Shortage of Pastors

[Duke]

Is there really a shortage of Pastors within The SBC? So often I have written to churches and have been told, often point blank, because my BS is from a secular school I was not qualified to pastor their church. Sometimes this was revealed at a later date by a member of the pulpit committee. I agree my theoology is often, as my wife puts it, "outside of the box," as I was saved after 40. But my main question remains.[glow=red,2,300]Is there a shortage of Pastors in The SBC?[/glow]

[Tom in SA]

Allow the Lord to guide and if the the door is not opened, then you would'nt want to be there anyway.

The qualifications that a church imposes for pastoral leadership are for many purposes:
1) To guard against false teaching
2) For the sake of congregationalism
3) For a status symbol
4) To uphold a certain tradition

If the purposes have been prayed about and they are out in the open from the beginning, (as I always try to assume), then one can trust the impositions. If on the other hand, as is often the case, the church is not seeking the Lord's will, but rather to satisfy some need that is often not explicit, then there is nothing that we can do, but to accept the conditions. The Lord will mold the church without you or me. In most cases the churches are trying their best to do right, but have gotten some bad advice concerning what to require of pastoral candidates.

I have not heard that there was a shortage of pastors. It seems that there is an immediate response from pastors seeking placement. This is probably part of the problem. I would be curious to know if someone has information about a shortage.

[BLB]

I don't really feel that there is a shortage of pastors. In fact I believe that there is an abundance of pastors. Our six seminaries turn out a few thousand new ones every year. Percentage wise, as opposed to those retiring our leaving the ministry for various reasons, it is large. It seems that every church that is pastorless may receive as many as 2 or 300 resumes.

[Shiloh]

There are twenty Baptist preachers for every bush. Your best bet is to find a pastor that will bring you on as an Associate/Assistant Pastor for a couple of years or look to the overseas mission field. There is always a shortage there and your secular degree may help you there as some countries won't let you in as a missionary, but will let you in if you do your secular job. You can then start a church in your home and train a national pastor.

[DrJ]

;D I'd often wondered why there are so many people standing around bushes. Now I know that they're all Baptist preachers. I used to say that here in Texas there are a half-dozen unemployed Baptist preachers hanging from every tree. That got slightly misinterpreted (I think) since folks started asking me, "Jist what did they git hung fer?" Actually, a half-dozen hanging from every tree in Texas really isn't all that much since there aren't a whole lot of trees in Texas. On the other hand, 20 sittin' around every bush--now that's a bunch, 'cause Texas is crammed full of bushes. Now and again we send them out of state to be President. I had previously thought all those people hangin' around our President were Secret Service, but now I know that it's just a bunch of Baptist Preachers

with their "flat-tops" and sun glasses. I guess we learn something new every day. "'preciate tha infermation!"

[DrJ]

Oh, I forgot to mention. I went to a secular university, then to a Southern Baptist Seminary, then a General Association of Regular Baptist Seminary and then a Methodist Seminary (to see what others thought & that's a whole other can of worms) and ultimately got a D.Min. from an independent, Presbyterian related, seminary. There are few people both in and out of the theological boxes of the Church as am I ("I've looked at clouds from both sides now"--whatever that means). It's a background that scares conservatives and liberals alike because they just don't know what niche to stick me into. So, I understand declination by association and/or declination by non-association. Fact is that people are scared to death that there's a possibility that they may hold some theological error, and they simply don't want to risk the possibility that someone might tell them about it. Instead of seeking a pastor who is searching the Word of God for truth and encouraging them to do the same, they want a pastor who isn't likely to lay any truth on them that they don't already believe. So "out of the box" theologians are scary critters to much of the Church. We should be scared of "out of the Word" theologians, but being in the Word can sometimes get a person "out of the box".

I guess the mission field is a good alternative if that's where God has called you. The pastorate is equally good if that's where He has called you. Driving a truck is equally good if that's where He's called you. The point is that your over-riding issue is "what has God called you to do?" If He's called you to be a pastor, the "box" and the "numbers" don't add up to a hill of beans. His call is all that matters. Now, sometimes His call involves a different process of getting there than what we envision. He may want you to start a new congregation. He may want you to go back to school--seminary in the denomination(s) of which you feel He's leading you to be a part. He may want you to.....well, you get the picture. I can't tell you what His will is for you. He can. He will, as you are open to His leading on a step by step, everyday basis. That's really where all of us are. We look for the "bolts of lightning" that proclaim, "I want you to do...." (whatever), but most of us get our directions on a day to day, step by step basis as we seek His will in our lives each day. In that process, He opens up the "big picture" when He desires to do so, to the degree He desires to do so.

He does so in His time (which is almost never the same as what we want), based on His calling, regardless of "boxes" and regardless of the typical views of particular congregations.

keep praying and keep trusting that God will do His thing in you and through you. Beyond that, don't give it a second of worry or concern.

[Shiloh]

Out of curiosity, doesn't a missionary pastor at least until he gets a native preacher trained? Then he goes and starts another church. If God called you to pastor, you may only be arguing over location and whether you will have one church for life or many. Trust me, few Amercans get a church for life anymore. Your flock may not be of this fold.

[Shiloh]

By the way, to be frank, with your varied school background, if I was on a pulpit committee your resume would never see the light of day. We have life long Baptists that don't know what cloud they are looking at let alone for a church to consider a PresbyBaptaMeth. Nothing personal, just the way I see it and it would appear that I am not alone.

[enoch]

Dinnae feel bad DrJ, ye are no alone.
I was raised Romanist, saved while attending Presbyterian, Charismatic and Independent Baptist churches; attended a Church of Christ bible college and have served in the SBC for the last 20 years plus.
Everyone wants to label each other. The only label that counts is the one that identifies us as followers of Christ Jesus.
I hae gone toe to toe with many members on this board in the past over deacons.
In many churches the deacons end up in charge of the Pastor Search Commitee. I think this is ironic in that they probably got rid of the former Pastor. It is also sad because many Pastorates go empty for extended periods of time when the Pastor Search Commitee will no choose because they enjoy the power oer the church. This is not true in every case, but unfortunately in too many cases.
And some churches enjoy the luxury of paying a Pulpit Supply Pastor a pittance instead of paying a Pastor his due.
Well, I hae probably opened a can o worms again. Have at it gentlemen.

[Shiloh]

You are right most of the folks calling the pastor are the lads that probably unjustly fired or drove the last one away. Many are carnal, power mad lads that have no clue how to do this scripturally and probably know little Scripture period.
However, they have the people fooled and thus the Church suffers.

The Presbys and the Methodists have this thing right in that they place pastors, not the congregation. When do sheep choose their shepherd? Paul sent lads about appointing elders. The sheep only chose deacons who were to serve not be elders.

[Shiloh]

Let's add to that can of worms. The church is an oligarchy not a democracy.

[enoch]

I would go beyond that previous statement and refute it somewhat. The Church is not an oligarchy but a Theocracy, wherein the Pastor shepherds the Church under the direct authority of Christ Jesus. Too often though the authority is left in the hands of the deacons who determine that they are not just servant leaders but become self proclaimed autocrats dictating the path of the Church to its detriment, unfortunately.
I believe that the reason that many churches in Texas are without pastors today, is because their deacons are afraid to relinquish power to a Pastor. Instead they keep employing hirelings instead of a shepherd.

[Shiloh]

Enoch, I agree with you completely. Spiritually, we are under Christ, but that is still played out in an oligarchal format. Elders rule and deacons serve the church and the congreagtion does the work of the ministry. Democracy, while an American and Baptist tradition is not what I see in Scripture. Because of the abuses of the Catholics and others, we went to the democratic concept, but an oligarchy or at least a republican form of government seems to be the proper format.