I read the sad story recently of a church that fired its pastor because “he didn’t visit the members enough.” Granted, I don’t know all the details about the situation, but I am not optimistic about the church’s future.
“Visitation of the members” became a common job description of pastors about a century ago.
It’s a bad sign.
While I am not advocating that pastors never visit people, I am concerned that such expectations are well beyond those with serious and emergency needs.
The truth is: Your pastor shouldn’t visit much. Here are 15 reasons why.
- It’s unbiblical. Ephesians 4:12 says that pastors are to train the saints or believers to do the work of the ministry. It does not say pastors are to do all the work of ministry.
- It deprives members of their roles and opportunities. The second part of Ephesians 4:12 clearly informs us that ministry is for all those in the church. When the pastor does all or most of the ministry, the members are deprived of a God-given opportunity.
- It fosters a country club mentality. “We pay the pastor’s salary. The pastor works for us to do the work and serve us.” Tithes and offerings become country club dues to get served.
- It turns a church inwardly. The members are asking what the pastor is doing for them, rather than asking how they can serve others through the church.
- It takes away from sermon preparation. Those same members who complain that a pastor didn’t put enough time into the sermon are the same ones who expect the pastor to visit them.
- It takes away from the pastor’s outward focus. If pastors spend all or most of their time visiting, how can they be expected to get into the community and share the gospel?
- It takes away vital leadership from the pastor. How can we expect pastors to lead if we give them no time to lead since they are visiting members?
- It fosters unhealthy comparisons among the members. “The pastor visited the Smiths twice this month, but he only visited me once.”
- It is never enough. When churches expect their pastors to do most of the visitation, they have an entitlement mentality. Such a mentality can never be satisfied.
- It leads to pastoral burnout. It is impossible for pastors to maintain the pace that is expected of all the members cumulatively, especially in the area of visitation.
- It leads to high pastoral turnover. Burnout leads to pastoral turnover. Short-term pastorates are not healthy for churches.
- It puts a lid on Great Commission growth of the church. One of the great growth barriers of churches is the expectation that one person do most of the ministry, especially visitation. Such dependence on one person leads to a cap on growth.
- It leads pastors to get their affirmation from the wrong source. They become people-pleasers instead of God-pleasers.
- It causes biblical church members to leave. Many of the best church members will leave because they know the church is not supposed to operate in this manner. The church thus becomes weaker.
- It is a sign that the church is dying. The two most common comments of a dying church: “We never done it that way before,” and “Why didn’t the pastor visit me?”
The pervasive mentality in many churches is the pastor is the chief visitor in the church.
It’s a key sign of sickness.
It’s a clear step toward death.
Let me hear from you.
Posted on August 31, 2016
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
More from Thom
437 Comments
Thanks Thom!
I struggle with this balance. Here’s what’s working for me now, having been at my current church for a little more than two years: making sure I go by the hospital for folks who are admitted, stopping by the outpatient surgery waiting room, and making phone calls for those who are heading out of town. I will also make phone calls and set up potential visits with folks who have missed more than 3-4 weeks in a row. And finally, I will set up visits with new people. I find it hard to fit into my schedule just randomly calling on people. Sometimes people will randomly call me; if that happens I make every effort to meet with them. The longer I am here, the more people will call on me, which is healthy.
Good stuff, Luke.
When I was a pre-teen or young teen I repeated something at home that I had heard others in my church say – “The deacons aren’t visiting enough.” (Pastor would also apply.) My parents asked me, “What are YOU doing?” That hit me like a ton of bricks. Even though it would be several years before I could even drive, the message was loud and clear. The responsibility to visit was not just for the leadership of the church; it was also mine as a church member. Even though I’m a grandmother now I have never forgotten that.
God bless you for getting the message! I daresay a lot of church members have not gotten it. It always amazes me how the members who complain loudest about the church’s attendance are often the ones who never visit.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is this: We have become more focused on satisfying the saved instead of seeking the lost.
Succinctly said!
Sometimes they are one in the same. You can be led to salvation and then lost on the journey, especially if no one is seeking after you. Both, and – not either or
Brother i love your post but this one i have to disagree with.I have always vista and deacon do to also some of our members call because they are not able to go.God always give me time to study and pray and tell me what to preach.It has work for me over forty plus years.I’m now at a church where the pastor never called or visited for a year that all i heard was about him not doing this.
Or maybe the lesson to be learned is that godly shepherds should invest themselves in smaller churches and develop godly people.
It may be that mega churches are not God’s way, but investing and spending time with the flock may create an alive church, that will grow and divide and spread. A pastor can study and teach his people and still know them one on one.
I don’t know how this is handled in other parts of America, or the world for that matter. But in the south, we Expect the Pastor to visit… Everyone. The growth of the church is squarly on the shoulders of the Pastor. If he brings in people that are “sinners”, he is in trouble. If he brings in people that are from another church with new ideas, he is in trouble. If he doesn’t bring in anyone, he is in trouble.
If he visits some of the people, but not another one that day, he is in trouble because he is ignoring someone.
In my time as Minister, I always tried to reach people the “church” didn’t like. I was “fired” for doing that in three churches, and finally our association of churches. So I am not in a Pastor position, but work now in a company that believes we need to reach out to those that need help and are hurting. I like what I do, and consider it ministry.
P.S. I may not be in the “Ministry”, but I AM in the Family I ignored all those years Doing ministry. I am not as hard to get along with, stressed, sleepless or feel as if i can’t do enough.
At last – I am loved by the people to who I owe the most. …and happy.
Well said, David.
Readers –
I am about to be on the road for a few hours. Please keep commenting. I will return to view your input and, hopefully, to respond to most of you.
Thank you as always for taking the time to read my stuff. It is humbling.
I always read your stuff–because as a parishioner (seminary-trained), I find your viewpoints well worth pondering and musing over. I don’t always agree–but then again, no one always does…nor should they.
You give us plenty to think about. The local church is the expression of the Body of Christ in it’s locale…and JESUS loves His Body.
I appreciate your being such an active part of this community, Phil. I certainly don’t expect people to agreerwith me all the time. I just ask that everyone treat each other with Christian love. You certainly exemplify that.
Had this discussion with a church matriarch recently. She even offered to pay for me to take some pastoral ministry classes at the seminary. This is spite of the fact that I visit people in the hospital including some extended family members and I am there for people’s surgeries. Can I get you her address so you can forward this article? 😉
Funny!
Top notch.
Thanks so much, Dave!
I do respect this post, and I read your writings a lot. However, I can’t fully agree here. I know you shouldn’t spend your whole week visiting but some form of visiting has to take place. This goes for members and non members. Christians and non Christians. I believe visiting can help the fellowship and growth of the church.
With which points do you disagree, Daniel?
Maybe, I should re-word it. Mainly I just don’t like seeing “reasons pastors should not visit. That right there will lead many young pastors to never visit, not even hospital visits. I’m encouraging my church to visit and I have to lead by example if I’m encouraging them visit. Its just hard to grasp, that a pastor isn’t supposed to visit. Its working for our church and we have seen growth as a result
Daniel –
The post is not about why pastors should not visit. It is about why pastors should not visit much. I think the biblical case for my article is solid.
So not visit much….how often she we visit then?
I’m in a denomination that doesn’t have church specific deacons, but in my current charge we have visiting teams that visit the shut-ins Even so, I do a lot of visiting especially hospital visits, before surgery etc.
One of my issues is that people seem to think pastors have mind-reading abilities and should “know” when the pastor needs to visit. If we aren’t told, we don’t know. It’s that simple. But I’ve recently been told I’m a bad pastor because I didn’t visit someone’s family member. I was told it was my job to know, and that others in the church knew–therefore I should also know.
Mind reading is a future post. Thanks.
Great articles! Years ago, I heard Evangelist Bob Harrington says that he knew Paul and Silas weren’t Baptists (in my case Nazarene) because at midnight in a Philippian jail, they wouldn’t haven’t been rejoicing, witnessing and singing praise to God, instead they would have been wondering why their pastor hadn’t called on them yet! Funny and perhaps true!
That’s funny!