Friday, August 18, 2006
Sticktuitivity?
In my reading of biographical material regarding the ordained, it seems it was common, prior to the Second World War, for a minister to remain at a single church for 30, 40, 50 years... That is no longer the case; it is a rarity for a minister to stay more than ten to fifteen years. Why? Families and inviduals move about due to changes in transportant -- we can now sin thousands of miles away in just a few hours, but why do the ministers leave?
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2 comments:
I am not sure the percentages of those who move after 6-7 years vs. those who stay 30-40 have changed all that much. In the 19th century there were pastors of both types. Travel was much harder then, which may have led to some ministers staying longer than they should have. After 6+ years, some of us feel restless, and desire new faces, new stories, new problems, new landscapes. I'm not convinced that staying longer than 10-15 years is healthy for the church or the pastor.
Thank you for your insight -- I did think travel was part of the issue, but I am not convinced that there hasn't been a significant change is numbers who stay long versus those who stay up to 10-15 years. I guess the bean counters would have to be called in to figure out if mine is an erroneous impression. I understand that some feel restless after a certain number of years, and there may be a laxity that creeps in or a lack of "vigor and vim" after a certain time, however, I wonder, is there not good to be said about a minister who stays generaiton after generation and zealous preaches the Word of God?
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