The Commentary

Marathon men

I have a photo of him on the landing. His eyes twinkle from behind his wire frame spectacles under his fuzzy hair and above his tidy blond moustache.

His name is John Peters and he was the pastor of our congregation for around 40 years through two world wars, the onslaughts of theological liberalism in the early 20th century and a move of building. As a church leader he was not there for a brief sprint, but for the marathon.

I believe we need more leaders who will persevere with one congregation. Here are some reasons.

Why long term pastors?

1. We now live in a very mobile society. People do not tend to have jobs for life, but employment keeps changing and often that means relocation and consequent change of churches. In the middle of this continual change, a long-term pastorate can provide a church with much-needed stability.

2. Frequently I have heard ministers complain of lack of commitment to the church from their people. ‘They show more dedication to their football team than they do to the church.’ Maybe that is so, pastor. But if the people of the congregation sense that you are only likely to be with them for five or six years before you look to move on, you cannot blame them if they tend to hang loose. ‘The pastor looks for full-blooded devotion from us, but he will be looking for a bigger church, or even to lecture at a theological college soon. Why should we make the church our priority, when he puts his own career first?’

3. There are congregations in our town who have changed their pastor every five or six years. This can leave church members confused. One man from another church confided in me. He said that the new pastor tends to arrive with his own ideas about church growth — perhaps he has even written a book. He has a new approach. Out goes the ‘seeker-sensitive’ evangelistic mega-events the previous man favoured and in comes cell group strategy or whatever. ‘But we had thought and prayed about the previous strategy and believed the Holy Spirit had been leading us’, my friend said. ‘What has happened now to the way we felt led by the Lord?’ Now, perhaps a congregation can cope with a change of direction once or twice, but for it to keep happening leaves people feeling disoriented.

David Wells writes about the US. ‘In 2001, for example, while 8% switched to Catholicism, 17% switched out (are you listening Tony Blair? Ed.); 19% of those in Methodism were new but 25% left; 24% came into Presbyterianism but 25% disappeared; 30% were drawn to Pentecostalism but 19% departed. This, however, appears to be more of a cultural phenomenon than a purely Christian affliction because in this same year, 33% switched into Buddhism and 23% switched out.’ While the whole of secular culture presses towards mobility and ever-increasing worship of individual choice, wouldn’t it be good for pastors to be committed to the corporate and servant nature of the church?

Making plans

The long haul is not without its difficulties. How do you keep your ministry fresh? How do you plan to hand over when it comes to an end? But John Peters knew that the long haul means you have time to raise up and train the leadership of the future. One young lad who came to stay at his house as an evacuee during WWII ended up becoming a fine elder who helped steer the church through difficult times into prosperity under God.

Marathon men

Marathon men

Why long term pastors?

Making plans

John Benton

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