You might have heard about the latest discussions happening on Wednesday nights in Fellowship Hall centered on the question, “Who Stole My Church?” Well, that’s a great question! But, to go alongside that question, I want to ask another, “Who Stole My Pastor?”
As we all know, the pastors of local churches have, in recent history, been charged with the responsibility of overseeing the Care Ministry. And they have done a great job. When we were sick, they visited, when we were grieving, they helped us cope, when we were lost, they helped us find our way. All in all, having a pastoral visit meant that we were cared for and connected to the church family.
In recent years, this dynamic has been changing across denominations and throughout the United Methodist Church. And it is very valid for folks to wonder, “why?” And as pastoral roles change and we don’t see our pastor at our doorstep so often, we may also wonder, “Who Stole My Pastor?”
Over the next months, let’s explore together some of the changes we see are seeing in Care Ministry— which ones are good, which ones are bad, and which ones bring us closer to matching up with the church that Jesus Christ has prepared us to be.
Over time, we will look at the following questions:
Who was the first pastor to show up on someone’s doorstep?
What is the definition of Care Ministry?
Why have things had to change in Care Ministry?
What’s so important about the title, “Pastor?”
What if the pastor forgets about me?
Can the pastor do it alone?
What priority should Care Ministry take in the church?
What priority should Care Ministry take in the community outside the church?
Who will preside over my funeral?
Who will preside over my child’s wedding?
Who is qualified to pray for me?
…and so many more…
Finally the answers to why we hired you… JK … but seriously… i think it will be helpful for ppl to see what your job entails and what we can do to help you… It seems like the youth leader and worship leader have plenty of help doing the things they need do sometime (they still need help) and you are left to do it all by yourself… now is the time where you can teach and lead ppl into what you need help doing… I’m excited…
Comment by Jesus Radical — August 3, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
After hearing the sermon today and reading your blog, my question is what is your job? If you pass everything off, then why are we paying you? Also, when are we going to stop hearing about how we don’t like change at each sermon? I am just curious.
Comment by Grace — August 23, 2009 @ 6:52 pm
That is a GREAT question. Why do you pay your pastors? And depending upon how you answer that question, will seriously affect how you responded to today’s (8/23) sermon.
If, for example, you pay your pastors to do all the ministry for you, then today’s sermon would have made no sense whatsoever. If, on the other hand, you pay your pastors to equip you to do ministry, then hopefully, that is what you took away today. Acts 6 is upon what the sermon was based; certainly not my desire to “pass” off my job. If that was the case, I would still be working in a cubicle in my old career:)
However, I can understand how it must be hard to sit in a pew and listen to someone ask you to do something you believe they don’t want to to do themselves, such as Care Ministry. If that’s the case, I hope you can be assured that all of our leadership does undertake Care Ministry to the extent that time, family commitments, and other ministry demands allow. We would never ask our parishioners to do something we weren’t doing ourselves.
Allow me to speak for myself when I say I feel like I cheat those I care for at hospitals, homes, nursing homes, etc. when I can spend only a short while with them, before visiting someone else or attending to other ministry responsibilities. True care ministry is a relationship formed around trust and growth. And that can’t be accomplished for a whole congregation by one person or even 5 or 6. It takes so many to care for the multitudes. That’s why we want to train as many people as possible at the first of the year so that everyone feels equipped.
I hope I’ve answered your question.
As for when you’ll stop hearing about not liking change…I’m not sure. When I took my preaching classes in seminary, my professors always told me to preach from the heart. I talk about change a lot, because I too, deal with fear and emotion around it. When you hear me preach, you hear my heart, good or bad, I guess.
Thanks for listening today.
Comment by kimberlyruthmiller — August 24, 2009 @ 12:05 am
Hi there. I just wanted to throw in my two cents. I want to answer two of your questions.
1.) If you pass everything off, then why are we paying you?
2.) When are we going to stop hearing about how we don’t like change at each sermon?
First of all, these are good questions. But if I may answer,
1.) Don’t look at it as if she were “passing off” her job. That isn’t the idea. The idea is for the church to get together as a body and be the church. It is more than sitting in a pew on Sunday and attending the dinner on Wednesday. It is a call that consumes our entire lives. We live, breathe, eat, sleep, and do everything else in the presence and company of God. When we let the Holy Spirit use us, we take care of the sick, we feed the hungry, we give a drink to those who are thirsty, we visit those in prison, we clothe the naked, and we invite the strangers in. This is what we, the church, are called to do. Not just Kim. And this is important. It is what separates the Christian from the rest of the world- and the consequences of not doing these good deeds is hell. (Check out Matthew 25:31-46)
Kim is a pastor, which means she is there to lead the flock- or teach… She is doing exactly what she is payed to do. That is, teach the congregation. And there are many other pastors in the church… it’s just that some aren’t payed. It is a gift that many people have. (Check out Ephesians 4) Also, it might interest you that that is exactly what Jesus did with his disciples… and what the disciples did with their disciples and so on and so forth.
This phrase, “why do we pay you?”, really alarms me as well. First of all, the money you tithe is set apart, not for your needs, but for God’s. When you give your money, you are giving it to God… God will do what he wants with it. Sure, some of it goes to pay the pastors, but church isn’t a club. Your tithe is not a membership fee. It is something you are supposed to be giving with a joyful heart. (Look at 2 Corinthians 9:6-15).
And Finally,
2.) We can’t stop hearing about change until we can embrace it. If things don’t change and adapt to their surroundings, they die off. How sad would it be, if 50 years from now, St. Paul’s is looking at closing it’s doors because the people no longer see it as relevant to them anymore. This will happen, and the surrounding churches who have adapted and are continuing to adapt to their culture will thrive and continue to grow and grow… that is, unless we become all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:22).
I understand that change is a scary thought, but there is nothing to fear when the Holy Spirit is leading it’s church. And that is exactly what is going on here. It all comes down to trusting our leaders, mainly PJ, Kim, John, and Karie. These are all spirit led people, and I wouldn’t doubt the direction in which the Holy Spirit is pointing them.
The biggest thing is this: there is nothing the church plans on changing that goes against what God has instructed through His word. If there was, then, there should be a cause for concern. But since there isn’t, accept the direction the Holy Spirit wants to move. And you can look at it like this, we still have the traditional service, and there are no plans to get rid of it. We still have the contemporary service and there are no plans to get rid of that either. There is nothing wrong with either service. Both are currently serving the purpose they were intended to serve.
I know these questions were directed at Kim, but I hope my thoughts helped too.
Comment by Jimmy — August 25, 2009 @ 3:35 am
I think you should preach change until people stop worrying about it… Karie is payed as a youth director she teaches on Sunday nights and plans events and is the go to person for a ? you may have about youth but she also has a trained team of youth workers who do a lot of work as well. So her job isn’t just youth but it is also to train people how to be ministers to the youth… My mom said the other day man why do they pay her and I said because she is like the brains of an operation and we are the hands and feet that get it done… HMMM sounds a lot like what is said in the bible about what the church is… Kim is in the beginning stages of what the youth team looks like. John is the same way he does the office work and trains people do do the work he cant by himself… why wouldn’t we want to back up our pastors like we do our youth and worship directors … Just because they are called pastors doesn’t make them have this mighty power to be everywhere at once…. Just trust what God is doing in your church life. Just because you may not understand or agree with what is happening doesn’t give you the right to bicker about… Get involved be the church of acts 2 42-47 and learn about whats happening and you’ll see that maybe it isn’t so bad
Comment by Jesus Radical — August 25, 2009 @ 2:34 am
Well said Jesus radical!
The role of the pastor is to teach, instruct, lead, and raise up leaders in the church.
That’s what we pay Kim and PJ for, and I think they’re doing a wonderful job of teaching us how to be disciples of Christ and training leaders in the church.
Also, I don’t think that we’re being preached a message of “change.” I believe we’re being preached a message concerning how things should be in the church. I think Kim should keep preaching about how the church should be until we look like what the church should looks like. I know that the pastors are preaching what God wants them to preach. We just need to trust God.
-Tesia L. Sheffield
Comment by Tesia — August 26, 2009 @ 6:15 pm
So I decided to move back in with my parents so I can get my life in order. Of course my parents were willing to help me out… with regulations of course one being that I stay clean shaven and don’t argue with my mom about subjects that make her mad…. Then my Dad told me something that punched me in the heart and feel like its happening to the church… He said you need to conform to main stream America to get the “American Dream” thats not what I want all… Now the church is doing the same thing we want people to come to Christ and we want to worship God… But we have conformed to what we think we need to look like, and are stuck with that image… We aren’t america and should never strive to be… So why do we think there is only one way to do things? Why can’t we open our minds past what we’ve been taught for generations…Lets fix what we’ve broken and over used, Then maybe we can truely reach out to people…
Comment by Jesus Radical — August 27, 2009 @ 2:49 am
I agree…
I get so ticked off hen people try to tell me that I need to conform with the American way of life…
Why?? Will somebody please just tell me why I have to do that????
If the reason is just because..”It’s the way that it’s always been done,” then I don’t accept it.
I feel your pain and frustration…..
I just wish we could figure out what to do about it……or take a risk.
Comment by Tesia Sheffield — August 28, 2009 @ 5:47 pm