{"id":679,"date":"2009-02-17T03:01:24","date_gmt":"2009-02-17T03:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/02\/dont-swing-too-far-on-the-pendulum.html"},"modified":"2009-02-17T03:01:24","modified_gmt":"2009-02-17T03:01:24","slug":"dont-swing-too-far-on-the-pendulum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/02\/dont-swing-too-far-on-the-pendulum.html","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Swing Too Far on the Pendulum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 8 of series: Advice for Pastor Search Committees
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nI\u2019m going to wrap up this series today, at least for now. As always, I reserve the right to come back to this subject in the future.
\nSo far, I\u2019ve suggested that pastor search committees should:<\/p>\n

1. Seek first the kingdom of God.
\n2. Pray without ceasing.
\n3. Be open to God\u2019s surprises.
\n4. Exercise endurance and beware of exhaustion.
\n5. Represent your church accurately.
\n6. Get the true \u201cdownside\u201d on candidates.
\n7. Realize you can\u2019t have it all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today I offer this bit of advice:<\/p>\n

8. Don\u2019t swing too far on the pendulum.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The pendulum of which I speak is that of change. In particular, I\u2019m recommending that pastor search committees do not overreact to the weaknesses of the preceding pastor, thus swinging way too far out on the pendulum of change.
\nI\u2019ve seen it happen too many times. To cite one example, about ten years ago I watched a church call a new senior pastor. The preceding pastor, a man I\u2019ll call Vince, had been a fine teacher\/preacher and an expert in pastoral care. But he was an abominable administrator. In fact, he didn\u2019t even pretend to have administrative gifts. He left that to others on the staff along with some gifted lay leaders. Under Vince\u2019s leadership, the church grew in size and in depth. But when he moved on, the search committee saw an opportunity to call a pastor with more administrative ability and interest. They intentionally sought such a pastor. The person they found, whom I\u2019ll call Eric, was a decent preacher and an outstanding administrator. He was not especially strong in pastoral care, but he had done well in his previous church, which thrived under his leadership. So the search committee called Eric as the new pastor of their church, convinced that he would be outstanding.
\nNo doubt you can see where this story is going. Eric\u2019s time at the church was a train wreck. The congregation missed Vince\u2019s strong preaching and teaching. The staff and lay leaders of the church were not at all ready for Eric\u2019s administrative leadership. And everybody missed the highly personal care they had received from Vince. Though Eric did exactly what he had been told was needed at the church \u2013 provide visionary leadership \u2013 he found that few wanted to follow him. He lasted a couple of years in the church, years that were painful for all concerns.
\nI\u2019m glad to say that the next time around, the search committee for this church took a more balanced approach. They called a pastor, Jim, who was a strong preacher, much as Vince had been. Jim was a solid administrator, but not as assertive as Eric had been. Jim was also strong in pastoral care, though not as involved in the lives of the congregation as Vince had been. In sum, Jim was more administratively capable than Vince, but much more like Vince than Eric had been. His tenure at the church has been a positive and productive one.
\nSometimes search committees err by looking for someone just like the preceding pastor. Sometimes they err by looking for someone way too different. In my opinion, committees need to evaluate very carefully the positive impact of the former pastor. If, for example, that pastor was a strong preacher, chances are that the congregation values preaching highly, and will need the next pastor to be a strong preacher as well. The same would be true for other pastoral qualities: visionary leadership, management, discipleship, pastoral care, evangelism, program organization, etc. I\u2019m not meaning to imply that the new pastor should be just like the old one, whatever this might mean. But that which the congregation most valued in the former pastor certainly shouldn\u2019t be a weak suit for the next pastor.
\nSometimes the pendulum swing isn\u2019t so much about pastoral abilities as it is about vision or mission. If a former pastor was perceived as being too evangelistic, thus neglecting care of the flock, the committee might be tempted to call a pastor who paid too little attention to evangelism. Or if a former pastor is perceived to be too conservative theologically, the committee might overcompensate by seeking someone too liberal for the church. Or of the predecessor is believed to have been too old, the committee might seek someone too young. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
\nOf course if the former pastor had serious moral problems, then a search committee should go ahead and take a big swing on the pendulum. If, for example, the last pastor was dishonest, it\u2019s absolutely right to seek a new pastor who is impeccable when it comes to honesty. I\u2019m not suggesting that committees look for pastors who are mostly truthful, or mostly faithful to their spouses, or mostly legal in their approach to finances. When it comes to matters of moral character or theological orthodoxy, committees are well advised to be uncompromising.
\nI\u2019ve already dealt with the problem of committees who think they can have it all. Naively, they want someone with all of the strengths of the predecessor, and none of the weaknesses. This is a formula for disaster. Once again, I\u2019d recommend that committees work extremely hard on discerning the pastoral strengths that are most essential for their church. This kind of realistic evaluation will enable the committee to seek and, by God\u2019s grace, to find a pastor well-suited to their congregation.\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 8 of series: Advice for Pastor Search Committees Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series I\u2019m going to wrap up this series today, at least for now. As always, I reserve the right to come back to this subject in the future. So far, I\u2019ve suggested that pastor search committees should: 1.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastor-search-committees"],"yoast_head":"\nDon\u2019t Swing Too Far on the Pendulum - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}