Pastor's Close Friends??

Pastors should probably keep their circle of close friends very small depending on the size of the church. It becomes especially difficult when a pastor is well known cause folks will try to befriend him for the wrong reasons.

If you're in a small community, he'll probably have a close relationship with more people.

In larger communities, it does create a sort of clique environment if the pastor befriends certain people.

 

I totally agree....friends too often become favorites & thats not healthy in any business environment...especially one as important as Church.

 

I think our close friends should be in the church. Mine are with our leaders. We try to do life together. The people of the church understand the need for pastors to have friends. The civic groups you mentioned are terrific for building witnessing relationships (for me), but not close friends.

 

Huh....Country Clubs!!! Really

 

I'm not the pastor, but a lowly staffer. We go together to the associational meetings for pastors. There are 3-4 distinct cliques that tend to stick together.

We were early to the latest meeting. Everyone stood around talking about their numbers. Oh, how exciting (yawns). But as soon as more people came in the circle split into the different groups.

From that point, it was every person not sitting at one of the "group" tables for himself. Pastor and I held our table down. Because no one else sat with us, I got a second piece of red velvet cake that was already at the table when we got there. Not being in a clique for the win.

 

Actually of our deacons, all have been in the church since I came except 1. I pity the pastor who does build friend relationships in the church. They see me as a fellow believer who has been called to lead and pastor. It keeps me on my toes spiritually because they can see more clearly who I am better than anyone except my wife.

 

o be

It's hard to say. There are two schools of thought: one that the pastor should be open and accessible, the other than the pastor should be...not distant, necessarily, but not familiar.

I see merit in both arguments. While I'm not really a pastor anymore, when I was, I neither encouraged nor discouraged friendships. Whatever friendships developed...and many very good ones did.... happened naturally and organically.