Do We Have a Senior Pastor Problem?
I could continue with other examples, but I think you get the idea. In fact, you probably have had a similar story or two. You likely know people who have endured the same experience or something close to it. And if not, then you’ve heard about them in the news.
- Willow Creek was rocked by a scandal involving senior pastor Bill Hybels
- Mars Hill Church closed because of controversy around senior pastor Mark Driscoll
- Newspring senior pastor Perry Noble resigned over self-admitted alcoholism
- Prosperity gospel pastors like Creflo Dollar continually draw criticism over lavish lifestyles
The list goes on. None of these examples tell the whole story, but they do start to form a pattern. Even if there is forgiveness and reconciliation at the end of each story, it still starts to paint the Church in a very negative light. And it begs the question: do we have a senior pastor problem?
That’s not to say every senior pastor is bad news—far from it. The majority of the senior pastors I know are good people who want the best for their church and community. Most of them work hard, make wise decisions, and generally avoid controversy. But those aren’t the stories we notice.
Where the Senior Pastor Problem Comes From
Even the good, non-controversial pastors have something in common with the flawed leaders—they’re all imperfect people. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. These men and women (but mostly men) do so from a place of power and influence. When they fall, people notice.
We place a higher expectation on those who lead our churches—as we should. As leaders of our community of faith, they are role models and figures of influence. We should hold them to a higher standard. But the issue comes when we expect them to bear this burden alone. Or—even worse—when we expect them to be perfect.
Pastors are expected to counsel the issues of their congregation. Yet, they’re often the ones who often need the most counseling. They’re supposed to help us with our temptations. Yet, they’re the ones are most going to be tempted. Think about it—if Satan was going to undermine the message of the Church, who do you think he would attack first and hardest?
Even those pastors who don’t fall from grace face other issues. Think about celebrity pastors like Andy Stanley and Steven Furtick. They’re perhaps more well-known than their respective churches. Which is not a bad thing on the surface. But what happens when it comes time for them to retire? Have they built communities that will outlast them? Hopefully, but they’ve become so ingrained in the DNA of their churches that it will likely make for a bumpy transition.
A church was never meant to be about one person (other than Jesus), no matter how great a leader or dynamic a speaker. If we put our hopes and expectations into a human being, they’ll always end up disappointing us. Yet, so many of our churches are built around cults of personality.
What’s the Alternative?
Is there a solution to this senior pastor problem? I don’t claim to know the answer to that question. The first thing we need to do is earnestly ask ourselves if we have an issue. I honestly want to know if the Church has a senior pastor problem. Only when we answer that question can we start to create a solution.
However, I do have a few thoughts on how to make things a little easier.
- Make pastors replaceable. It might sound weird, but good leaders are the ones who make themselves replaceable. They know the church is about more than them. It’s easier to do everything yourself, but it’s better to delegate responsibility to others. Build other leaders around you and train them to outlast you.
- Hold pastors accountable. Boards of elders are supposed to be in place to be a safeguard against pastors abusing their power. But too often they enable this abuse. This is what happens when you let a pastor build their own board of people just like himself. Instead, create an independent board that serves as a watchdog for the church.
- Give them a break. As much as we need to hold them accountable, we also need to cut pastors some slack. Give them some grace for minor mistakes. Allow them to be imperfect. Give them a literal break. Taking the occasional vacation or sabbatical can keep a church leader from burning out or losing their integrity.
- Hire more women. I know this will be controversial. Several denominations don’t allow females to be church leaders. And I’m still not sure why. We honestly have to ask ourselves if this is somehow connected to some of the issues we face with senior pastors. Would we have the same problems if there were more women in charge?
- Delegate responsibility. At the end of the day, the church still needs someone in charge—someone to set vision and make the tough decisions. But they shouldn’t have to do it all. So share the responsibility of administration and preaching with other people. It puts less pressure on one individual and creates a tighter-knit community.
- Force change. I grew up in the United Methodist Church, which rotates all clergy members around churches each year. This introduces its own issues of instability, but it also helps prevent stagnation and abuse of power. There’s a balance to strike of how often you change, but it is healthy to shuffle leadership every so often.
Plenty of churches and pastors have already figured some or all of this stuff out. These are likely the congregations that we don’t hear about because they’re the ones who avoid controversy. These are the churches who are quietly doing God’s work without allowing their pastor to get in the way.
