Note: A number of years ago I wrote the Parable of the Headhunter (republished on this blog on November 29, 2023) to help congregational pastor search committees to have realistic expectations as they look for their next solo or senior pastor.
The response to the “…Headhunter” was good, but I found that many church members continued to struggle with grasping the reality of what we might call “pastoral humanity” or “pastoral limitations.” In too many cases today, we are expecting one individual to have all the gifts called for by the Bible’s mandates for teams of elders, as in Acts 20:28-32, I Timothy 5:17-21, Titus 1:5-9 and I Peter 5:1-4.
I hope you enjoy it (part two will be published next week) and I hope you feel led to share it with: pastors struggling with the expectations of their church members, pastors struggling with their own expectations for themselves, pastor search committee members, church leaders and rank and file members who could be helped in their understanding of their pastors.
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We’ve all been to restaurants that had a “pick two” or “pick three” option, usually on the lunch menu. Decisive types typically enjoy this format. Indecisive types are apt to find them frustrating.
You know the drill: You get to choose one or two entrée items out of a possible three or four choices, one or two sides out of a possible five or six options and one dessert item out of two or three choices. If the entrée, of necessity, includes a starchy, carbohydrate-laden item like rice or noodles (the stir fry has to come with rice; the spaghetti has to come with…spaghetti) your side items might be little more limited.
It’s pretty much the same when we’re shopping for pastors, as you’ll see below.
Before we get into the heart of the menu, you’ll need to notice the guarantee at the top of the page: “All pastors come with Christian character and high emotional intelligence (EQ) or your money will be cheerfully refunded.” Sadly, sometimes we do have to ask for the refund.
Entrée Choices: (You actually get to choose two of the following)
(1) Highly motivated, hard-working preacher – Every sermon is meaty, chewy, nourishing and sometimes a bit hard to swallow.
(2) Highly motivated caregiver (otherwise known as a great shepherd) – This pastor parks his car in his garage backwards because he can’t wait to rush to the hospital to see you at 3 am.
(3) Highly motivated administrator/manager – This pastor will get everything organized in a snap. Your church will have all its ducks in a row and every row of chairs in a straight line, at all times.
(4) Highly motivated evangelist – This rare menu item is only available on one or two days of the week. He likes nothing better than to share the gospel with the lost. His sermons are mostly evangelistic in nature; it’s like having Billy Graham in town every week.
(5) Highly motivated leader – This pastor will inspire your congregation to take the hill. He has a vision and a plan and will motivate you to do amazing things. This menu item also has limited availability. You may not like the “Market Price.”
Before we go any further, here’s the most important notation on this menu:
While most of these five items are compatible with the other options – remember that you get to choose two – item #2 (the highly motivated caregiver) cannot under any circumstances be paired with item #5 (the highly motivated leader).
In the real world of your congregation, the highly motivated caregiver (#2) will need to be paired with someone who will function as the church’s primary “directional” (or direction setting) leader. If you do not choose such a person intentionally, circumstances will call on such an individual unintentionally and you may not be happy with the outcome.
Again, in the real world of your congregation, the highly motivated leader (# 5) will need to be paired with an individual or team of individuals who are willing and able to shepherd the flock.
Also, in the real world of your church, you need to know that if you choose a highly motivated evangelist, you may find yourselves disappointed with his Sunday sermons.
Likewise, the highly motivated preacher may seek to spend most of his time in his study, only emerging a few times a week to share the results of his research with his congregation. Some of these men find a secret pathway to take from the study to the pulpit which avoids contact with real people on the journey!
Finally, if your number one concern is to find a highly motivated administrator/manager (#3) to get things reorganized after the chaos left behind by your last pastor, you will need to make sure that this motivational drive is paired with one of your other choices, like the preacher (#1) or the caregiver (#2). If you fail to look beyond your candidate’s outstanding managerial abilities, you are likely to end up with a highly organized but heartless institution (which formerly felt like a family).
Next week we’ll look at the rest of the menu. You won’t want to miss the sides and dessert items! For now, make sure you at least read these five…
KEY QUESTIONS FOR YOUR CONGREGATION:
- What do the following passages tell us about the kind of gifts and abilities we should seek in a solo or lead pastor? Acts 6:1-7, Acts 20:28-32, I Corinthians 3:1-4:5, Ephesians 4:11-13, I Thessslonians 2:5-12, I Timothy 5:17-21, II Timothy 3:10-4:5
- What does our search committee, our governing board and our congregation want most in a pastor? (Is there any consistency here among and within these three groups?)
- Is the type of pastor whom the church desires the kind of pastor that the church needs, right now, and in the future?
- In looking at the type of pastor who is wanted by our congregation, are we thinking clearly, Biblically and objectively, or is our thinking significantly clouded by our experience with our last pastor? Are we over-reacting to that individual’s weaknesses? Are we in danger of going from one extreme to another?
- What would our denomination’s leaders say about the kind of pastor our church needs?
