A comment on another thread set me to remembering growing up out in the sandhills. Our church was too poor to afford a pastor for most of that time.
Instead, the deacons did what might be considered "pastoring" and when and as often as we could scrape up the money we hired a preacher to "supply the pulpit." He might supply preach for years, or once, or somewhere in between.
It worked well for that little oilfield church. Kept us all on our toes, kept the fellowship close, and allowed for a church in a remote area that otherwise could not have afforded one.
I'm wondering if anyone still does this? Do you see it as good or bad for poorer congregations? How would it fit with today's church planting strategies?
pastor or preacher?
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by nodak, Oct 17, 2013.
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Your deacons took the role of elders and hired themselves a preacher (who apparently doesn't necessarily have to be an elder of the church).
I attend an elder-run church.
Our preacher is an elder and as paid, full-time staff is also call a pastor.
We will be hiring another pastor soon - who will have to have the qualities of an elder - but will not be voted upon for an elder position until the congregation gets to know him.
Rob -
I'm not sure if they still do this, but when I was little, I attended a little Methodist church with my mom (Dad rarely went, as he didn't come to Christ until he was 83) in our farm community. Oddly, most of the members were Baptist, but didn't want to drive "a great distance" (i.e., about seven miles) to attend a Baptist church.
This church was "on a circuit" just like the frontier days. The pastor was in two churches one Sunday, at 8 AM in the first one, and at 10:15 at the second one, and two more the following Sunday. The deacons/elders/whatever-the-were supplied a Bible study on the "off Sunday" that both adults and children attended in the sanctuary. Sunday School classes were in the basement for the hour before the service, regardless if the pastor or someone else was holding the service upstairs at 10:15 AM.
Not the same thing, I know, but that was always the Methodist Church's response to the shortage of pastors, and to small churches with little or no budget, for over 200 years in the United States. -
Straight across the street there was a little Methodist church. The circuit rider did a 5 point run of about 85 miles one way. They, too, had off Sundays when the board members "brought a devotional."
We weren't elder run or led by a long shot. It was about as pure democracy as you could get. The deacons did the visiting, the visiting the sick, the meeting with the backslidden, the helping the suddenly out of work, that sort of thing.
I wouldn't advocate this for churches large enough or financially fit enough to hire a pastor. But when all there around are 20-40 bottom rung working folks, it is a way to have a church.
Do you think this might have an application for mission churches in urban areas?
edited to add: I have missionary friends that say this is still pretty common in South America, parts of Africa, and some of Asia. -
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I think a good preacher is what you want. I am sure in many congregation, there are those who can pastor/shepherd, male or female.
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We did manage to get by.
That Methodist circuit rider spent his weekdays as a pipeline gauger.
I'm just thinking about some of the cities where there simply isn't a good Bible teaching church, where no one who has been trained and ordained seems to feel called to go, and where there is no guaranteed salary should someone volunteer.
And thinking about the shift in church planting. Used to be (where I lived) that first you had a congregation, then you called a preacher. Nowadays seems you wait for a church planter to arrive to try to build a congregation. -
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Hiding and watching ... primarily so I don't get beaned with a skillet!! -
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Anyone/everyone should be able to "preach the Word". Being an elder/pastor is a calling from God with distinct qualifications.
Always keep that distinction.
With the shortage of qualified elders we still must not short-circuit the biblical requirements. I am so glad that in churches men and women step in to help with important tasks. Call them "deacons" or whatever, they are a blessing (as described in earlier posts). -
Don't think God would violate His revealed word that only males are to pastor local churches! -
Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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what do you think about what she did, of the Lord or not?