Pastoring God's People
For all those who have been commissioned to
pastoral roles of all kinds.
Moving people toward one another
by Tim Schrag
Pastoring during a change in lay leadership within congregations offers both perils and opportunities for pastors. Tensions can arise as governance passes from one generation to the next. How can the pastor help these congregational journeys?
To facilitate healthy change during generational shifts the pastor can ask older persons about their previous leadership involvements in church. Rather than moving away from them during the shifts, he moves toward them. This is accomplished through listening to stories and asking questions:
• What happened?
• What was the vision?
• How did that work?
• Was it hard to implement?
• What were the obstacles?
• Or, maybe even a playful query: How did you deal with stubborn older people back then?
The pastor then needs to interface the congregational stories with The Story:
• Sounds like what the apostle Paul ran into …
• I wonder if Paul were to coach us now, what he would write …
• Boy, your deacon years came right out of Moses story.
• You know, I’ve thought about Paul as he came toward the end of his life, when he needed to pass the baton, and reflected on his life. Things weren’t perfect, but he seemed satisfied. How do you feel about that now?
Not only is the pastor adept at hearing stories, he is an excellent reporter. But he doesn’t report confidential information or personal shortcomings! He reports the congregational story regarding vision to the younger generation.
• I learned about the church model developed in the 1950s. What drove that model was a real heartfelt concern for …
• I know there is still a concern with those older people that this concern not be forgotten.
• Or, Bob was telling me about all the things they tried back then that failed, and the obstacles they had. It’s a fascinating story that still energizes him. I wonder how we could tap into that energy?
• Or, Elizabeth knows an amazing amount of history. She’d be happy to fill us in. I think that might be very helpful, especially if we think through carefully in advance what we want to ask her.
How might such reporting in turn happen to the older group? The pastor can non-defensively give accurate information on what is happening with current leadership, and why. Sometimes the pastor will be able to emphasize that core objectives haven’t changed over the generations.
• Being in community and fellowship has always been vital to us. The best way to enhance these values used to be [the old structure], but now we are challenged to hold fast to those values in a world which has changed a lot. Here are some proposals for meeting those challenges in a way which preserves our common core values [describing the new structures].
The net effect of the reporting is to move the older and younger folk toward each other. He connects non-defensively with both generational groups and doesn’t take sides. His reporting instead opens the possibility they may see each other as interesting, even as allies with common purpose. Obviously the pastor is now well-positioned to coach good interaction between the older leadership and the new leaders. Care must be taken, however, to continue to speak for self as this keeps participants calm and curious.
• I think taking their concerns seriously may be to everyone’s advantage.
• I wonder how we might learn more about the point he was making.
• I trust she has the best interests of the church at heart.
The pastor who can help the generational shifts uses the conscious strategies of asking questions, finding all sides interesting, keeping in touch with all, and using reporting to move people toward one another. This pastor increases the chances the congregation will survive, and thrive, through times of leadership change.
Tim Schrag is pastor of First Mennonite Church of Normal, Ill.