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.
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437 Comments
When I began pastoring, there was an explicit understanding that I needed to visit the older and infirmed at least once per month. And to do so would be the bare minimum. Of course, I also cut the yard, cleaned the church, preached Sunday morning and Sunday night and led meetings that I couldn’t vote at.
And I look back in sorrow for the heart of a people who would say, “We’ve known you for years. Loved you, worshiped with you, prayed with you, had potlucks with you over and over again. Now that you’re old or homebound…we’ve hired someone who doesn’t even know you to come see you. Because we can’t be bothered to do it.”
That church about killed my desire to ever do ministry again. My wife? Same thing. It was harder on her.
Shepherds do visit. I do it mostly in coffee shops these days. Because culture has changed and people don’t want me in their homes much. But the greater thing a shepherd does: protect the sheep from wolves. And wolves seldom know they are wolves. They just spend their time criticizing the shepherd to anyone and everyone, making his voice to the sheep ineffective.
I wonder if the early Apostles would have been accused of a CEO/Church-Growth mentality for appointing Deacons and giving their attention, instead, to prayer and the study of the Word?
BTW- I’ve been at the current church for 12 years. And I love it. But I’ve averaged more than 50 hrs./week for the entire time. I don’t sit around playing instead of visiting. It doesn’t work that way.
Wow Thom, I had to scroll down so far just to comment, you opened up a can! I am Bi-Vo with a small church. So I rarely visit. I have a full time job, then the rest of the time I am in sermon prep and weekly Bible study prep. I use the phone mostly and fortunately even my older members text! They are an understanding group. But I do believe in visiting, if I had the availability. We do need to train up our people to do many things. The main one I have been focused on is “learning to witness”. NO ONE, even at the large churches in our area, know how…or they are not truly saved. We have regular witness training now. Also, I instituted participation immediately upon my arrival as “permanent pastor”. Our members wanted to do things, but the pastor before me would not allow anyone to be a part of the worship and other ministries. I didn’t want to be “the whole show”. Anyway, good point. I will pray about sharing it with my congregation. 🙂
Nothing is mentioned in the OP about the size of the church. In a medium or larger church (over 150 a Sunday) this is impossible. In a small church, it’s fun. I don’t think of it as a “have to” but rather as a “get to.” So much more productive than sitting in front of a screen all week writing things no one reads. I also knock on doors in the neighborhoods around where we meet (cold calling) every Tuesday afternoon, with another church member who enjoys it and speaks the languages of most of the families we meet. Now this is not for everyone; but I am an extravert, and I love being out among the people. Introverts can be as good or better at ministry, but they do it in a different way. Knowing my people is important to me and it sets the tone of expectation that we are to “get out there” and be relational. We are also very missional–we are the main supporting church of a home for women who decide not to get abortions and we are involved in church planting (directly) in 5 fields from New York to Vietnam.
As a person who did not become a senior pastor until I was 41, I would like to comment as layperson and pastor. When I served (key word here) as a lay person I never expected the pastor to visit me. I just figured if I wanted him to come over to visit I’d invite him. As a pastor I have struggled to find the right balance. If a person is in the hospital or ER, its a priority. If I feel I need to get to know them better I will schedule a visit. My wife and I also try to regularly invite people to our home for a meal. A few years ago I had to have my appendix out. During a weekend stint at the hospital, no one from my church of 150 came to see me. So who visits the pastor if we are all members of the priesthood? Just some rndom thoughts. Thanks for a great article, as always, Thom!
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The article is right on and something I have said for years. Sadly there will be those who reject this most excellent biblical advise. The same is true in the secular world. If the “leader” does not train others and makes all the decisions, the company will suffer, and likely fold once he is gone. Thanks for posting this, I pray the body will listen.
Great article. If you were a member at my church for 3 months then you would see where this article hits the mark. How can the pastor lead the church in ministry and preaching when they are at the hospital for 5 hours a day?
Thom,
Thanks for the insightful article! I have always believed this and it’s a biblical concept.
Thanks for having the courage to bring this forward.
– From another Russ
In-home, pastoral visits during the day ain’t what they used to be, when most Americans were rural. The pastor would visit, and often lend a hand with work around the farm. The church I currently serve has members that are spread far and wide all over the suburbs of Chicago, and with the exception of a few retirees, few of them are home during the day. Social media has enabled me to be in touch with people who wouldn’t be available during the day, and who spend most of their evening hours with kid’s homework and activities, like sports, band, etc, along with the usual household tasks like laundry, grocery shopping, caring for aging parents, etc. The model from the first half of the last century won’t last.
Yes, you make some valid points. People aren’t as sociable as they used to be, and this can make pastoral visitation an awkward task. I had a young lady quit coming to my church because (gasp!) I went to visit her when she was in the hospital. It seems like pastors just can’t win for losing these days.
Thanks for sharing that! I had a friend who was mortified when I appeared in his hospital room as he was about to undergo a vasectomy. “Er, thanks, Pastor, but you REALLY didn’t need to come!”
At least he didn’t expect the pastor to read his mind. If the young lady I mentioned had simply told me she didn’t want any visitors, I’d have honored her request.
Thom,
Thanks for having the moxy to write this article and then post it in a public forum. I have to agree with you here and I do that from long years of experience, trial and error, messing up often and a desire to be a good under-shepherd.
My personal practice has evolved from trying to visit every member every year, plus prospect visits and hospital visits to the following:
I try to make every hospital visit and in crisis ministry visit I can. I also try to go to as many social events as possible such as football games, baseball games wherein the children of members and prospects are playing. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and their friends are found at such events. I go and make contact and conversation with as many people as possible at such events. I also go to graduations, weddings, funerals and other events wherein I know my church members and prospects will be present.
However, brother, I do my best to avoid wedding and baby showers. 😉
can a pastor do the job by her self and no assistant say the Lord told her she did need a assistant
From a practical standpoint, I make sure I am at most larger gatherings (parties, senior activities,etc) of our church members, and I give personal attention to the folks there. It goes a long way and reduces the need that some have for “social calls”. This never replaces the real pastoral visits that must be made, but it gives you concentrated time with a larger group so that you are free to be in the word and prayer. Just practical advice. Thank you Dr. Rainer.
Does it depend on the context of ministry? I am a minister of a busy city centre Presbyterian church in Edinburgh, Scotland. I have trained elders and pastoral visitors in bereavement visiting, hospital visitation, care of the dying, visiting individuals with dementia…… All of this is to support my pastoral visits which are largely unseen and unknown due to the nature of the visit.
one person stated this and I would like to give a different opinion..”Visiting your members IS sermon preparation. You can’t preach if you aren’t in their lives. You will just be talking from your office. It is I’m visiting that you know the hearts and minds and fears and hopes and questions of your congregation.” Jesus never asked people what their needs were so that he could come up with the content for His teachings.. His policy was and still remains true for us His disciples according to John 5:30 Jesus testifies that He can do nothing on His own, as He sees the Father doing that is what He also does, the Fathers will. God speaks to His people , His word was there from the beginning. He doesn’t consult or do research for Him to know what to say. A pastor is a servant of God , what he preaches and teaches should come directly from God ,who knows us better than we know ourselves and better than any pastors visit could unveil. Therefore through the Holy Spirit God can use any servant in His house to minster to the peoples needs. It is good for people to care for one another but the idea of the pastor being the one to visit the congregation is not supported in the bible. In the book of Acts the early church meet together to fellowship in their homes not just the Apostles going to visit the people in the homes. It is the responsibility of the church members to visit one another in fellowship..
The Bible also says “Study to show thyself approved.” Show me a pastor who never studies and simply preaches “as the Spirit leads him”, and I’ll show you a pastor who is very likely on the road to heresy.