Featured Staying in the pulpit

UH no that is a general description without being specific.

 

Very true some deacon eat Pastor for breakfast. I had one who used me as a whipping post. He finally left the church because he couldn’t deal with the number of people who loved me and stood behind me. The whipping he gave me only made me stronger.

 

Good for you you sound like a keeper.

 

Praise God that is great!

 

I was told by the 'matriarch' that she was going to come to the parsonage and pack my sXXX and send me back to Florida.

 

When I go to where I am currently at I had one man who was the Treasurer, chairman of deacons and trustee. His wife was the secretary. she used to call me "boy". they are no longer here.

 

So the moral to that story is don't mess with Tom or you will disappear.

 

Out of curiosity, who did the bylaws designate to preside over business meetings?

 

The pastor at my daughter's previous church in London, retired after serving since he was a young man, He said he would stay and help them choose a new pastor. When the new pastor was inducted, he stayed on. I said you are going to find it difficult, but he said that he would be happy to hand over.
After a year or so, there arose a disagreement between the old and new pastors. The old pastor was supported by a number of his family and friends and the new pastor resigned. At that time the deacons left the church as well as many members. My son in law and another man were proposed as deacons, but both were not elected and both resigned.

My daughter and family moved to the home town of her husband and the church he was brought up in. A few months before they moved , the new pastor from the London church was invited to the pastorate of the church they would be going to and as he knew they would be going there, he asked my son in law what he thought. he answered "I would be delighted." he has served well for several years, and sometimes comes and takes our mid week bible study. He led it this evening in fact.

 

Praise the Lord

 

I believe that God will give them their due. I wonder sometimes what their real motives are.

 

Alrighty then!

 

I will kept your family in my prayers

 

I can only speak for what I have experienced or viewed. Pastors leave because they have run the ship aground. It is usually not the ship was going to run aground anyway but rather the new pastor abruptly changed her heading. It is the change in heading which created chaos. Prior to this they were happy swabbies and without a proper building up of shareing information between the congregation and the he who is he helmsman. It may be a brief encounter but even if he is a song and dance man crosscurrents cannot change most of the time. They just get bigger. How big? That depends upon how much damage was done by the degree of changing course. Most of this simple indiscretion will never be forgiven and surfaces when the pastor is presenting new course corrections. It has become difficult for pastoral navigation and the pastor choses to find easier work. Most of the time without examination of self.

The others is the pastor's wife. She is not what the people expected. Maybe it is her attitude toward faith. Remember she is not the minister, when in actuality the pastors wife has a closer relationship to parish woman than Mr. Pastor. When her persona is even tarnish in the ladies minds she loses her luster and becomes unhappy. After a while of freeze out the wife is ready to leave. Remember it is the ladies of the church hire pastor and through their husbands carry a lot of clout.

I have another idea. The pastor gets bored. there is not enough work and he has to remain at their beckon and call. HIs boredom is he can do a good sermon in a day or two, if a special need occurs like a death he become central figure again and feels useful again but the is short lived.Over years of experience he learns to study the word of God. Deeply, carefully. It was not till I recognized I was a typical Rabbi. My value was to be able to teach, answer difficult questions. There is no answer to bordom but enlarge the job description and look at the sheep and their needs.

I have lived through these transitions and just love the work.

 

What a great statement! I live it. My wife refuses any idea I should ever be alone with a woman. Even a female employee. I am almost 75 and looking to find not another wife but another church. I think I like the wife she will last longer than the church