Wanted: Super-Pastor
I get to work with a lot of pastors, helping them think through their next phase of ministry life. Many of these pastors experienced hard times in a church and question if there are any healthy churches left in the world.
Today I see an ad for a pastor like this (ad deleted to protect church’s identity) and I’m reminded why so many pastors feel burned out in ministry.
Can you imagine a church expecting one person to do, or even just be in charge of all those tasks for that amount of money? Since I removed the link here’s what they are requesting of their new pastor:
We need a pastor for our church who can handle the job as the solo pastor. That would include the preaching, teaching, evangelizing, visitation, and leadership. (Emphasis on “solo” mine.)
All this for the grand “maximum” salary of $30K per year. What they are basically saying is, “We want a pastor who can do everything, but we won’t pay you anything.” I suspect the one who goes there would quickly find out they are also saying, “We will love you lots, as long as you keep us happy.” My experience tells me this isn’t even the complete list of what they expect a pastor to do.
Being pastor of a church should never be a “solo” position, regardless of the size of the church. I pray this church does well, but I also pray they get a new concept for the role of the shepherd in their church. I also pray for the one who takes this position!
