Tag: leadership

Disappointed in some Corners of the Church of the Nazarene (USA Version)

On By Rob Prince5 Comments

Sometimes I’m disappointed in my tribe. Not my local church mind you (I’m super biased but Flint Central Church is a great church). No, I’m saddened by USA/Canada version of the Church of the Nazarene. Here’s why: a highly qualified female candidate was not elected to be the lead pastor in a local church (in this case, the District Superintendent was strongly supportive of her. It wasn’t his fault that she wasn’t elected). I’m convinced there was only one reason for her failure to reach the two thirds threshold required by the Manual. She is a female. In far too many places, we will let females be our children pastors or our youth pastors, but that’s it. In far too many places, a female pastoral candidate has no chance of becoming the lead pastor.

It’s a local church issue, you might defend the tribe. I wish that were the case. I wish it were just one local church with a lack of biblical understanding or a lack of Nazarene history and tradition or because (I hate to write it) misogynistic attitudes among the congregation that voted against the over qualified female candidate. But is it a local issue? I’m not so sure.

Yes, we (finally) have a couple of female District Superintendents in USA/Canada (two  in USA; one in Canada). Are three out of 80+ districts really worth celebrating or should we be weeping?  Yes, we have a female General Superintendent. But even she was never a solo pastor. I sometimes wonder if even Carla Sunberg would be elected to be the lead pastor in some of our churches. Of the COK churches (larger churches in USA/Canada), there are only three female pastors (Shawna Gaines at Trevecca Community, Selena Freeman at The Well in Springfield, MO and Beth Nelson at Prairie Heights in Fargo, ND).  Again three out of top 100 or so churches isn’t a great record. Just ask former Nazarene large church pastor, Tara Beth Leach, of the remarks and attitudes she encountered and had to endure in our tribe. It’s not a good report. 

Maybe it’s time for the USA/Canada region to learn from the Asia Pacific Region. That forward thinking region has a “Women in Leadership Coordinator” on its regional leadership team. Dr. Lynne Bollinger is serving in this role. It seems that USA/Canada needs to think of better ways to develop and elevate women in ministry too. But it’s not just giving a seat on the leadership team that’s needed. We must educate our people of the numerous Biblical references of female leaders. We need to call out misogynistic churches and leaders and remind them that “our sons AND DAUGHTERS will prophesy.” We need to confess that our polity (we have always ordained women) and our actions have not always matched.  

To be sure, there are other problems in the church in America. It’s not always easy building a growing, Christ-honoring church in our current culture. Our leaders have a lot on their plates. Prioritizing the endorsement and encouragement of female leaders will help us in dealing with some of these other issues. God speaks through women. We need them. We need their voices.  Just as God used Miriam and Deborah and Esther and Mary Magdalene and Phoebe and Priscilla and… well you get the idea… God will use today’s female leaders if we give them the opportunity. 

When “Ghosted” Rely on the Holy Ghost

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

To be “ghosted” by someone is to end all contact without warning or explanation. Every pastor (who has been in church life for very long) knows the hurt that accompanies this response by parishioners. It’s disheartening when a pastor invests in a family’s life; been beside them in some of their most difficult circumstances and then the family leaves the church. Usually this occurs over a minor issue, that is, if the pastor ever discovers the true reason for the hasty exit.

Such “ghosting” is not limited to the wandering sheep of the pastor’s flock. Pastors have been “ghosted” by their district superintendent. They hear from their leader only if their church has failed to pay their apportionments, if at all. Denominational leaders ghost pastors too. Don’t return calls. Hedge on the truth. Are less than forthright. It happens. 

Disappointment in people (whether lay people or denominational leaders) is part and parcel with life in the ministry. People are people. They are broken. They sin. They lie. They go on social media with such nonsense. It hurts. It’s not new. Disappointment in people’s decisions have been around since Adam and Eve first grabbed the forbidden fruit in the garden. Still it hurts when people behave in such ways. The knife cuts even deeper when the hurt comes from people one has loved and respected.

Dismayed by such “ghosting,” often pastors feel all alone. As it happens again and again, this disappointment in lay people coupled with indifference from leadership has led many pastors to throw up their hands and quit. Ironically, when the pastor walks away, lay people and church leaders then attribute the minister’s exit to “burn out.” Failing to recognize that their ghosting silence and indifference led to the pastor’s demise. All this to say, it’s tough being a pastor these days.

To the laypeople and church leaders reading this: Don’t neglect the local pastor. Their job is immense. It’s hard. They are on the front lines of the Enemy’s attack. They need cheerleaders not mudslingers. They need people they can count on–  that have the pastor’s back, not those who will put a knife in it. They need encouragement, not silence. 

To the pastor’s reading this, you’d expect me to quote Jesus words that He will never leave you or forsake you. That’s true, but you already know that. Maybe you’d think I would remind you to keep your eyes on Jesus and not people. That’s also true, but I surmise you already know that too. Here’s my word for the disheartened and discouraged: You are not alone. You are not the only one who feels the way you feel. I’ve been there. All good pastors have been there. Press on. Don’t quit. Love those sheep who have stayed. Pray for those who have left and the clueless leaders who do not understand your plight.

Maybe what’s needed most is this:  Grab a cup of coffee at an out-of-the-way shop. Read a novel. Take a nap. My prayer for all of us (Church leaders, pastors, lay people) is Paul’s prayer for the Roman Church (in King James English): Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13 KJV. Allow the Holy Ghost to renew your “ghosted” and heavy heart.

(Edited to read:  To my dear friends at Central Church who might be reading this, we have so many encouragers at our church! If every pastor had parishioners like Central Church there would be far less walking away! Thanks for your love and generosity).

Who is to Blame for the Declining Worship Attendance in the Church of the Nazarene? 

On By Rob Prince3 Comments

If John Maxwell’s maxim was correct that everything rises and falls with leadership, than what leadership role is to blame for the USA/Canada Church of the Nazarene falling attendance? The six General Superintendents? The 78 District Superintendents? The 11,003 elders in USA/Canada? All of the church boards and Sunday School Superintendents across the country? You? Me?

Yes.

We are to blame. All the people who call themselves Nazarenes could look in the mirror and ask, “what more could I do?”

We can talk about broken systems and less than qualified people in various roles. I have had church leaders lie in my presence; be enraged for no reason; display a lack of holiness and the opposite of every aspect of the fruit of the spirit. I can name leaders who’s record would indicate that they have no business being in a leadership role, but they are. I’ve seen church politics, nepotism and the tit for tat happenings for years. You have your stories of bad leaders too. Still, we must all accept some responsibility for declining numbers.

Of course, it is harder to pastor these days. Yes, social media stinks. Our culture is circling the drain. There is an angst than has never existed. A recent poll says most young people have left the church because of church hypocrisy. You can read the survey here.  We know the survey is true, even casual observers have seen hypocrisy in the church. It’s harder to reach people these days. Who doesn’t know that? It does not negate this overwhelming truth: people still need Jesus. 

Are we doing everything we can to help people find Jesus? Are we working as if the King were coming tomorrow? Are we? Am I?

HONESTY ALERT: I can work harder. I can try more. I can pray more. I can and I must. You can too. This isn’t a guilt trip. It’s reality. People need Jesus. Lots of people need Jesus. The road is wide that leads to destruction (Jesus’ words, not mine). While we are doing more important things (that was sarcasm), people are dying without Him. There is nothing more important than people discovering Jesus. Nothing.

Past generations took evangelism seriously. We are not universalists (everyone makes it to heaven) but if our attitudes towards the lost and dying around us is an indicator we might as well be. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. You know the verses. They are still true. 

Who is to blame for the lack of evangelism? We are. We all are. Don’t complain about the denomination, the GSs, the DSs or pastors. Take a plate of cookies to a neighbor and begin the long hard work of earning the right to share the good news of Jesus Christ!  Don’t be hypocritical. Live out a real, authentic faith, then invite friends to dinner or coffee and eventually church.

It’s not the pastor’s job alone to be an evangelist. It’s all of our job. What are we doing about our friends, neighbors and family members who are walking on the wide road. Past generations worked hard to get those folks on a different path, the narrow road. 

What are we going to do about it?

What if Pastors (including DSs) were Compensated Equally?

On By Rob Prince4 Comments

Could Acts 4:32-34 be applied to the way we operate our churches today? The plural use of “churches” is intentional because this passage and the one in 2 Corinthians is often applied to a “church” (singular). But what if the verse was applied to multiple churches on an entire Nazarene district or (or if I were really radical) across denominational lines.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-34)

The Macedonian churches were applying the activity of Acts 4 way beyond their local setting. Paul wrote how the Macedonians responded to the financial crisis of the Jerusalem church: In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people (2 Corinthians 8:2-4). 

Have you seen any churches (not those in “extreme poverty” like the Macedonians, but any church, anywhere) welling up with rich generosity, not for their own wants and desires but, for a church down the road? Have you seen them giving “beyond their ability” to give to bless another church? Have you seen any church “pleading… for the privilege” to give to another church? Raising money not so that local church could build a nicer sanctuary, but raising monies so the church down the road could keep their sanctuary doors open or provide a living wage for its pastor. 

Radical Idea Alert: What if churches across a district or region pooled their monies and every pastor was compensated equally. What if we compensated faithfulness or years of service or academic achievement. What if size didn’t matter. While we are at it, what if District Superintendents were included in the same salary pool. They were likewise compensated on years of faithful service just like every other pastor on the district. No more. No less. 

Back-to-reality Alert: Who’s kidding who? In the first century preachers were not getting paid (don’t tell Karla) and there were no church mortgages or sound systems or denominations or… well… you get the idea. We all agree there are differences between the 1st and the 21st century. But what if we shared a little more than we do? Collaborated a little better. Prayed together more often. What if churches and pastors acted more like teammates rather than competitors. What if instead of becoming territorial if another church is planted in one’s area, we rejoiced. What if some churches had food pantries and other churches in the same area distributed baby supplies or helped out with utility bills. 

What if churches shared people resources too. What if musicians or singers or masons and carpenters would freely work at churches other than their own. What if pastors in stronger churches were willing to step in and help in creative ways with struggling churches. What if church folks stopped being/thinking like the rest of the world with a “me first,” “my family first,” “my church first,” or “my country first” selfish mindset and instead had a kingdom mindset of rich generosity to all. 

Maybe the New Testament church got some things right (minus the hot mess known as “Corinth First Church”). Maybe, just maybe, if churches today were blessing others, like the church in Acts 4 or the Macedonian churches, God’s grace would powerfully be at work in all our churches. 

Only 49 USA/Canada Nazarene Pastors Are Under 30— A Few Suggestions to Address the Problem

On By Rob Prince6 Comments

On January 1, 1990 Karla and I packed everything we owned into a U-Haul and drove from Alanson, Michigan (where I had been the youth pastor) to Bad Axe, Michigan. It would be my first church as a solo pastor. I was 26 years old. By today’s standards, I would have been a rarity.

There are 4,331 lead pastors in the Church of the Nazarene in USA/Canada, only 49 lead/solo pastors are under 30 years old. Moreover, just 10.1% of the pastors are under 40; where as 40.1% are over 60.* These statistics lead one to ask several questions:

  • Is God not calling young people into ministry these days?  
  • Are young people not heeding the call?
  • Do would-be, young Nazarene pastors disagree Nazarene theology and polity**
  • What is happening and what will happen when these old pastors start retiring if there is no one to replace them? 

Clearly, the dwindling of young pastors is a problem. What can be done to increase the total of ministers under 40? It begins in middle school, maybe earlier. Here are a few suggestions:

Pastors modeling Christlike behavior. Seeing more young people called into ministry begins with healthy pastors modeling before the congregation a life in the Spirit and a joy in the calling of God. 

Preacher’s talking about the joys of pastoring. Not every assignment is a joy, but faithful pastoring is rewarding. Being able to share the joys new babies in baptism or dedication; experiencing the new birth of a young teenager in Christ; having the best “seat” in the house for weddings; helping families through the rough patches of life; and saying the closing words at the funeral of a saint are the joys of pastoring that cannot be overstated. Good, godly pastors are the best antidote for more pastors.

Parents/grandparents speaking kindly and appreciative of those in the ministry. Much of a young person’s knowledge of the ministry comes from what is spoken about the clergy in their home. Gossip, backbiting and hateful words are heard and remembered by children. Likewise, kind, appreciative words go a long way in establishing a respect for the ministry.

Professors speaking favorably of pastoral ministry. In particular, speaking positively and expressing the need for small town pastor in the college classroom. Many ministry majors have been steered away from pastoral ministry from the horror stories heard in the university. “Small town or small churches are small for a reason,” they’ve been told; “people are stuck in their ways; they won’t listen to a young pastor;” and “a small church will eat you up and spit you out.” Such lessons, while may be true is some cases, but do not help encourage those 30 and under to become small town/small church pastors.

The denomination could offer the elimination student debt for ministers of small churches. Making pastoring a small church more affordable should be a priority for the denomination. Getting creative with funding of small churches is essential. Many churches have unloaded their parsonages in the last twenty years and now cannot afford to pay a young pastor (often saddled with debt) a living full time salary.

Districts setting up small town/small church grants could also assist with making small church pastoral assignments affordable. Districts could set up funds to assist pastors salaries or health insurance costs. This is not a totally new concept. When I was pastoring Bad Axe, the district paid half our health insurance, since the church could not afford it. Similar incentive plans to assist small churches which would help in the recruitment and retention of pastors in smaller settings. Most districts have enough excess funds to afford an incentive program. 

Church members recognizing they have two choices: get younger or die. Choose the former, then do whatever it takes to convince a young pastor to come to the church and then do whatever it takes to support that pastor. Choose the latter, do nothing and watch the church die a slow agonizing death.

Sadly too often young people have been given a negative picture of small churches from bad pastors, gossip in their homes, negativity from some college professors, the lack of affordability and have decided, “Thanks but no thanks.”  Churches must be willing to turn over the keys (and purse strings) to a new generation of pastors; district superintendents must be willing to endorse and support young pastors; and young men and women must heed the ministerial calling or there won’t be a church to turn over to the coming generations. 

*The numbers only reflect lead/solo pastors. There are plenty of pastors who serve as associate pastors in some capacity who are under the ager of 30. Some of them will become lead/solo pastors. Still 49 pastors under the age of 30 seems like an absurdly low number. 

**The argument that 30 and under people have disagreements with our theology and/or politics of many people in the churches seems more antidotal than factual. For example, many young people agree with the church’s traditional Biblical position regarding human sexuality. They don’t support with the all-too-often posture toward those who disagree. They don’t like the anger and hatred spewed. Many love Jesus and the church. 

How much is too little (in pastoral compensation)?

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

Last week, I wrote on the extreme high salaries in Christian ministries and colleges. The question was “how much is too much?” Maybe the more accurate question for the majority of those in ministry is: “how little is too little?”

The majority of churches in this country are under 100 people. The average church seats 200 people, the average attendance is 60 people and dropping. There are plenty of discouraging numbers regarding the de-churching of America. You can read about it here.  With each former tither walking out the door, the question looms: How can a minister survive with declining attendance and declining offering totals?  The hard reality is: she/he cannot. 

It used to be at an interview for a prospective minister: “Does your spouse play the piano?” Now the question is: “Does your spouse have a job that can support your family and provide health insurance too?”

There aren’t many good answers to the dilemma of a church unable to pay a livable wage. Here are the choices:

  1. Second Career Pastors.
  2. Muti-point charge. (pastoring multiple churches)
  3. Bi-vocational pastor
  4. Pastor with spousal financial support
  5. Close the church doors.

(Let me also add, if a church cannot afford a livable wage for a pastoral staff member, DO NOT call one to the church. It is the duty of the church to provide a livable wage to the full time pastoral team).

There are problems with all of the above options. The possible problem with a second career pastor is: does this group have adequate theological/pastoral training? Pastoring multiple churches is getting past the mindset that a single pastor is always at a particular church’s beck-and-call. The problem with bi-vocational pastorate is the minister has only 24 hours in a day to juggle family/church/job. Most generally something suffers in such an arrangement. Not all ministers have spouses and not all of the pastoral spouses have the ability or desire to provide the financial support for their family. It’s obvious, closing the doors is not favorable outcome. 

Each church/pastor will need to decide what is the best option for their circumstance. These criteria should be considered:

  1. A full time pastor deserves a full time salary and benefits in line with what school teachers or social workers in the area are compensated. 
  2. If the financial situation of the church cannot afford a full time pastor, then the church body must understand their reality that a full time pastor is not an option. Either their pastor will be bi-vocational; or two (or three) churches must join together for a muti-point charge and the pastor will be like the old Methodist circuit riders (only with better transportation and technology). The church must be flexible in other words — in meeting times and in their expectation of their heart divided pastor in a multi-charge or bi-vocational situation .
  3. It’s a choice between closing the doors or having a pastor that is not always available.
  4. It is difficult (not impossible) to grow when the pastor is divided either between multiple churches and/or secular employment. Don’t expect your pastor to be the next Billy Graham or Apostle Paul.

How much is too little? In my first assignment, we were paid below the poverty line. We were young and didn’t really realize how poor we were. We were eligible for food stamps and free baby items through social services. We chose to accept neither and trusted that the Lord would take care of us. He did, but ours may have been the exception. It was a different time, back then. I’m not sure we could survive now in such an environment.

If too little is given to compensate a pastor, an unintended outcome of bitterness developing within the pastor or more likely the pastor’s family is real. The cost of pastor’s desire to reach the world in the midst difficult financial circumstances may be his/her family. If this unhealthy attitude develops, then the question of “How little is too little?” is a game changer. Moreover, if too little is given, the pastor will also more than likely have too little on which to retire (although I am very thankful for the Nazarene Pensions and Benevolence matching contribution change in 2024. You can read my article here). Again, the inability for adequate retirement planning is not a good desired outcome for the pastor.

Churches need to assess their current reality and not continue to expect a pastor to survive on too little. The cost of such expectation toward the pastor and his family is too high.