Where is Your Next Pastor Now?

An era is ending. See if this agrees with what you’re seeing. For the last several generations, when our churches needed a new pastor, we assumed there was a group of moveable pastors “out there” looking for a church. “Out there” were unknown pastors trained, experienced, and ready to move their family across the continent to pastor our church. These moveable pastors were deeply committed servants of God who provided excellent service across our churches. It was wonderful to bring all their previous experience into a church hoping for fresh air. But when the moveable pastor was finished, they moved on and we brought in another.

But the number of moveable pastor-families “out there” has now grown very small and it’s time to give up that assumption. Fewer pastors today are willing to live that life. One reason is that many pastors’ spouses now have their own careers. It’s not only the pastor in the family who is called and trained by God for a vocation. Another reason is that pastors have become more cautious about what they demand of their children. Not all pastor’s kids who moved across the country to multiple churches throughout their childhood thought it was great. It’s also the case that today we don’t have as many life-long pastors. Someone may only begin pastoring at age fifty when their family is firmly ensconced in a local community.

What does this mean for churches? Rarely can churches now find a pastor simply by posting an ad “out there” and interviewing all the moveable pastors who apply. Calling a pastor now demands more creativity. Most likely, the next pastor is living locally and needs convincing and educating to be a pastor. Often, the next pastor is someone already in the congregation or a next-door congregation who has been a lay-minister, elder or youth leader and will soon be ready for a larger role.

Every congregation should ask: have we identified and are we training our next pastors? Have we chosen anyone in our midst who has maturity and giftedness and who with the right mentoring, education, and experience could join our pastoral team in five years? How much are we spending this year on next-pastor training? Does our church have steppingstones, smaller ministry positions that provide doable apprenticeships for someday pastors? If not, what makes us think we will find a pastor when our present pastors resign? The day our pastor resigns may be five years too late to begin seeking our next pastor.

Bible colleges and seminaries can help with this, but they cannot conjure pastors out of thin air. They can partner with churches who are intent on calling and training people from within their midst to be pastors.

The EMMC has developed a partnership with Steinbach Bible College to help churches with this reality. Together we developed the Barnabas Bursary that can pay the tuition for people chosen by their own churches for present or future pastoral leadership. These are people who do not yet have the skills of Bible reading, shepherding, cultural engagement and leadership they need. This training can be in-person or online. It can be done part-time. Talk to Kelly Lesser, Pastor of Care and Mission about this possibility.

Some of the most satisfying moments in church life I have seen are occasions where a congregation commissions a pastor they themselves have raised, mentored and trained.

Some of the most satisfying moments in church life I have seen are occasions where a congregation commissions a pastor they themselves have raised, mentored and trained. It starts in the nursery Sunday School and it completes when the church has trained their next pastor.

Let’s do this together.