RETOOLING AND REFRAMING OUR MINISTRY

I have been in the ministry formally since 1971 when I started as a youth pastor. It's a little humbling but that means I have been serving in leadership as pastor or church staff member 39 years. During that time I have served a denominational staff position, and served as pastor or ministry staff in seven different churches. Two of the last three have been longer term - one for 14 years in a large midwestern city and most recently for nine years here at Landisville.

Besides leading different churches, a lot has changed in my professional life. The picture on the right was how I looked as I occupied that pulpit in the Midwest (when I was in my 30s and early 40s). The picture on the right is how I am dressed most Sundays now (as I start my 60th year of life.)

In last decades of the 20th century, pastors with multiple staffs were called Senior Pastors (modeled from corporate cultures and top-down authority structures.) Increasingly we are finding that younger adults are not impressed by those power titles and a bit turned off the emphasis on hierarchy. Now, in order to connect with emerging generations, I am called the Lead Pastor

When I started in ministry the pastor functioned more as a priest or chaplain to the people. In many ways he was the hireling who did the work of the church on behalf of the church. Then pastoring evolved into an emphasis on administration and management, with many pastors being seen as CEOs. Their focus was on building a structure to do ministry that coordinated mission statements, organizational structures and programs to make sure the church was carrying out its ministry. Increasingly pastors are encouraged to step away from such day to day supervision and control, to focus on casting the vision of the church and working with the Spirit to create a culture that embodies the DNA of Christ. Equipping people for ministry by teaching them core values, keeping their focus on what God is doing, and helping them discover and use their gifts in a way that serves God.

One of the deep and enduring challenges of pastoral leadership is for the pastor to be open to be a new kind of pastor as the needs of the ministry change, and helping churches understand that fruitfulness requires such change.