Managing the Church
For council chairs, trustees, and others with
gifts of administration
A Safety Net for Your Pastor
By Ervin R. Stutzman
A friend of mine, “David,” was approaching the fifth year of his pastorate when the church decided to do a formal ministry evaluation as part of his salary review. The elders assembled a survey and distributed it to the congregation. When the questionnaires were returned, David and his wife looked through them. Although the survey was meant to be anonymous, David recognized the handwriting of several members. Some comments cut deeply, particularly a few that were directed toward David’s wife, who was not hired by the church. After that, David found it difficult to face those who had written the critical comments. His ministry declined and he eventually left the church.
I’m sure that those who wrote the comments thought they were just doing their job by being honest. But they probably didn’t understand that David felt extremely vulnerable during the time of pastoral evaluation. Had they understood this more deeply, they may have chosen a more redemptive way of giving feedback.
Why did David feel so vulnerable? One of the main reasons was that the same people (his congregation) received the pastor’s ministry, paid the pastor’s salary, and evaluated the pastor’s effectiveness. As my friend Cornel Rempel once pointed out to me, in most professions these jobs are separated. Public school teachers, for example, instruct students, are paid by the public through taxation, and answer to a board of directors through a principal. Imagine the stress for teachers if students conducted their job evaluations and set their salaries!
What can congregational leaders do to reduce the vulnerability that pastors face in their unique position?
1. Negotiate the pastor’s role.
Pastors face daunting expectations in congregational ministry.
They are “on
call” around the clock. Some congregations speak and act as if they “own” the
pastor’s time. It is therefore helpful to formulate an agreed-upon
covenant outlining roles and responsibilities. By keeping this document current,
both the pastor and the congregation will be protected from the criticism
of outspoken individuals who feel their needs are not
being met.
2. Clarify the pastor’s accountability.
Unless lines of accountability are clarified, the pastor may be caught between competing groups within the congregation. Rather than answering to everyone in the congregation, the pastor should be accountable to a specified person or group. This might be the church council or a group of elders, so long as it is clear that they serve in a primary governing role, rather than a ministry role.
3. Ensure that the right supports are in place.
When the time comes for a pastoral review, the congregation should call for outside assistance, preferably from an overseer or conference minister. Pastors who answer to an authority outside the congregation are far less vulnerable to the vicissitudes of group life than pastors who are accountable to the whole congregation.
Many congregations have also benefited from a “pastor-congregation relations committee” (PCRC). Such a group, meeting several times a year, supports the pastor in areas of growth and can be a helpful link between the needs of the congregation and the needs of the pastor. It can also help monitor the process of congregational feedback at times of pastoral review. Guidelines for effective PCRC’s are available from denominational offices in the United States and Canada.
4. Use an objective set of guidelines to determine the pastor’s pay scale.
Providing a pastoral salary is a response to the biblical mandate to support those who lead in the church (Galatians 6:6, 1 Corinthians 9:7-18, 1 Timothy 5:17-20). The New Testament practice was patterned after the Jewish use of tithes to support the Levites. There are few issues, however, that are more sensitive in the congregation than a pastor’s salary.
Without clear guidelines, pastoral salaries might be determined by a few influential spokespersons using unhelpful criteria. That can be a source of stress for pastoral families. The salaries should be based on the cost of living in the community, the average wage in the congregation, and a set of financial guidelines based on objective criteria. Denominational offices in both the U.S. and Canada provide salary scales that offer built-in help around the questions of fair compensation.
5. Keep salary and tenure discussions separate from the pastor’s ministry evaluation.
A pastoral evaluation should not be used as a means to (a) squeeze the pastor into a particular mold; (b) determine pastoral salaries; or (c) determine the pastor’s tenure in the congregation. Rather, it should help pastors learn and grow in ministry. Reviews are most effective when they are regularly conducted by a designated group, including an ex-officio member from outside the church.
Like my friend David, pastors will always live with tensions and unique vulnerabilities. But their ministry may last longer if the church separates the dimensions of responsibility, accountability, and compensation. We can’t afford to lose good pastors because of bad processes!
Ervin R. Stutzman is Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Church Ministries at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, Virginia.