One of the thorniest issues pastors face in the life of their local churches is how to relate to fellow ministers. How should a minister relate to pastors of nearby churches of the same denomination or to pastors of churches of other denominations? How does a pastor relate to former pastors of the church he now serves or to his successor?
And what about a multistaff church? How should ministers in the same church relate to one another?
Legion are the stories of pastors whose ministries have been shackled by the way they did or did not relate to other ministers. Lives have been damaged, congregations divided and ministries lost because of actions by one pastor toward another.
That is why a number of ministers’ organizations have done detailed studies of ministerial relations. Generally these groups concluded that hard and fast rules are difficult to articulate. However, several general guidelines have been identified that provide directions about proper ministerial relationships.
Ministerial relations
Considering the following suggestions may be helpful to ministers and churches alike in the area of ministerial relations.
• Relate to all ministers as partners in the work of God. Every minister is different. Each has unique abilities and offers unique insights. Each pastor is created in the image of God, loved by God and, ultimately, accountable to God. Respect for each minister should be a minimum.
When possible, ministers should cooperate with one another. That may apply to ministers within the same congregation as well as to ministers of different churches and denominations within a community. An increasingly lost world needs to see that Christ can overcome our differences.
• Refuse to treat others as competitors. Sometimes it seems ministers are in competition with one another from their first call to service until their last. Baptists are always comparing and evaluating, whether it be in calling a pastor or assessing a ministry. We evaluate attendance, baptisms, budgets and more. That tendency can turn pastors and churches into competitors with every other pastor and church.
But God’s call is not to build up a personal ministry or a personal kingdom. It is to build up His kingdom through faithfulness and obedience. One cannot be partner and competitor at the same time. That is true for those serving on the same church staff or serving in the same community.
• Refrain from speaking disparagingly about the work or the person of another ministry. A temptation all face is to try and make one’s self look better by tearing down the work of another. That is a path to failure. That kind of message does not attract people to a church. It does not help one get off to a good start in a church. It does not foster unity within a church.
People recognize such an approach for what it is: an arrogant expression of self-importance. The gospel message is a positive message of hope and forgiveness. It does not need to be surrounded by negative observations about others.
Ministers must be especially careful about their comments about the work of their predecessors or the ones who succeed them. Stay positive.
• Reinforce the ministry of a successor by not interfering with the church formerly served. Moving from a pastorate is a sign that God has led a minister away from one charge and to another. That does not mean the minister ceases to care for the former congregation. But the best way to demonstrate continuing care is to allow the church to do what the minister has done — move on. The goal is for the former church to continue becoming before God. That means the new minister must be allowed to lead without meddling by a former pastor.
Working together
• Return to a former field for professional services only when invited by the resident pastor. Following this guideline requires maturity by both the former and current pastor. In every pastorate, a minister will make lifelong friendships.
This may result in requests for a former pastor to perform a wedding or do a funeral. When former pastors received such requests it is wise to ask friends to channel the request through the current pastor. That respects the role of the current pastor.
At the same time the current pastor must be mature enough to recognize that service to the members is the primary goal in funerals and weddings. Requests may be generated by longstanding relationships. Tenure of the new pastor can play a part. There may be other reasons and they are not necessarily negative comments on the current pastor.
Both the former pastor and the current pastor must work together to serve the needs of the family.
• Respect a former pastor who returns to the church field. Former pastors may return to visit special friends. They may return to revisit a special time in their ministerial career. They could even be passing through the area and choose to drop in. Always treat the former pastor courteously as you would want to be treated if the situation were reversed. That may include recognizing the former pastor’s presence or saying a good word about his service to the church.
At the same time former pastors who are not members of that former church must be careful to give their loyalty to the church where they have placed their membership. Former pastors should not be actively involved in former fields of service.
• Regard all retired ministers with respect and in turn retired ministers should support their pastors. Retired ministers deserve respect for their years of faithful service. Retired ministers are full of wisdom and experience which can be valuable to others. Incumbent on retired ministers is to support their pastors. Retired ministers must never threaten current pastors. No one understands the need for helpful and supportive members like retired pastors. These ministers should model what it means to be a faithful and supportive church member.
• Recommend other ministers honestly and kindly. At some point every minister will be asked to recommend a fellow minister for another position or asked by a church for a recommendation for a fellow minister. Here, as always, the minister must “speak the truth in love.” This is not the time to “get rid of a problem” by omitting important information. It is not the time to “get even” with someone for a perceived offense. Nor is it the time to oversell a fellow minister because that person is a friend.
Remember, the recommendation may be about someone else but it is a reflection on the honesty and ethics of the one making the recommendation.
There they are: eight “Rs.” They are not a complete list by any means but these guidelines provide a place to start when considering ministerial relations.
Share with others: