PASTORAL POINTERS

   BUT HOW MANY DO?

Here's the clue to great persuasion:

    Have a sense of the occasion.

                                                                   

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The following Pastoral Pointers are adapted from my book Help! I'm a Pastor, co-authored with Kirk Walker Morledge and published by Westminster John Knox Press (2005).  amazon.com

REMEMBERING NAMES

The clue to learning the names of the people in your congregation is not your ability to  remember the names and faces of those you see at the door of your church.  It is, instead, your inner commitment to be thinking and praying about your people throughout the week.  Their names will come to mind on Sunday because their faces have been in your heart throughout the week.  They will sense and appreciate this.  Let your church directory be part of your intercessory prayer list.

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ACCEPTING A CALL

If in the polity of your denomination the procedure for calling a pastor involves a  vote by the congregation, and if you are invited by their search committee to be their candidate, ask for an opportunity to speak informally with the congregation (before the congregational meeting) about your hopes and dreams for your ministry there, your vision of the church and its mission, your leadership style, and why you are open to a call.   Share the enthusiasm that has made you receptive to the committee’s invitation to be their candidate, but explain that you are not anxious to go anywhere God doesn’t want you to be.  Their decision will be God’s word to you.  You have made yourself vulnerable by speaking this way, but that kind of honesty is not only important but refreshing, for you want the congregation to know the kind of pastor you are and what you believe.  If they don’t want the real you, then that’s not the church for you.  

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SOON AFTER YOUR ARRIVAL

Have a church officers’ retreat soon after your arrival at your new church, and covenant with one another regarding your common ministry, your dreams for the church, and how you will relate to and work with each other.  The purpose is team building and faith sharing, not planning.  If you are an associate pastor, ask for a staff retreat for the same purpose.  Share with one another what it will take for each of you to be fulfilled in your ministry together.

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HYMNS

        When you first arrive at your new pastorate, have a volunteer or your secretary go through past bulletins as far back as they are available (five or even ten years, if possible) and record the number of times every hymn has been sung in that period.  List just the numbers on a couple of sheets of papers and put a slash mark beside each number every time it’s sung.  You will be surprised how many of the hymns have never been sung, and how relatively few of them have been sung fairly often!  Introduce one of those unsung hymns every month as the “Hymn of the Month.”  Introduce it on the first Sunday, giving a brief history of the hymn and/or anecdotes about the author and/or composer.  Ask the choir director to have it sung as an anthem on the first Sunday, and sing it as a fourth hymn the next Sunday, and as one of the three hymns on at least one of the remaining Sundays of the month. 

        In addition, record in your personal copy of the hymn book the dates that every hymn is sung.  This will encourage you to choose more hymns and avoid repeating some hymns too often.  It is also useful information in responding to requests for or complaints from the congregation about the hymns.   So when someone says to you “Why don’t we ever sing the good old favorites?” you can reply, “Which ones did you have in mind?  I can tell you when we sang them —and how often we’ve sung them.  And I can tell you which ones we’ll be singing in the coming Sundays.”  You may also want to say something like this: “I try to select at least two hymns which most of the congregation will know every Sunday.  But what’s familiar to some is not necessarily familiar to others.  And how can any hymn become familiar, if it’s never sung?  That’s why we  have a Hymn of the Month.   I want the congregation to become familiar with some of the other great hymns in our hymn book.”

        If you explain what you are trying to accomplish and how you are going about it, the congregation will go along with you and will even applaud your effort to help them grow in their understanding and appreciation of Christian hymnody.

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BEFRIENDING THE "OUT-FOLKS" (AND THE "IN-FOLKS")

Early on in your new pastorate establish contact and rapport with the in-folks and the out-folks of your predecessor, preferably by personal visits in their homes.  Win over the special friends and win back the alienated, by being a good listener, and without ever being critical of your predecessor.    

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CHURCH POLITY

Sometime during your first year in a new church teach a course in church polity.  Help your church officers and the congregation at large to appreciate their heritage and to understand the ways their denomination differs from or is similar to other denominations in its beliefs and practices.  For some it may be a refresher course, but for others it will new information. Whether people were born into their present denomination or adopted it, they will appreciate such a course.  It will facilitate your ministry together. 

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HOW TO START MEETINGS ON TIME

Many volunteer organizations, including especially churches, seem to have trouble starting their meetings on time. Pastors tell me there are always some committee members who are habitually late. Those who arrive on time sit around waiting for the late-comers, who come straggling in at their own leisure, two, three, four, five minutes after the scheduled starting time, or even later. Here's the simple rule to change that culture:

Start on time!

If you don't start on time, people don't feel obligated to arrive on time. But if people know you start on time, they will start arriving on time. It's as simple as that! From the outset, or whenever you want to make the change, the Chair should call the meeting to order at the announced time, whether or not everyone is present. Even if there is not yet a quorum, you can conduct whatever business does not require a vote, or simply have a semi-formal (i.e., moderated) discussion about some matter of importance. Appoint a minute taker and record the names of the latecomers. People don't want to see their names listed as being late. It should not take more than one such meeting to make everyone want to be there on time. They will be there if they know you always start on time. If for some legitimate reason they can't be there on time, they will let you know beforehand. If they miss a meeting and they haven't let the Secretary, or Chair,  or someone know in advance, except in the case of a last minute emergency, they are listed as "Absent." If they let you know in advance, they're listed as "Excused." There's a big difference in those two categories!

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KEEP A GUEST BOOK IN YOUR HOME

Keep and remember to use a guest book.  Have people sign it every time they visit.   It is a most useful reminder of those who visit you and when.  For income tax purposes it is also a record that you can use to verify your professional (pastoral) entertainment.  To be tax deductible it must be related to your ministry (e.g., you entertain a new members class;  you host a dinner for your Sunday School teachers;  you have a prospective associate as an overnight guest).  Keep a record of the cost of the meals you provide ( a reasonable estimate is acceptable).  It is also a good idea, a double check,  to write the names in your personal master calendar in the appropriate date box.

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THE MEMORIAL FUND

If the church does not have a Memorial Fund, to which people can make contributions in lieu of flowers in memory of deceased friends and loved ones, establish one.  Keep a list of items to which people can direct their memorial gifts, or are items which the church needs.  Publish the list regularly to keep the needs before the congregation.  Many people like to designate memorial gifts or special gifts for specific items or needs.  For example, “The new choir robes were given in memory of Carmelita Sanchez by her family.”

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CHURCH MEALS

When serving meals to large groups of people at church, you can speed up the process immensely by having more than one food table, with sets of dishes and two serving spoons for each dish, so that the lines can proceed along both sides of each table.  Use rectangular-shaped dishes and divide into portions (in advance) those dishes that can divided.  It makes it easier  for people to serve themselves.  Think twice before providing ingredients for people to “toss” their own salads, for that can be very time consuming.

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GUEST OFFICIANTS

If you invite another clergy person to participate in a wedding, consider using a crisscross division rather than a “horizontal chop” in deciding who will do what.  Alternate the reading of the vows, the blessings of the rings, etc., instead of saying “You take it down to here, and then I’ll do the rest.”  A crisscross division divides the service more evenly and gives the impression of shared leadership, which the couple, the other members of the wedding party, and the congregation will appreciate, as will the guest minister.    

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BRICKBATS AND BOUQUETS

A veteran pastor of a previous generation used to keep two special files, one labeled “Brickbats” and the other labeled “Bouquets.”  Whenever he felt himself getting too discouraged, almost ready to quit (not really!), he would pull out the Bouquet file and read a few of the letters he had received from people whose lives he had touched for good along the way.  And, when he found himself becoming “too elated by the abundance of revelations,” he would take out the Brickbat file to remind himself that he was only human.  It takes only one or two brickbats to keep you humble!  We have found this to be a useful practice.

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WORK LISTS

Make lists of things to do.  Work lists keep things from rattling around in your brain. They help you remember what you have to do and make it easier to prioritize your time.  As you check off the items, you can see the progress you are making and what still remains to be done.  Making a list should help you to sleep better at night, too, because instead of lying awake thinking about all the things you have to do, you transfer them to a sheet of paper and forget about them until the next morning.  They’ll be there when you wake up, so relax and get some sleep!  If you are not already in the habit of making lists, we urge you to try it.  It works!

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SHARING WEDDINGS

If you invite another pastor to participate in a wedding, consider using a crisscross division rather than a “vertical chop” in deciding who will do what.  Alternate the reading of the vows, the blessings of the rings, etc., instead of saying “You take it down to here, and then I’ll do the rest.”  A crisscross division divides the service more evenly and gives the impression of shared leadership, which the couple, the other members of the wedding party, and the congregation will appreciate, as well as the invited pastor.    

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PICTORIAL DIRECTORY

Every church should have a pictorial directory!   It’s helps you and the members to put names and faces together.  New members (and new pastors!) especially appreciate it.  Members of the family of faith need to be able to call one another by name.  There are reputable companies who produce pictorial directories for any size church at no charge to the church or to the members.  “What’s the catch?” some skeptical trustee might ask.  There is no catch!  These companies know that enough members will order copies of their photos to enable them to  make a good profit.  They supply a free directory to every family or individual member who poses for a photo, plus a number of extra copies for the church office.  Depending upon the size of the congregation, they also include photos of the staff and scenes of life in the church.  Volunteers from the congregation schedule the appointments, remind people of their dates and times, and make sure people are properly identified as they check in.  Other than that, and publicizing the project and encouraging people to participate, there’s little else for the church to do.  The company produces and delivers the books.  It’s a great deal for all concerned

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SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY        

In lieu of property taxes, which the church does not have to pay, consider making a voluntary contribution from the church to the township or city budget for the services which the church receives, such as police protection, fire protection, and trash collection.  It is fair return for services rendered and a gesture which will earn the appreciation, good will, and respect of the community.  It is good to make friends, furthermore, with the local police and fire departments.  

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PLANNING CALENDARS

It is helpful to use “planning calendars “in preparing the master church calendar.  Distribute pages to each member of the staff, a page for each month of the year, with seven squares across for the days of the week, dated appropriated, according to the number of days in each month.  Every member of the staff fills in his or her program events for the entire year.  These are then coordinated into one large master calendar.  Other known church events, special worship services, seasonal activities, meetings not already included, deadlines for publications and reports, and anything involving the use of church space or in which the church is involved,

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AS NEW MEMBERS JOIN

If there are any ministers, elders, or deacons in your new members class, consider inviting one or more of them to participate in leading worship on the Sunday they are publicly recognized.   They could give the Call to Worship, read a Scripture lesson, lead the Responsive Reading or a special litany, or perhaps give a brief testimony about their experience in the new members class and why they joined the church.  

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SLOW AND LOUD

Inexperienced lay readers, especially young ones, tend to speed up when they read the Scripture lessons in worship, even when you have coached them beforehand.  The more inexperienced they are, the faster they go!  Also, many get softer when they lead unison prayers or readings, instead of speaking so the congregation can hear and follow them.  They need to keep up their volume, even with the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed.  It’s a good idea,  therefore, to put a little sign on the lectern, where the reader is sure to see it:

"SLOW AND LOUD!”  

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IN LIEU OF PROPERTY TAXES

In lieu of property taxes, which the church does not have to pay, consider making a voluntary contribution from the church to the township or city budget for the services which the church receives, such as police protection, fire protection, and trash collection.  It is fair return for services rendered and a gesture which will earn the appreciation, good will, and respect of the community.  It is good to make friends, furthermore, with the local police and fire departments. 

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AN ORDINATION PRAYER

Almighty God, renew each day that faith I once could claim,

when from the depths within my soul I heard you speak my name.

O wondrous thought that you should call a sinner such as I!

Grant me in Christ the strength to serve in this your calling high.

Embolden me by your own will to play the prophet's part,

to speak your word with fearless tongue yet meek and humble heart.

Instill me with a holy zeal; pour out your grace on me;

and let your Spirit fill my life, that I your priest may be.

A patient heart I pray to own, an attitude of love,

a scornless eye that ne'er disdains but rests on you above.

Yet gird me now to meet the world, to wield the two-edged sword,

and witness to the truth divine that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Amen.