Thursday, February 09, 2023
Should the preacher shortage really matter that much
My church heritage is in the churches of Christ and we are in a preacher shortage. It is real. Preachers deciding it is not worth it. Quitting from burn-out. Not many young men being encouraged to preach. Smaller churches are really feeling the crunch.
And the way our churches operage this shortage is critical.
Because we are a preacher centric fellowship.
The preacher does 90% of the teaching. The smaller the church, the closer to 100% that is. The preacher serves as the face/spokesperson for the church. He visits the hospital. Does the counseling.
And takes the blame if things do not go well. Criticism of him and often his family. Pressure.
Hard to really be a part of the community of faith. Because he is different.
Everyone thinks they know how he should do his job. Even if they can't.
Elders that can fire him when it is not going well.
Much like a coach, preachers are hired to be fired. After all, they are they easiest "fix" for declining church membership.
But before we start criticizing elders and the way our churches operate...
Preachers bring much of this on themselves. They want to be the lead pastor. The senior minister. They want to do the vast majority of the teaching. They want to be the face and voice of the church. They want to be paid well.
And to be honest, most preachers are not that good. You will not find many people that know the Bible, communicate it well, are insightful counselors, well-known and liked in the community.
Unrealistic expectations from preachers and churches.
I know preachers quitting because of how they are treated by elders. And I know men who will never serve as elders because of how they were treated by preachers.
Preachers. There are not enough competant ones to go around.
Almost everyone agrees we are in a broken system and that there has got to be a healthier way to do church. And to do preaching.
I will share a few thoughts on a different way to do things in another post, but I do want to acknowledge that church as we know is probably on it's last legs.
You cannot have a preacher centric model without preachers.
: 4:10 AM PST : 3:49 PM PST Going back to your statement: "I know preachers quitting because of how they are treated by elders. And I know men who will never serve as elders because of how they were treated by preachers." I've got a question about that. How many members know these things? I'd suggest that David Wray and Eddie Sharp could write books on such things because they minister to numerous preachers and elders. Should the church know? Or is ignorance bliss?
Our culture continues to change. The arrival of streaming offers opportunities for small churches to get good "preaching" wherever they are located for only a minimal investment in equipment. The need for local leadership will remain. Speaking personally, that was my failing. I didn't do the mentoring to help the leaders we had and prepare the young ones.
<< Home
