Some Churches Never Learn
By Frank S. Wells

A friend of many years called recently and after we exchanged greetings she said, “Frank, I am on the pastor search committee for my church, and we need some help.”

She went on to describe the trauma of their experience with the last pastor. He announced soon after arriving on the field that he would chair all committees in the church. He declared that they were getting rid of the chimes, and would no longer sing the doxology. He also terminated the organist who had served for many years, and exchanged the hymnal for a book of choruses. He indicated that they would soon project the words of the songs they were singing on a screen.

“How long did you all tolerate that leadership style?” I asked.

“A year,” she answered, “and I kept quiet, but I don’t plan to do that again! We need a pastor for an old traditional church who will love us and be our pastor, as he leads us into the future.”

The horror stories are endless. A Virginia church suffered through nine months of a kind of pastoral dictatorship. He dismissed all the committees, indicating that he planned to make decisions for the church. He arrogantly gave the edict from the pulpit, “From now on it is my way or the highway.” Fortunately, they showed him the highway and he took 60 members and started a new church. Obviously a church does not suffer a great loss in losing members who would follow such an individual, but the damage to the fellowship in terms of trust and momentum was immeasurable.

The pattern is predictable. Either committees are dismissed or dominated. Worship style often is unilaterally changed, ostensibly to reach people. That is certainly a legitimate concern in designing worship, but there can be the hidden agenda of alienating the existing congregation. Leaders who dare to question are labeled troublemakers and are marginalized as soon as possible.

I promised my friend that I would help her and her committee find a pastor. I will also suggest to her a list of key questions to be asked of prospective pastors concerning leadership style. A resume should be carefully evaluated, with doctorates from diploma mills constituting a bright red flag! Secondary references from a candidate’s community should be sought beyond those he lists, since it is obvious that a pastor will provide names of these who would be positive in their statements about him.

The vital questions in the search process involve determining if the candidate is a Baptist:

• Does he believe in soul competency, the priesthood of the believer, and the autonomy of the local church?

• Has he bought the heresy of pastoral authority being propagated in the Southern Baptist Convention today, or is he committed to servanthood inherent in the New Testament definition of pastor?

• Is he willing to meet and love a congregation where they are as he leads them in new steps to growth and spiritual maturity, or does he plan to come with a dog and pony show that will turn a church upside down and enhance his efforts to move to a larger church within a few years?

• Does he understand the church’s decision- making process, and will he work within it?

• Does he serve the local church or the denominational bureaucracy?

Many of the most important things the church does to express the love of Christ cannot be reported to the convention. A pastor scores few points in the denominational rating system for caring for the elderly, salvaging families, meeting physical needs of the poor, all vital components of Jesus’ ministry — the scoreboard primarily tallies baptisms, and trips to the bank to forward funds to the convention office.

Of course, growth involves change, and change often moves us out of our comfort zone. However, a loving pastor who involves his people in making decisions about steps in new directions in worship and outreach can implement change in a constructive fashion. He also can make a commitment to the church where he is serving without preoccupation with the next rung on the ladder of success.

The trickle down effect of denominational conflict makes the efforts of Mainstream Baptists essential in state convention affairs. I talked with a pastor in Alabama recently who described the interrogation a nominee for the State Board of Missions went through recently to determine if he were conservative enough to serve. We can rest assured the fundamentalists will have complete control of that board if Mainstream does not participate effectively in that process and the election of convention officers.

I am convinced that efforts to help churches find Baptist pastors is a vital part of the endeavor to influence future directions of our denomination and is essential to the well-being of local congregations.

Frank S. Wells is a retired pastor and former missionary who serves as minister to senior adults at First Baptist Church Enterprise, Alabama.

April 2002