1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Number of pastors in our church

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Salty, Apr 20, 2009.

?

How many pastors in your church

  1. 1 underpaid pastor

    6 vote(s)
    12.8%

  2. 1 full time pastor

    12 vote(s)
    25.5%

  3. 2-4

    17 vote(s)
    36.2%

  4. 5-7

    8 vote(s)
    17.0%

  5. 8+

    3 vote(s)
    6.4%

  6. Other answer

    1 vote(s)
    2.1%
Top Posters
Page 2 of 2
  1. Dale-c

    Dale-c Active Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2006
    Messages:
    4,145
    Likes Received:
    0
    Do you make a distinction then between pastor and elder?
    We have 4 elders/pastors

    http://www.edgewoodbaptistchurch.net/about/leadership/our-pastors

    Those are out pastors.

    There are two that are full time who are paid and then two that are lay elders who are able to fill the pulpit if needed but do not normally.
     
    #21 Dale-c, Apr 22, 2009
  2. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2003
    Messages:
    38,982
    Likes Received:
    2,615
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I would like to invite esp our new members to this outstanding discussion
     
    #22 Salty, Sep 2, 2010
  3. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    I understand your point...though I don't necessarily agree.

    We have six full-time pastors on staff (actually five F/T and one P/T--but since he's a retired missionary, he loves to minister, and he's basically full-time).

    But--we have a constituency of over 1,200. (that includes members, regular attenders, occasional attenders, SS folks, etc.) It takes that many ministers to reach out, serve, etc.

    COuld we do better? Of course. We're striving. But for instance, I had over a hundred youth here last Wed. night. That's a church-sized group--so it takes staff to handle that sized group and its associated needs.
     
    #23 rbell, Sep 2, 2010
  4. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    3
    Pastors, pastors everywhere!

    Some churches have too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
     
    #24 Robert Snow, Sep 3, 2010
  5. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    Messages:
    7,051
    Likes Received:
    3
    While some have only ONE "chief" (pastor) too many!
     
    #25 Mexdeaf, Sep 3, 2010
  6. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 30, 2006
    Messages:
    20,914
    Likes Received:
    706
    Since I posted to this thread, we got 2 new pastors. :) First is a man who is not paid but is still doing about 1/2 to 3/4 full time work. He's formerly a marketing guy for a large paper in the area but he's since decided to go into ministry. His job has been to work with a lot of the new believers in discipleship and additionally, he's been a wonderful resource for our two new church plants. He has the contacts and such for us to be able to get the word out about the new churches. He'll actually be doing the preaching for our newest church for the first three weeks covering the "foundations" of the faith.

    The other pastor is a newly graduated young man who is the son of two of our missionaries. He is now working with the junior high and college ministry and is doing a wonderful job.

    Now we have 11 pastors - but as I mentioned, we'll be planting two new churches. Actually, both will be second campuses of our church so they will continue to be a ministry of our home church. There is going to be one "campus pastor" (he will be the head and "front man" of the church campus - kind of the go-to guy), but we will be bringing the other pastors in for preaching, ministry and the like. Now with three churches, 11 pastors isn't quite so many!
     
    #26 annsni, Sep 3, 2010
  7. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    So, in a church of 1,000--how many is too many?

    What organizational basis draws you to that conclusion?

    What Biblical principles draw you to that conclusion?

    Why do you assume all pastors are "chiefs?" Maybe "servant leader" is more appropriate...
     
    #27 rbell, Sep 3, 2010
  8. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 30, 2006
    Messages:
    20,914
    Likes Received:
    706
    I've heard that there should be a pastor per 100 people in the church in order to shepherd well. I see each of our pastors having different strengths and there's no duplication in any of them. Each one has specific responsibilities based on their gifting and God has used them so well in the last 14 years we've been there. I thank God for each and every one of them.
     
    #28 annsni, Sep 3, 2010
  9. Jason Garrett

    Jason Garrett New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2004
    Messages:
    158
    Likes Received:
    0
    Just like with the discussions with music and the such, some folks condemn that with which they are unfamiliar. My church family has several full time, well paid staff. A Senior Pastor (who all of the pastors answer to), an Administrative Pastor (handles the finances of the church, which is a large church), a Worship Pastor (leads and engages the church family in dynamic worship of our risen savior), a Youth Pastor, a Children's Pastor, a Missions Pastor, and a Care Pastor.

    I am very, very thankful to belong to a church family that recognizes the need for a dedicated, full time staff member to minister and lead specific groups within the congregation. One man would simply not be enough for a congregation our size.
     
    #29 Jason Garrett, Sep 3, 2010
  10. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Messages:
    9,796
    Likes Received:
    700
    Faith:
    Baptist
    John Gill, A Body of Practical Divinity:
    Andrew Fuller, “On Church Government and Discipline”:
    That's the basic ratio suggested by seventeenth-century Puritan Richard Baxter.:thumbs:
     
    #30 Jerome, Sep 3, 2010
  11. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    That means we should not need a staff at all--because we don't have a single seventeenth-century puritan in our church!

    :eek: :D :D
     
    #31 rbell, Sep 3, 2010
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 2 of 2
Loading...