How Long Should You Stay?
The Magic Year for Ministry Success
by Charles Arn http://www.churchgrowth.net/
There is an undeniable relationship
between pastoral tenure and church growth.
Several years ago, a study by the
largest Protestant denomination in the country found a startling relationship
between the length of time pastors had been in their churches, and the growth
or decline of those churches.
Their finding? Approximately
three-fourths of their growing churches were being led by pastors who had been
in their churches more than four years, while two-thirds of their declining
churches were being led by pastors who had been in their churches less than
four years. Their conclusion (with which I agree):
Long-term pastorates do not guarantee
that a church will grow. But short-term pastorates essentially guarantee that a
church will not grow.
So, why do pastors leave their
churches? Here are the results of one study where pastors were asked that
question …
There is an undeniable relationship
between pastoral tenure and church growth.
While most growing churches have
long-term pastorates, and some non-growing churches have long-term pastorates,
it is almost unheard of to find a growing church with many short-term
pastorates. Frequent change of pastors seems to negate all the other
complicated ingredients that go into a church’s growth mix.
What
To Do About It
If you are a pastor, personally and
publicly commit to staying in your church for least seven years. (The average
pastoral tenure is less than four years.) You may get an itch to leave sooner.
But if you stay into the sixth or seventh year, you will likely begin to
experience unsurpassed effectiveness and fruitfulness.
Once you get past year seven,
there’s a good chance you’ll want to stay much longer. I agree with Roger
Parrot, who says: “Lead as if you’ll be there forever! Imagine that the
organization and position you are in right now is what God wants you to do for
the rest of your professional life.”
I was curious about pastoral longevity
in the Wesleyan Church. A more comprehensive and correlational study should be
done, but last week I called the 25 largest churches in our denomination to
find out:
1) When the church was founded.
2) How long the present senior/lead
pastor has been at the church.
3) How long the previous senior/lead
pastor had been at the church.
What’s your guess?
Senior pastors in the 25 largest
Wesleyan churches have been serving in their position for an average of 17.8
years!
The previous pastors of these same
churches had been there an average of 15.2 years. And four of the churches are
being led by their founding pastors, who have been there an average of 18.2
years.
Of course, it may be demotivating to
imagine being in a church where you see no likelihood of a growing ministry or
influence. But why not have faith that there is sufficient opportunity where
God has placed you in that church and community … and your task is to tap into
it?
Don’t fall for the myth that greater
ministry is somewhere else! When you plan to stay where you are for the next 20
years, you will approach your ministry with a commitment that will be unshaken
by the winds of change, challenge and time.
But …
If you’re thinking, “Well, that’s
good advice for most pastors, but … ” don’t let these excuses masquerade as
reasons to move:
- More money. Human nature is always dissatisfied,
however much we make.
- Conflict. Another characteristic of human nature:
Conflict is anywhere there are people.
- You’re getting stale. Commit to being a life-time
learner. It will keep you and your church in touch with today’s issues.
- Greener pastures. See Philippians 4:12.
- Boredom. To quote Rick Warren, “It’s not about you.”
- Burn-out. Whether you have reached that point or not,
take time to retreat and renew.
- An exploratory call. We all like to be liked. But just
because a church is calling doesn’t mean God is.
- You’re out of sermons. If that’s your reason for
moving, I suggest you shouldn’t be in the ministry.
- Too much pressure. So your next church will be without
pressure? If your motivation to move is to avoid pressure, see the
response above.
If you are a lay church leader, the
next time you look for a new pastor, make intended longevity a criteria. If you
are a denominational leader, encourage pastors to remain faithful rather than
abandon their church in difficult times.
I believe there is a relationship
between the three following statistics:
1.
A pastor’s most productive time usually begins in years five, six and seven;
2.
The average pastoral tenure in Protestant churches is less than four years;
3.
Nearly 85 percent of today’s churches are not growing.
It’s sad that the vast majority of
pastors miss their most potentially fruitful — and enjoyable — years of
ministry.
Remember the Apostle Paul’s wise
counsel: “So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right
time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now,
therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all,
starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith” (Gal.
6:9-10 The Message)
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