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Firing the Pastor It just became more difficult to be a pastor in Nebraska. With the firing this week of Steve Pederson, Nebraska University’s Athletic Director, the model of how to get rid of an unpopular pastor was reinforced in the minds of all disgruntled parishioners. There are many parallels between sports fans and congregants:
The firing of Steve Pederson reinforces this process as a paradigm for dealing with congregational discontent and likely increases expectations that displeasing pastors should be expelled quickly. One can, of course, point out significant ways that pastors and congregations operate on different principles than coaches, athletic directors, and sports teams:
Those subtleties, however, are lost on most parishioners, particularly during a time of unrest. Though we may argue that this is not the way things should be, pastors must face the reality that the Pederson paradigm will be in effect when congregational discontent reaches a certain level. The lessons I see are these:
This and That The New York Times in a recent editorial (10/14/2007) noted the surprising number of Fall TV programs that feature the paranormal: “Vampires have day jobs as detectives, store clerks reap souls for the Devil, reporters time-travel to get their stories straight, cheerleaders walk through fire and people of all kinds talk to dead people, sometimes quite chattily. Even reality television is getting swept up in the surreal: On Oct. 24 NBC will unveil ‘Phenomenon,’ an ‘American Idol’-ish competition for illusionists and mentalists, with Uri Geller and Criss Angel as judges….Right now Satan appears to be more of a draw than his opposite; only ‘Saving Grace,’ a TNT drama about a dissolute police detective (Holly Hunter) who is visited by a country-western angel named Earl, hints at a benevolent, all-powerful God. On ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ Jennifer Love Hewitt plays a woman who helps dead people transition to the Other Side, guiding them to a hazy white light. But otherwise there isn’t much of a religious message to the show. It’s more interested in spooky spirits than spirituality.” The Times speculated this may have to do with a desire to escape the world fraught with dangers or our own making (global warming and weapons of mass destruction) into a world with more palatable scapegoats—supernatural forces beyond our control. We are more likely to see it as a rejection of religion and a reversion to paganism—but inherent with this trend is also a rejection of science and its version of absolute truth. Religion perhaps has more common cause with science than previously recognized. “In her book One Perfect Day, Rebecca Mead features a nondenominational ‘multi-faith minister’ named Joyce Gioia who does not serve any particular congregation. Her priestly duties solely involve independent officiating at weddings. For $1,000 per ceremony, Ms. Gioia will create and officiate over a personalized wedding that blends a variety of cultural and religious traditions, using resources from the Bible to Marianne Williamson. She has been known to dress in costumes—for instance, as a baseball umpire for a baseball themed wedding, or in a hooded robe for a medieval theme. She routinely memorizes each ceremony, and offers benedictions recited in 15 different languages. She aspires to blend the ancient traditions with modern flourishes, removing all ‘offensive’ features along with much of the ‘religiosity’ of liturgy. In other words, Ms. Gioia is all about offering countless options and crafting a collage of spiritual and cultural symbols.” (from “Weddings that are More than One Perfect Day” by Jan Edmiston. Congregations Fall 2007, p. 9) It would be tempting to hand off all weddings to the Ms. Gioia’s of the world were it not for pastoral task of reminding couples of the less than perfect realities they face. Surviving the Cut There was a parish that had a notorious reputation for spitting out their pastors. Every three years, the council would review their satisfaction with the current pastor, and invariably ask for his or her resignation. Pastor Smith was on pins and needles as the council meeting marking his third anniversary drew near. He knew the Church's anti-clerical tradition, and he began to prepare for the worst. He was in consultation with his bishop over other call possibilities, should he have to make a change. He even contemplated leaving the pastorate. The night of that dreaded council meeting, the lay president said, "Well, Pastor Smith, as you probably know, we have to ask you to step outside, while we discuss some concerns among ourselves." With his heart palpitating, Pastor Smith waited for what seemed like forever. Finally, the president invited him back in and to have a seat. "Pastor Smith, we've reviewed the past three years, and the council has unanimously voted to renew your term as our pastor." "That's wonderful!" cried a relieved Pastor Smith. "But tell me, that's a first here for this congregation in many, many years. How did you come about to that decision?" "Well," replied the lay president, "if it were up to us, we wouldn't have pastors at all. But as long as the Church says we have to have one, we figured you're the closest thing we'll ever get to not having a pastor." In Christ's Service, Roger Kruger This e-mail newsletter is an endeavor of Partners in Caring, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc. I envision it as a way to share ideas, resources, and conversation about the joys and struggles of ministry. I welcome your input. Feel free to pass it on to friends.
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Congregants are not simply fans whose primary role is attendance and giving, but disciples. Therefore, they are always both part of the problem and part of the solution.
Angry and inappropriate remarks always make you the loser even if they were precipitated by angry and over-the-line attacks. At the same time, it is important not to be too pious and unemotional with your response (part of the problem with Coach Callahan’s responses?). If critics don’t believe you have heard the criticism, they will get louder. Acknowledge the problem and provide some indication of what will be done to address the problem.