Some pastors leave parish ministry for a time to work in another setting (such as hospital chaplaincy) or find secular employment. All the pastors in our survey were currently serving in a local congregation, even if employment elsewhere previously interrupted their time in parish ministry. Some pastors have remained in local church ministry throughout their employment history—these are lifelong parish pastors. Higher percentages of growing churches are led by pastors in this second group, those spending their entire career in parish ministry, than stable or declining churches. Again, when growing congregations consider all the desired qualities and qualifications of pastors, they often seek leaders with uninterrupted experience.
Pastors with longer service in their current church. The number of years a pastor serves a church shows an interesting relationship to numerical growth. Pastors in growing and declining churches have served those congregations longer, on average, than leaders in stable churches. To help a church grow takes time—to build trust, develop realistic strategies, and achieve results. Perhaps the longer service for declining church pastors reflects that they have stayed too long and are no longer effective in that church setting (see Figure 7.6).
Deals with church conflict. Most pastors deal with conflict over finances, church programs, worship service changes, and leadership styles at some point in their ministry. Around half of all congregations (56%) went through some minor conflict in the past two years. Because growing congregations employ diverse outreach strategies and face growth-related issues, it is likely that not everyone agrees about the best way forward. In fact, 7% of growing-church leaders report the congregation experience minor conflict, compared to 42% of declining-church pastors.
Pastors with high enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment. As pastors in growing churches see tangible outcomes of their leadership, they feel more enthusiasm for ministry. Leading in a growing church also goes hand in hand with a greater sense of accomplishment.
Pastors expressing low satisfaction with their spirituality. The opposite trend appears with regard to satisfaction with one’s personal spiritual life. As the percentage of growth increases, pastors report less satisfaction in this area. Perhaps pastors in declining congregations have more discretionary time for prayer and devotional study.
Unimportant factors. Many pastor characteristics (including marital status and theology), call characteristics (such as time spent in various pastoral responsibilities), and well-being measures (for example, physical and emotional health) are not relevant to church growth.
Our ideas about pastors tell us more about ourselves than about them. Their office, calling, and authority place pastors in a unique position to make a difference. Nonetheless, pastors and worshipers are cocreators, collaborators, and copilots for the congregation’s future. If the dynamics that carry congregations toward growth are like currents in a wide stream, leaders and worshipers must swim in it together. If worshipers’ expectations are like tourists’—enjoying the scenery but investing nothing in the life-flowing waters before them—they avoid responsibility for their congregation’s ministries. Rather, all who are involved in the congregation must acknowledge and embrace their shared responsibility for the growth of the church.
Questions for Pastors
• What are the congregation’s actual core values (not their preferred values) that explain members’ motivations and behavior?
• What process is the church using to transform desired values into core values that drive congregational effectiveness?
Questions for Lay Leaders
• Does your congregation spend more time looking back at the past or more time discussing how to press on toward the future?
• What sacrifices are you willing to make as a church to ensure the congregation’s future?
Profile of Growing Churches
• They represent one in four congregations
• Have fewer worshipers older than 65
• Attract many new worshipers, staying ahead of departures and deaths
• Attract more of the unchurched or first-time worshipers
• Offer an engaging vision for the future
• Are more often led by first-career or lifelong pastors
• Experience some conflict
What About Female Pastors and Growth?
Only 28% of mainline Protestant pastors are women. However, they are overrepresented in growing churches—almost two in five growing-church pastors are female.
