The old adage that a pastor should never change anything in the first year is not wisdom.
community anyway, and this allows them to step away quietly. Perhaps they’re longtime members who just can’t get on board with the new pas- tor and his way of doing things. No community stays stagnant
forever. Tere will be a temptation by the new pastor and the congre- gants to want to keep these people by hook or crook, but sometimes this just needs to happen for one reason or another. Tis particular transition will require trust, honesty and the ability for the congregation to love people enough to let them go if they have to leave.
3. Worship will change. Your previous pastor had that folksy charm. Tis new minister has a love of icons, pulpit preaching and wants to talk about moving that Saturday night service to Tursday night. Whatever the change may be, worship will be different. Sometimes this is welcome news, and some- times this will cause deep anxiety. Te old adage that a pastor
should never change anything in the first year is not wisdom. While no pastor should tailor services solely to his or her preference, worship will evolve somehow to reflect the strengths of the presider. Te community will have to be
honest with one another and the new pastor while not being obstinate or obstructionist. Aſter all, worship is more about God than the individual in the pew or the body in the pulpit.
Author bio: Brown, pastor of Luther Memorial Church of Chicago, contributes to The Lutheran’s “Reflection” page. His blog is at https://reluctantxtian.
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4. New life will spring forth. It will. Probably in unexpected places. Te new pastor will bring his or her own hopes, ideas and energy to new and existing pro- grams and projects. New life will certainly spring up. Te congrega- tion must be adaptable, embracing these new sprigs of life and harness- ing this energy to spur on ministry in other areas.
5. You will love each other, by God. Tis last one is the most important, of course. When given the time and space to be free and honest with one another, and when they are intent upon living together in community, the congregation and pastor will, by God, love one another. Since that is the second greatest commandment, it should be a priority. If gossip, hard hearts, unrelenting egos and ambition get in the way,
this fruit of the new relationship will surely whither on the vine. But when we give each other the author- ity and space to welcome new people, let people go, embrace godly change and encourage new life, love will grow and flourish and infect the church like a mustard weed, allow- ing the gospel to take root. Te call of the church is not just
the pastor’s, and the church is not primarily the parishioners’. It is God’s call; it is God’s church. We just enjoy the responsibility and joy of stewarding both. Tis, then, becomes the role of
the pastor and the congregation when a new call is taken: steward- ship. Both must look to steward well—not by force or by ego, not by demanding uniformity or being unwilling to change, but by seek- ing out the God who draws people together so they might go out in mission for the life of the world.
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