Robinson Crusoe is the lead character in one of the most popular stories ever told. He was adventuresome, resourceful, compassionate, intelligent and religious. His life took him to the depths of despair as a slave and to the heights of success as a wealthy plantation owner.
But most people remember Crusoe for his 28 years of scraping out a living as a castaway on a deserted island, which he named the Island of Despair. His only friend was a prisoner brought to the island to be sacrificed by cannibals. After the prisoner escaped, Crusoe befriended him and named him Friday for the day of the week he appeared. In time, Friday learned English and Crusoe converted him to Christianity.
Sometimes readers forget that Crusoe read the Bible daily and thanked God for his fate that included all the necessities of life, save human companionship.
“Robinson Crusoe” is a thrilling story and a wonderful book to read nearly 300 years after its first publication (1719). However, Crusoe was not a pastor.
Still many men seem to use his story as a model for pastoral ministry. Like Crusoe, these men possess great personal skills. Experience has taught them valuable lessons through victories and defeats. They are good and godly men. But circumstances have led them to churches that have become their own Islands of Despair.
Like Crusoe’s story, theirs are stories of isolation. They feel alone in ministry, scraping out a living by their personal ingenuity and reliance on God. Stories of others remind them that they live as pastors at the whims of others. Comparison to neighboring churches or even TV ministries reinforces the idea that competition, not cooperation, is the name of the game, further increasing their isolation. Responsibility for ministry under these conditions can become a burden too heavy to bear. The loneliness can be overwhelming. Even with people all around, these pastors live on Islands of Despair.
In some places, a growing number of pastors are finding another storyline for their ministries. It is a storyline that includes companionship of other pastors through peer group participation. And for those who are writing this new storyline, it is making a difference in their ministries as well as in them.
A study for Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary found “the longer a pastoral leader has participated in a peer group, the more likely is his congregation to experience growth.” The study was not just of Presbyterians. It included participants of all denominations.
For Baptists, who often are accused of judging a church on the basis of “nickels, noses and noise,” that finding is worth noting.
Peer group participation also made a difference in ministry style, the study found. Lay leadership was significantly more active in churches led by pastors who participated in peer groups. Also a significantly greater percentage of youth was involved in planning church events and serving on committees and boards in churches where pastors participated in peer groups.
In addition, peer group participation influenced the direction of ministry. Community service and ministry were more prevalent in churches where the pastor participated in a peer group. Not only did the churches “strongly emphasize community service” but the pastors also represented the churches in community life and their congregations saw themselves as agents of change through community ministry.
One might expect participants to value sharing ideas and resources with each other, which two-thirds did. What may surprise some is that the greatest value was “sharing personal concerns and struggles” (83 percent). Second was “sharing and getting feedback on ministry problems and challenges” (80 percent).
Evidently the peer groups became times of respite from the Islands of Despair during which pastors could be honest without worrying about repercussions in the deacons meeting or community. The result was companionship in the life of ministry rather than isolation.
Perhaps that is why slightly more than nine out of 10 pastors rated their participation in peer groups as an important part of their continuing education.
Baptist pastors have not been as involved in peer groups as those of other evangelical denominations. They usually go to conferences led by well-known pastors, where they seek a listening ear. Increasingly they have become involved in mentoring networks led by nationally known pastors. Some join organizations like Leadership Network. For many, these steps are to escape the Island of Despair as they grow in their pastoral skills.
In the past decade, scores of Alabama Baptist pastors have participated in peer groups associated with the Institute for Clergy Excellence in Huntsville. This organization works across denominational lines and was a pioneer in peer groups for ministers. It remains a strong ministry resource.
More recently, Samford University’s Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence has become a magnet for helping pastors. One Southern Baptist pastor wrote of his experience, “I’m emerging … a better person, and I’m looking forward to experiencing more health in my relationships and in my ministry.”
The center’s resources include a variety of programs ranging from sabbatical leave assistance to peer groups to apprenticeships for ministerial students and new pastors. All are designed to provide “human companionship” in the life of ministry rather than a ministry of isolation on an Island of Despair.
The Robinson Crusoe model may be a popular ministry model for Baptists, but it is not our Lord’s model. During His earthly life, Jesus invited others to join Him in moments of great glory such as His transfiguration and great agony such as in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus modeled companionship in the life of ministry. That is a far better model than the isolation of Crusoe. After all, he was not a pastor.
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