Study guide


By Robert C. Blezard


Finding a match: A work in progress T


he prospects for new pastors are different from the way they were just a few years ago, as our


denomination continues to change with the times. How will your con- gregation adapt to a changing land- scape of church and ministry?


Exercise 1: Has your church changed? God’s church is always evolving to meet the world’s needs, as it should, but the Great Recession and other factors are pressuring churches to make especially painful changes. As they tighten their belts, congregations face tough choices.


Discuss: How has your congrega- tion fared? How has its membership, attendance and budget changed? Is the tenor of church different now? What has caused the changes? How has your congregation coped? Is the outlook different now? What gives you hope and cause


for optimism?


Exercise 2: Pastor salaries Many congregations can’t afford to call a full-time pastor. Look at the salary guidelines for your synod and discuss:


Does your pastor receive at least


Blezard is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Arendtsville, Pa. He has a master of divinity degree from Boston University and did subsequent study at the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.) and the Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia.


the minimum recommended? Is that adequate for the workload, expecta- tions and level of training? Are pastors sufficiently compen- sated for their work? How do mini- mum salaries compare to average pay for other


professional occupations in your com-


munity, such as police officer, fire- fighter, schoolteacher, registered nurse or pharmacist? Would church members be more willing to help fund a pastor’s salary if they knew more about what pastors do and what they are paid compared to other professionals?


Exercise 3: Pastor debt load With an average cost of $12,000 per year tuition and living expenses ranging from $15,000 to $26,000 per year, a pastor spends upward of $102,000 for a traditional seminary education, according to the ELCA Fund for Leaders (www.elca.org/ fundforleaders). Many of them graduate with tens of thousands of dollars of debt and incur monthly student loan payments between $300 and $600. Many simply can’t afford to serve smaller churches. Discuss: Beyond paying a salary, should congregations help pastors and other rostered leaders repay stu- dent loans?


Can your congregation make a gift to the ELCA Fund for Leaders? Can your congregation make a donation to an ELCA seminary?


Exercise 4: Pastoral expectations As congregations feel the pinch from declining membership and reduced revenue, is it appropriate to revise the job description of pastors? In many churches, pastors are asked to meet a wide range of expec- tations: to be CEO and CFO, resident theologian, fundraiser, administrator, on-call crisis counselor, evangelist- in-chief, youth worker, chaplain to the aged and infirm, Sunday school superintendent, preacher, pastoral


counselor, worship leader and cheer- leader. What are the expectations your congregation puts upon your pastor?


Now put the expectations in the order of current priorities. Are cur- rent priorities directed at maintaining the church or growing the church? How would they have to be changed to follow a growth model? How could congregation members assist in streamlining and focusing the pas- tor’s duties?


Exercise 5: ‘Tentmaker’ ministry As fewer congregations can support a full-time pastor, many are looking at “tentmaker” models—named for Paul, who worked as a tentmaker while preaching and teaching (Acts 18:1-3; 20:33-35).


Discuss: Is that a good idea? How would your church cope if your pas- tor had to drop to half time? What aspects of your pastor’s job would you eliminate? Which tasks could be done by volunteer lay leaders or part- time clerical staff?


Exercise 6: A new way to be church? What is your congregation’s understanding of what it means to be a church? How do the prior- ity duties of the pastor support that understanding? Is the current understanding work- ing well for your congregation? If not, is God calling your congrega- tion to be a different kind of church? What might that be? How would your congregation’s focus and mission change? How would you revise your pastor’s job description to accommo- date that change?


This study guide is offered as one example of the more than 300 that are currently available on The Lutheran’s website. Download guides—free to print and Web subscribers—at www.thelutheran.org (click “study guides”).


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