They have been at their present church at least ten years, often much longer.
They have persevered. They have served multiple generations of the same families.
They have known the highs and lows of ministry. And they have not succumbed to the siren call of greener grass churches.
I have been following these long-tenured pastors for years. And I have seen consistently seven patterns, or habits, in their lives. To be sure, these habits are not unique to long-tenured pastors. But they do seem to be most consistent among those pastors who have been at one church for at least ten years.
- They don’t skip a day in prayer and the ministry of the Word. They are truly Acts 6:4 pastors. They refuse to succumb to they tyranny of the urgent. They put prayer and Bible reading as a priority on their calendars, usually early in the morning. They are able to carry on because they are refueled every day.
- They realize gnats are gnats. So they are able to look beyond the momentary critics and nuisances. See my earlier blog post of April 3, 2017.
- They pray for wisdom. I have been both amazed and encouraged to discover how many longer-tenured pastors include the prayer of James 1:5 in their prayer lives.
- They dream big. These pastors are not satisfied with the status quo. They truly believe they serve a God who has bigger plans than we can possibly imagine in our own strength.
- They intentionally seek to see the green grass in their own churches. That helps them not to fall for the trap that the green grass is always at the next church.
- They keep an outward focus. Pastors in a maintenance mode are either miserable pastors or pastors on their way out. Long-tenured pastors really take Paul’s admonition to Timothy seriously. They do the work of the evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5).
- They take care of their families. They know their families are their first lines of ministry. In fact, they grasp clearly that they cannot lead their churches for the long haul unless they take care of their families (1 Timothy 3:5).
The longer-term pastor is a step in the right direction for greater health and more fruitful ministry.
Posted on April 5, 2017
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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30 Comments
Brought tears to my eyes. I am blessed to have known several long term pastors both men and women.
To sum it up- diehard faithfulness to God, to people, and to their commitments ( spouse family).
I have felt a sense of peace in their presence and they are content in God. I have walked through very hard trials with some of them and was in awe at the strength of their hearts.
I still have a lot to learn from them.
Is it legal for a music guy that’s been at this church for 27 years to add something to the list? It is necessary to truly love and care about the flock that God has assigned us to. That motivates a whole different kind of ministry, instead of doing something just because it’s my job.
Thanks, Thom, for your wise words today, and the many, many words in this form, and in book form. You remain a blessing in my life.
GOD FIRST, FAMILY SECOND, CHURCH THIRD.
Some pastors don’t like this, and many in the church do not like this. However, God called me to minister to my family flock long before my pastorate, and they will still be my flock long after my pastorate. You cannot minister if your main flock is not where it should be. That simple.
Yes, indeed! I always tell young pastors that if they fail in the pastorate, they can always try again later, but they only get one shot at raising a family.
One more that I haven’t seen yet.
Regular fellowship with other pastors of like mind and faith. My last church was a 10 year tenure. There were times that had I not had a group of pastor friends I could go to I might have just quit. God used those men in my life to encourage and to disciple me. He also used me to do the same for some of them. I’ve been gone from that field for 3 years now and still know that I can call on any of them at any time. They know they can call on me as well.
Wow! I served eleven years at my first church, and I just celebrated my tenth anniversary at my current church. I thought I was a long-tenured pastor, but after reading some of the comments on this thread, I feel like a rank amateur! 🙂
Great Post – I have am the founding pastor of the church I am currently pastoring. I started the church in 1993. I completely agree!
Guys like you are my heroes, Rocky.
Thanks, Thom, for your leadership and especially for your words of wisdom that remind of the work that God calls us too.
Thanks again.
Thank you as well, Clark.
Having served my church as senior pastor for 28 years, I can add, long tenure pastor:
1. Want the best for their people. They’re not merely committed to building a church, to building lives. People’s personal lives are as important as they’re spiritual lives.
2. Are willing to make whatever sacrifices are needed to benefit the church. They’re will to sacrifice their finances, their time, their comfort, and talents for the church.
3. Are committed disciples of Christ; denying themselves and taking up their cross to follow Jesus.
Your first name has a great sound to it!
Thanks for the wonderful reminders in this post. As one who has pastored the same church for over 35 years, I say “amen”.
I’ve done most of the things you mentioned, but never to perfection. It’s always a work in progress.
God bless those who pastor long and strong!
Thank you for your faithfulness, Ketih.
Strong list! I’d like to add two: more observations after 34 years in the pastorate:
1. They seek the wise counsel of Godly people within the church they pastor and beyond their church.
2. They build strong collaborative & consensus building groups of the most spiritually minded people in the church that share in the vision the Lord gives the pastor.
Good additions, Randy.
Thanks for this Thom. We just celebrated 30 years at the church that we planted. You have identified core values to create a culture of health for local church. Realizing that the Biblical model for church is family, not corporate America goes a long way in keeping the focus on healthy growth. Always advancing the vision to enlarge the family of God keeps you from stagnating. Leaning young keeps you relevant.
I realize God has graced many leaders for “turn-around” situations. But, I believe the most healthy and fruitful ministry is longevity with advancing movement.
Love stories like yours, Keith!
They were happy. This does not mean they watered down the faith, just that they didn’t stay angry all the time. They were happy to teach children’s church, conduct baptisms of children as well as adults and weddings. (Baptisms of children sometimes came before the wedding of the parents but there was no refusal to baptize the illegitimate child or marry the parents.) They were very outgoing to the people who attended that particular event and did not mind the pews full of nonmembers or even crazy college students. Having only seen/heard unhappy, judgemental evangelical ministers, I remember being about 21 and going into a large Methodist church in a city for a wedding and the minister who had been there for decades seemed genuinely happy to conduct yet another one. Afterward, he was greeting people outside, not scared to be around us, and even talking with us. I remember saying afterward that I could see why he had lasted decades there.
Well said, Mark.
This is spot on! I have served the same Church for over 25 years. We’ve been thru so many trials. All the above points must stay on our routine.