and so unfitted for his work), which leads to a man’s removal from his position. Second, there are instances in which a man’s health breaks down (or the health of a family member), which necessitates his being freed from his solemn responsibilities. And, in such situations, men sometimes need help from their fellow elders or ministers to see that providence is pressing them to stand down. Yet there are also very positive and even encouraging reasons to believe that it may be the right time for a pastor to move on. What are they? Some pastors have very specific gifts that would be largely wasted if they were to stay in the same church all through their ministerial lives. If a man is a church planter, it is surely desirable that he should be freed up to exercise that gift in a new situation when the first church is fully established. Other men show an extraordinary ability to bring deep harmony to warring churches — and tragically that gift is needed too widely to insist that a man remain in one place when his basic work is done. Other pastors develop a ministry, and usefulness, which fits them to serve the Lord in wider and more influential spheres. In those circumstances, it may be very hard for a small, happy church to say goodbye to their much-loved young (or not so young) pastor. However, the strategic need of the wider church must, surely, be paramount. Still other men show themselves eminently suited to train others for the ministry. That may require a man to move location, whatever model of training the grouping of churches to which he belongs may favour. Others have the ability and heart to work overseas, or in a very difficult environment and, if God calls a man to a strategic ministry in an area of particular need, what congregation has the right to do anything other than fully support their pastor in his self-denying vision. In other situations, it may just be good for both pastor and people to have a fresh beginning. That is never an easy thing to judge: it needs real wisdom from on high. However, where such a parting happens, it may be made easier if another man has been trained up in the church, or within the local fellowship of churches, who can fairly naturally step into the breach. How to goHowever, in all those circumstances, it is surely unhelpful if a pastor makes a unilateral decision about moving on. Inclinations to a change of direction, and approaches from other churches, need to be discussed, initially with his fellow church officers, and made a matter of fervent prayer. Ideally, the leadership of the church should seek to be of one mind about such matters. If that sounds hopelessly idealistic, it needs to be appreciated that such unity has sometimes been arrived at even when it was markedly absent at first. Also, the church should not be left in the dark about the situation any longer than is wise, nor should their views on the matter simply be ignored. Men should be very reluctant to move on while the church is in a period of great change or trauma, or in a situation where the church will be left exposed or unstable as a result of the move. All such situations must be bathed in prayer, with a very real possibility that the Lord may not sanction the move. Nevertheless, ministerial moves are often clearly of the Lord and result in the good of the churches concerned, even when such changes are accompanied by real heartache. Preventing bust-ups!Tragically, however, other ministerial departures are the fruits of deteriorating relationships or sudden ‘bust ups’ between pastors and churches (or pastors and individuals/groups within the church). Such divisions may be the fruit of some personality clash, or disagreement over an important (or, sadly, unimportant) issue in the life of the church. They often result in men leaving the ministry in bitterness or despair, and in shell-shocked churches becoming introspective places of fear and suspicion for years to come. That being so, we need to ask what things can be set in place in local evangelical churches to make such ‘divorces’ much less likely. Thankfully, there are many preventative measures that can be taken in churches to stop such painful partings. It is always helpful if, where possible, churches have a shared leadership, so that not all responsibility for the church falls to one man. (Certainly, the church must not be ruled by any man’s conscience.) And that shared leadership needs to be characterised by open, mutually supportive and respectful relationships, and so function as a team. Furthermore, the leadership needs constantly to encourage the whole church to be looking upwards and outwards. When churches become preoccupied with themselves, problems and tensions increase and get out of focus. Local churches should regard gossip and discord as serious matters that need to be tackled, for where such things are part and parcel of normal church life trouble is not going to be far away. Church leaders need to be models of patience, gentleness and tolerance, and learn to possess, in Spurgeon’s words, ‘a blind eye and a deaf ear’. Furthermore, watchfulness against the malignant schemes of the evil one is as vital as it is rare. Neither pastors nor office bearers must ever make impulsive decisions about resignation or removal of others from office. It is absolutely vital that we promise one another that we will always reflect, pray and take advice of wise and godly men before making important decisions about resigning or moving on. And we must regard such promises as absolutely sacred. The situation doesn’t always look as black or straightforward after a good night’s rest, or when it has been laid out before the Lord and a wise counsellor. Wherever conflict arises within the church, all sides need to ask themselves the kind of questions that can defuse the situation. This includes asking whether I have really listened and sought to understand the other person’s point of view; whether this matter is really as important as I am making it; and, can we really not find an acceptable compromise? Sadly, there is often pride and ungodly intransigence in both pastors and individuals/ groups in the church. Thankfully, many churches and their leaders enjoy wonderfully close and mutually supportive relationships over many years. Even then the parting of the ways (if there is one) may be difficult to cope with, but it can be a time of hope and gratitude as well as sadness. In truth, it is to Christ that church leaders and congregations need to look, not only for decisions about where pastors need to be, but for our sense of security and confidence, whatever role we have in the church. Christ alone is Lord of the church. Never lose sight of the fact that he alone is the Good Shepherd. The future of the church — and of each local church — is wholly in his capable and loving hands. Graham Heaps,
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