Four Not-so-shocking Things I've Learned As A Pastor

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As I mentioned in my introductory article, I currently pastor an aging congregation in rural Appalachia. I’ve not been at it for very long, and to be honest I’m not the pastoral type, but this is where I find myself for now. It’s been a rewarding experience for which I’m grateful, despite its many challenges.

You see, the church is coming off of a long period of declining membership, finances, and community engagement. Prior to my arrival, it had been ten years since they had any form of consistent leadership. Basically, they brought me on board to help make the organization sustainable by rebuilding a vital ministry that people actually want to be part of.

It’s been almost one year since I began and although we’ve made some considerable strides together during that time, there’s no telling how it will turn out in the end. Building any form of community is hard enough; rebuilding one is even more difficult. However, I’m learning a few things along the way that I feel could be beneficial for some people to hear. At the very least, they could make for an interesting conversation starter. Four things stand out to me as I reflect on my experience this evening, so I thought I would share them here for your thoughtful review.

That said, here are four things I’ve learned as a pastor…

1. Building a missional community is easier said than done

Let’s be honest: It’s just not as sexy in real life as it sounds on paper. You can talk till you’re blue in the face about “serving Christ in the least of these” and people will say amen and feel all warm inside. But how many of them will show up to spend time with poor folks? Not many. In our consumer-driven culture, most Christians prefer the attractional model of church which serves mainly as a dispenser of spiritual goods to meet people’s felt emotional needs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that per se, it just doesn’t always follow that folks who attend such churches will be committed to embodying the way of Christ in their collective life together.

2. Innovation is not the Church’s forte

I realize this isn’t news to most people, but it’s still worth pointing out. We humans really do like to stick with “the way it’s always been.” Most of us are practical conservatives in reality even if we claim to hold progressive ideals in theory. I guess this is understandable, because change is always difficult and most leaders aren’t equipped to lead people through it. Our traditions may be boring and largely irrelevant to the needs of the present hour, but at least they’re comfortable. Of course, I realize the problem here is more with traditionalism, which Jaroslav Pelikan calls “the dead faith of the living,” than with tradition itself, but you get the idea.

3. Rural faith communities are unprepared for the post-Christian wave that is just beginning to hit their shores

Most of them, at least. This conviction has continued to grow in me over the past year. It’s basically the whole premise underlying this blog. The times, they are a-changin’. They’ve been changing for a while now, but it always takes longer for cultural trends to show up in the country than in the city. What we’re seeing in my area, aside from a general decline in church attendance, is a sharp decrease in the number of college students at our local university who identify as Christian; you can’t just assume a faith background or affiliation the way you used to be able to do. And among those do who remain connected to a traditional congregation, genuine engagement is on the way out.

4. There’s not much I can do about any of this, and that’s alright

I’ve fought against this reality for a long time, and in some ways I still am, but I suspect it’s best if I just accept it and get on with my business. Does that mean I’m not committed to the work of building healthy community in the name of Jesus? Not at all. In fact, the social movement aspect of the Gospel is about the only thing that keeps me connected to Christian ministry as a vocation these days. It just means that I’m no longer attached to a particular outcome like I was before. As Michael Caine said, “Obsession is a young man’s game.” Idealism always bows the knee to reality in the end.