CREEDE HINSHAW: Thoughts on pastoral turnover in some churches

A friend sent me a link to a brief article about why some congregations run through pastors so quickly. Having served local churches for 36 years, and in retirement having served a few churches as an interim pastor (and preparing to do so again in the near future), I eagerly read the analysis, which I found rather shallow.

Five reasons were given for churches changing pastors so often, and every one of them blamed the local church itself. I don’t know whether the writer of the article had ever served a congregation or not. Maybe he had many clergy friends who have unburdened themselves to him about dysfunctional churches.

I concede that some congregations undoubtedly chew up clergy almost for the fun of it. A popular book a few decades ago described congregations that were “clergy-killers.” The premise of that book was that some congregations are so dysfunctional that, like trying to tame a bronco, no pastor could stay in the saddle too long.

I never served a church like that, but I have friends who did, and it was more than sad to see them broken by a largely impatient, inwardly turned, cruel and spiteful congregation.

Thus, the brief article offered a small insight into why some congregations face so much pastoral turnover. Churches sometimes have power groups who will not change. Churches sometimes refuse to budge from hoary tradition. Churches sometimes do not want newcomers. Churches sometimes blame the pastor for all their ills.

But the writer of the column could have improved his analysis by recognizing that sometimes a congregation continues to go through pastor after pastor because the pastor him- or herself is ill-suited to serve as spiritual shepherd to a flock.

Pastors, as much as I wish it were otherwise, are not blameless. Some of us are autocratic, some of us are theologically rigid, some of us get defensive very quickly, some of us are manipulative or greedy or immoral or just downright lazy. Some of us have lost our first love and are worn out. Sadly, it’s possible a congregation could receive (or hire) a succession of pastors who turned out to be very unqualified to serve in that role through no fault of the church.

When I was sensing a call to the ministry, I received this advice, which at that time I didn’t quite understand: “If you can do anything else but preach, do it.” Those words seemed cryptic and cynical, but I came to see the truth in them. Unless a pastor feels — and continues to feel — absolutely compelled to serve God, the effort will end in failure or frustration or both.

There are no perfect congregations and no perfect pastors. It should come as no surprise that mismatches occur. Any church that has suffered through multiple short-term pastorates probably needs to take a close look at itself, but I wouldn’t too quickly conclude the church is the main or only culprit.