Whenever a new pastor arrives on the scene of a new ministry, he or she makes certain assumptions about the church. These assumptions may or may not be correct. Check out your score on the following list.
True or false: The candidating experience revealed the true picture of the culture of the church and the membership's expectations. (False) Churches, like you, tend to put their best foot forward.
True or false: The church will eagerly follow your leadership because you have the training and experience to be a good leader. (False) Churches tend to hire pastors because they like your preaching and your family, and you appear to match most of their expectations of a pastor.
True or false: Church leaders can't wait to get started making the changes you will make in the life and ministry of the church. (False) Few people like change, especially if they do not have a big part in making the change. And, only a small minority will be early adopters of change.
True or false: Your honeymoon experience as the new pastor will probably last only a few months, and in some churches may only last a few weeks. (True) The old adage of the honeymoon period for a new pastor will probably last for a year is now outdated and has shortened due primarily to the rapidly changing culture of society and the changing expectations for a new pastor.
True or false: Your new church will probably be easier for you to lead and serve than your former church. (False) Your new church will probably be more difficult to lead and serve than your former one because of your expectations about finding an easier church to lead and serve.
True or false: Many of the same problems that you faced in your former church will also be found in your new church. (True) Most churches tend to have the same problems and issues because the enemy of the church uses the same strategies in every church (2 Cor. 2:11), and you may carry the same problems into your church because you may be the source.
True or false: The first order of business for you as the ne pastor is to get to know your sheep. (True) In order to lead and serve your new congregation, you need to know them and know their name so they will know your voice (John 10:27).
True or false: In spite of your new job description, most everyone, if they have been a churchgoer for a while, will have their own expectations for their new pastor. (True) The reality is that church members will either not care what your job description says so long as you are there when they need you, and they will not know what you agreed to when you accepted the offer to be their new pastor.
True or false: The leaders of your new church will know how to "do" church and will gladly follow your leadership. (False) There is a high probability that your leadership team will have not been trained in being church leaders or will not know what godly church leadership is all about.
True or false: You will know how to "do" church in your new ministry and will know how to be a leader of your leadership team. (False) The reality is that there is a very low percentage of pastors today who are well trained in church leadership, social and cultural exegesis, social intelligence, cultural intelligence, the process of change, group dynamics, conflict management, and crisis management, to name a few needs of pastors today.
What other assumptions of a new pastor can you name and are they true or false?
(Photo by Aman Upadhyay on Unsplash)