What it means to call a Minister?

 

I am a firm believer that the movement of Ministers among Southern Baptist

Churches is slightly strange. There are very few times when it is a "perfect"

fit. This brief paper is not meant to become a guide to making it a perfect

fit. It is meant to perform a service and allow you to see this process from

the other side, the minister's. What it is meant to do is to share with you

from the heart of the author some thoughts that may help your next called

staff member and the church come to a very harmonious nd fruitful relationship

quickly that can last significantly longer. I am a Minister of Music and

Youth, and the son of a Southern Baptist Pastor, so I have experienced the

moving from both views, child and parent. I am not called to be a pastor so

perhaps my view is a little bit different from that of the Pastor, then again

maybe not.

Where do you start?

Decide exactly what you want; do you want a Minister, or do you want someone

who will merely tickle your ears and make you feel better; do you want him

"full-time" or "part-time"? Theologically what do you want; traditional

thinking, or a creative thinker? Do you want a man who is a a gifted teacher?

Do you want a man who recognizes his own spiritual gifts and want to polish

them? Do you want a man who is gifted in direct one on one witnessing? The

list could go on forever do you see the problems that this can lead to if

these issues aren't clearly defined? Will the church bring a new Minister on

staff with or without a job description? This is a major point, have a job

description, give it out have the church approve it. If you need help with

this contact your state office of Ministerial Services, they can help. Or

contact this author for a copy of a generic job description which can function

as a starting point for your church to write one of your own.

Understand what the prospective staff member's definition of success is for

his ministry. If what the church defines as success is significantly different

there can be a major conflict. Will he be married or single? And if married

will there be children? [You must understand children bring to the church a

responsibility as well.] Will his spouse work outside the home? You may ask,

why does that matter? Very often, in the smaller urban church and prevalent in

the rural churches, the church wants to get two for the price of one, and when

these expectations are not clearly defined it is wrong. If you expect that

minister's wife to do something, tell him or don't get mad when she doesn't

come to the meetings, that the church thinks she aught to attend. Get the

point? What education will be expected of this person? I will deal with this

issue in another article all together later.

When these criterion are voted on by the church, the next step is to decide

where you will go for possible names of people fitting the criterion. Will you

seek information from a state denominational office? Will you go to the

denomination university and interview? Advertise in the state denominational

paper? These decisions are made and now you have some resume's arriving. You

have prayed over these people and are inviting one to come "in view of a

call." What a name for it. Let us call it what it is an audition.

The typical way of doing it, the prospective Minister of Music and/or Youth

arrives on Sunday morning, is whisked off to do opening assembly for the Youth

Sunday School, the kids look him over. The teachers listen to his style of

speaking and try to catch some of his theology. Then in 10 minutes before the

service while the choir is getting ready for the service he is to tell them

the way that he does a service, and the anxiety level is rising, and goes into

a service with for the most part clock eyed baptist and heaven forbid that he

do anything different than was done before for risk of being constantly

questioned. Maybe in the afternoon he meets with the deacon board and does

Youth Choir and then the evening service. Then comes the vote! It is unfair

not to tell the prospective staff member exact percentages of yes and no. This

is a bold statement of what support he can expect should he feel lead to come

into the situation. How should it be done?

Start on Saturday, and you can start early. Schedule a Youth activity at least

two hours long, have an Adult Choir rehearsal Saturday, allow time to meet

with the keyboard people before Sunday morning. For a pastor: schedule a

meeting with the Sunday School teachers Saturday. And a come and go fellowship

to meet the prospective staffer for Saturday evening for the whole church. And

don't try and keep the prospective staffer entertained all the time, if he is

married allow them time alone together, just be courteous. Then "get your

money's worth" out of Sunday.

If you want a Minister and you call him to be your Minister, then it is a sin

not let him do what he is gifted of God to do. He will not be happy, nor will

his family and this will lead to ineffectiveness in the end. Make it very

clear from the start to the staff member and to the church what is going on in

this adventure of calling a cleric staff member, the church is not hiring a

secretary that can be fired at will you are coming together as a body of

believers seeking God and believing Him for this man to be the person to fill

a need in the church, a covenant relationship.

What to expect from a married minister? You should expect and allow his own

family to be on the same plain of importance as is his calling. I have made

the statement that I do not believe I was entrusted with a family to put them

in jeopardy for the sake of a church feud. And I believe there is scriptural

basis for this. If you are hiring a vocational minister, then don't put

unneeded pressure on him when he says, "This is my time for my family and me."

As a church you must understand the level of pressure that is on a minister of

your church and allow ;him time for himself and his family. It should be

included in the job description that the minister will have one morning a week

off and a different afternoon off. Don't call him at these times unless it is

an absolute emergency. There is pressure that creeps into all aspects of their

life, professional, spiritual, marital, and family. A minister is not an 8-5

job, if the minister chooses to spend a day at the zoo with the wife and

kids, let him, and don't criticize him. If there are young kids in the home,

and you have Sunday School class with parents of similar age range kids, make

a rotation calendar where the minister and his wife know that regularly the

kids will be out of the house and they can have time to themselves. This

should be a free act of love you give to your minister and his wife. They

minister to you, you aught also to minister to them.

If you expect your ministerial staff to office in the church building then

provide them with office space that is workable and functional. Be willing and

ready to modify the work environment some.

From the prospective of the program, expect changes! This is a new staff

member he will do things different and if you call him then you are in effect

saying we believe in you and you come and lead us. If you are honest about

this lead stuff, then be leadable. If you are not willing to allow him that

courtesy then don't extend a call to him. That is sin, you hurt the

prospective minister and you hurt the church.

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This next section is primarily dealing with the calling of Associate

Minister's not with the calling of the pastor.

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A minister with multiple years of experience has developed their own approach

to ministry, if this is not compatible with that of the pastor then there will

be major problems. Let me explain, when a program works don't change it but if

it is broke fix it. The seven most demeaning words to a creative thinking

minister fresh on a new field are, " We've never done it that way before!"

Don't be afraid to try things ! Failure is not negative.

The bible makes it plain that we all have different gifts, my gifts are music,

helps, and counseling. My strong suit is not one of one on one witnessing/soul

winning. Does that make me an ineffective minister? Not at all, if you expect

me to do what I am not gifted with then we will have problems. My view of

success, whenever I move on from a youth related ministry point is; if there

are at least half a dozen or so teens in that church who are now equipped to

stand and look the devil in the face an "Yea, I'm a Christian, what are you

going to do about it?" then I am successful. If you judge my success by

different standards than what I use then I maybe a failure in your perception.

God is the head of the church. And when a minister diligently seeks after God,

then the church should be willing to follow, and this means the pastor as

well. The pastor, should be pastor and let God be God. [Forgive me I got a

little heavy there.] The new ministerial staff member is responsible, yes to

the pastor, but his ultimate authority is God on high. Don't tamper with

divine order. Of course I want my pastor to be happy with the work that I do,

but I am more concerned with pleasing the heavenly Father. Pastor, if you are

working with multiple member staffs, with other professional minister, be

willing to learn and give some, compromise. The seven most detrimental words

in a Baptist Church these days are "We've never done it that way before", next

on the list would have to be "I don't like it so don't do it, it won't work."

If you have a pastor that is an iron hand manager then it is unfair to call a

man with multiple years of experience. If you have a pastor who has not worked

with multiple professional staff members then go to a college and seek someone

with no experience that will make the fit a bit better.

And that's good.

About the Writer

James N. Fancher is the son of a Southern Baptist Minister(retired) and

personally has served some six churches in Oklahoma and Mississippi during his

time in the active pulpit ministry of the Gospel. He holds a B.A. in

Management from Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, OK and is presently

working toward M.Ed. from Central State University, Edmond, OK.

James is available to consult with local churches on matters of personnel,

music, church business administration, or any other matters of the church

where an outside look at the situtation would be needed. The expenses to the

church are very reasonable, travel expenses plus a small consulting fee, which

is negotiable depending on the needs of the church and the situation. Feel

free to write to me and I assure you of a speedy response.

James and Terry Fancher have been married for eleven years and have two

children, J.C. seven, and Melinda Kay four.

They presently make their home in Bethany, OK, and are active members of

Council Road Baptist Church.

Concerning this White Paper

If you find this piece of value to you either personally or professionally a

contribution to this author of $5.00 would be in order. If you intend to use

this in your church and mass produce this paper, then you need to contact the

author for a release to make the needed copies and make arrangements for the

payment of the appropriate fees, which will prove to be significantly less

than $5.00 each, the writer's concern is to make a reasonable profit(a workman

is worthy of his hire), but of utmost importanct concern is to get the

information out to the church body.

This document is copyrighted and mass reproduction of this work, without the

consent of the author is illegal, and immoral.

You may contact this author through SMCIS BBS, 301-862-3160/1527 HST's in the

General Conference of the NewLife Christian Network or on any other BBS that

carries the NewLife Net....


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