Tag: ministry

We lost them

On By Rob PrinceLeave a comment

Several years ago, the Church of the Nazarene made a decadal emphasis on reaching the next generation. A powerful video was made announcing the effort (see it here).  “You’re losing us” multiple minors warned. The video closed with various children telling their ages in ten years. Several years later, I’m curious where those kids are now?  Did we, in fact, lose them? My guess is, in many cases, we did.

In the decade that followed the video, budget cuts eliminated positions in the global children’s ministry leadership team. If memory serves, we announced the children and youth emphasis, then did nothing about it. No real follow up was offered. So now, a several later, most Nazarene churches have fewer children than they did ten years ago. Our decadal emphasis did nothing. Many churches have less than five children who regularly attend. Some have zero kids and no prospects of reaching any. Those churches are dead. They just don’t know it.

A quote attributed to C.S. Lewis is true (no matter who said it first): “Children are not a distraction for a more important work, they are the most important work.” It’s time to move Manual paragraph 922 regarding the Value of Children and Youth out of the appendix and onto the front page. Every church (Every. Single. Church.) should prioritize reaching boys and girls for Jesus. Turn the worship services into a training centers. Turn potlucks into prayer sessions. Understandably, not every church can afford a “children’s pastor,” but no church can afford to forget about the children in their communities. Every pastor must become a “children’s pastor” no matter his/her role in the church.

We don’t need another Bible study for people who already know the Bible. We need mentors and tutors in elementary schools. Allow the boy or girl scouts or children advocacy groups to meet in the building. Host trunk or treat events. Offer free babysitting to single moms or invite support meetings for foster parents. Make an all-out, anything goes, no holds bar effort to reach boys and girls for Jesus. We need a true emphasis on reaching boys and girls, not just a well-produced video. 

The future of the denomination hangs in the balance. Reach children or die. 

Note: Thankfully some positive signs are afoot. The addition of Global children’s discipleship advocates, Trey and Candice Brooks, is a great start. They are terrific. I just hope it’s not too little too late.

There are 31,354 Clergy in the Church of the Nazarene, Here’s What you Need to Know

On By Rob Prince1 Comment

There are 31,354 clergy in the Church of the Nazarene. 19,321 elders. 893 deacons. 11,140 district licensed ministers. Of the 19,321 elders, exactly 11,003 are from USA/Canada. 

As one of the 31,354, I am proud of my co-laborers across the globe. Obviously I don’t know all 11,002 of my fellow elders in USA/Canada. I am sure there are a few stinkers in the bunch, but just a few. 

Here’s what I know about Nazarene clergy: they work hard. They don’t often get paid well. Until this year, their retirement stink, stank, stunk (thank you P&B for greatly improving the denominational investment in the retirement plan). Pastors are loving, kind, and generous. There’s not a lot of complaining from them, just a lot of praying and preaching and visiting the sick and the million other jobs of a pastor. Social media has made their job infinitely harder; the cultural circling of the drain has made it harder still; and pastoring in an election year makes it even harder than that. Still they faithfully serve. 

Pastors aren’t perfect (neither are you, non-pastors, who might be reading). Pastors are usually strong, but sometimes are weak. Usually right, but sometimes are wrong. Usually preach good sermons, but sometimes preach a bad one. Usually use good discernment, but sometime mess up. Usually are thrilled to be serving in their location, but sometimes want out. Usually lead well, but sometimes get off track. Pastors are humans, in other words (again so are you).

Most folks in the congregation would say they love their pastor and they know she/he loves them. You probably feel this way, so why tell you what you already know? Simple, don’t let the social media naysayers allow you to think that (your pastor excluded) the other 11,002 USA/Canada Nazarene pastors are goobers or worse. If you watch the internet too much, you’ll hear of moral failures and a bugaboo elder or two, but that’s the minority. The extreme minority. Again, most Nazarene pastors love Jesus, the Church of the Nazarene and their flock (well, most of the flock. There are a few goober laymen too… but not many). The vast majority of Nazarenes pastors and people (my antidotal guess is 99.8%) are trying hard to serve Jesus.

We’ve all heard the saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” In our social-media-gone-mad world, maybe the statement if relating to the clergy in the Church of the Nazarene should read “the squeaky two hundredths of one per percent of 11,003 get the notoriety.” Pay little attention to the hullabaloo. Social media stalking of the sinful or heretical borders on mindless chatter at best and gossip at worst. You’ve got better things to do—like telling your own pastor that you support her/him; praying for him/her; and appreciate his/her efforts to lead the charge against the Enemy in your hometown. 

Laypeople reading this might not be able to encourage all 31,354 Nazarene pastors, but I bet you could cheer on one or two! Pastors reading this know you have 31,353 other pastors in the Church of the Nazarene who just like you are doing their best to represent Jesus! Be encouraged. The overwhelming majority are faithfully serving (just like you). And to the teeny tiny minority of pastors who’ve had their struggles, sins, trips and falls, please remember the One who called you is still faithful, even if you haven’t been. Ministry might be out of the question, but you’re not too far gone, no matter what you or others might think. Confess. Move forward (in ministry or not). Finish the race. 

All this to say, most (not all, but most by far) of 31,354 ministers in the Church of the Nazarene love Jesus and want to see His Kingdom built wherever they are serving. 

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. 

One Statistic to Drop from the Nazarene Annual Pastor’s Report (APR) and Five Stats to Add

On By Rob Prince4 Comments

It’s the Nazarene Pastor’s Annual Report (APR) time and the all Nazarene pastors around the world shouted a collective “UGHHHHHH!!” As much as pastors don’t look forward to filling out the form (think of it as an ecclesiastical version of the IRS 1040 Form), the APR is an important tool for the denomination. It provides all the statistics of churches, pastors, attendance and offerings. It’s a pained necessity.

But the APR is not perfect. There are some things counted that makes one think the leaders-that-be are still in 1974. For example, why count Caravan* numbers (if you are asking, “what’s Caravan?” You’ve proven my point. For the uninformed according to the Foundry website, Caravan is a scouting—or kids’ club—type of program for children in first through sixth grade… Caravan uses an active, hands-on learning approach to help children grow physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually. Caravan focuses on teaching everyday skills with a distinctly Christian focus). Of the 4417 churches in USA/Canada in 2023 only 196 reported having a Caravan program. Canada only had 3 of their 145 churches report a Caravan program. If over 95% of churches (98% in Canada) aren’t running a program– is it worth reporting? (Note: Haiti and Papua New Guinee love Caravan; they account for 1/3 of the Caravan enrollees).   

If the numbers are meant to show church health, the Caravan program fails to meet this standard. Aren’t there better things that should be tallied? Of course, here are a few more relevant indicators of church health that should be counted:

  1. Children’s Bible Quiz. These numbers are not reported but the church thinks highly of this program as evidenced by the “World Quiz” at General Assembly. As far as I know, there is not a quadrennial “Caravan round up” or an alumni gathering of Phineas F. Bresee Award winners.
  2. Teen Bible Quiz. While I assume that there are more children quizzers than teens (I know there are more at the church I pastor), still teen Bible quizzing seems like a legitimate statistic to track. Again, there is world quiz meets at GA or NYC gatherings. Teen quizzing can be an important discipleship tool.
  3. Youth involvement in church ministries. Getting youth involved in the ministries of the church creates ownership in the church. For there to be a “church of tomorrow,” youth must be involved today. Tracking youth involvement is a key indicator of a healthy intergenerational church both of today and tomorrow.
  4. Number of volunteers working in ministries within the church building. Like the previous indicator, this number would track (at least somewhat), the “buy-in” of church folks into the programming of the local church. This year-to-year assessment could show if the ministries of the church are growing or producing more disciples and leaders.
  5. Volunteer Hours of the church membership outside of the church walls. This number would indicate both missionally and evangelistically how involved or not involved the church is in the community. Seems like an important number to track.   *Tracking hours could be difficult but following this number year-to-year would help evaluate the strength of the missional aspect of the church. If tracking hours seems too difficult, counting participants could also be done.

There are probably other indicators that could be counted to help determine the health of church. Counting these five areas is a start. 

*Written with apologies to heavenly Rev. Milton Bunker, one of the creators of Caravan and former member of the Flint Central Church of the Nazarene. It’s my contention, Caravan, at one time, was an important discipleship tool for children, but has run its course. 

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.