Remove the middle position (synods and/or churchwide) from the equation. Even better, move synod staff and offices back into congregations in which case more synodical staff could serve local congregations and engage in mission. Make it truly a flat system. Wide open candidacy system at all levels. Any church can interview candidates from anywhere at any time, as many as they wish. Just like the hiring processes of schools, businesses, and most of the rest of the world.Simultaneously, get rid of the concept of "interims." Pastors considering a call elsewhere inform their congregations well in advance of their departure, perhaps even one to two years ahead of time. Congregations assemble a call committee prior to the departure of the pastor so they are ready to bring in another pastor immediately upon the departure of the present one. Since many churches experience considerable decline during overly long interims, this creates a system where strong leadership remains in place during the transition.
Again, this model is quite like the way other institutions work. Corporations do not wait two years to get a new CEO. Sports teams flag in performance when coached for too long by interim coaches.
There are of course many other reasons why the ELCA is currently not growing as a denomination. Some of it has to do with reorientation of values and theological priorities, and how people identify with those.
Even more of it has to do with the fact that we aren't having enough babies. Growing denominations and churches are growing demographically, through births, more than any other reason.
But I really do think changing our call process in the way I outline above would go a long way towards strengthening the mission of the ELCA.
Anybody else?
Few questions and thoughts...
ReplyDeleteWhen a CEO is fired, though, it's often because s/he has lost the confidence of the shareholders. Are you suggesting that if the people don't like the pastor, s/he should be fired? What happens if the pastor is preaching a faithful gospel but the congregation doesn't want to hear it and chooses to "fire" the pastor?
Also - CEO's can fire/lay off people in their corporations. I can't exactly do that with the people I serve. So - if I can get fired like a CEO gets fired, are you suggesting that I can fire people like a CEO does and bring the people I want to work with me?
A lot of corporations do have an interim CEO or executive of some kind after a firing/retirement/resignation/etc.... If not, then they have a succession plan in place.
Finally -
A long interim can sometimes be a good thing. I know of several congregations that rushed the interim process, did exactly what you suggest and then got a really crappy pastor for their congregation. It was not pretty and brought even more decline than the interim did...
I like it! However, it would probably mean that smaller/rural congregations would never get the rock star pastors and rock star pastors would never get tempered by smaller congregations. (rock star=very gifted pastor)
ReplyDeleteI trust the Spirit to inspire rock star pastors to take calls in smaller congregations. I've seen it happen often.
ReplyDeleteI do think given the responsibility pastors are given in many larger congregations, they should have more freedom to hire and fire. Similarly, I think congregations should be more free to remove their pastors than under the current system. That being said, I think the best model might be teachers or principals.
well, these are good and provocative ideas, but I would want to temper the CEO ideas by reminding us that there are some ways that we aren't like a corporation/business. that being said, I recently lived through a long interim, and while I think that interims provide some valuable perspectives, I also agree that there are counter-productive aspects of it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the interim part... After a long pastorate, a congregation often requires time to reflect upon identity questions apart from that leader. Having an interim with a specific term lined up in advance to keep things rockin and rollin while the reflective and call processes process would be cool - but it is often not possible for the congregation to discern who they are until the leaving leader has left.
ReplyDeleteWhat ails Protestant denominations is what yours is corrupted by. You could pervert and dismantle faith until the world is compatible. To revive the faith, we must regain. Or else all of Protestantism is no more. No more even with charlatans pretending a faith they have dismantled. Look at Europe and others in the Western hemisphere...
ReplyDeleteAs an ELCA expatriate, this proposal is in the category of first-class lounge design on the Titanic.
ReplyDeleteThe ELCA is declining because it has made the progressive social-justice agenda as the new articles of faith. You've told conservative Lutherans to sit down and shut up, but get their pledge in during the stewardship drive.
I'm not sure what your personal experiences are, but I haven't seen anything resembling the "sit down, shut up, but give us your money" scenario you describe. I hope you were able to find a church that better fits your social priorities. I've had some bad church experiences, too, but I've found it much more rewarding to contribute positively to my new church home, the ELCA, than to be burdened by lingering resentment towards my old one.
DeleteI'm not shopping for a church based on MY social priorities. I think that Scripture provides an unambiguous description of those priorities. I, along with many others (witness the rise of the NALC) believe this, sincerely. The ELCA has had at least 600 congregations vote to disaffiliate and serious conflicts continues in hundreds. The central question not social agenda but scriptural authority.
DeleteFlip this around: what if the call system were used in hiring football coaches and CEO's? More companies and teams might find success with a more thorough and thoughtful "call" process.
ReplyDeleteI think that's what the Presbyterians do. We should ask them how it's working!
ReplyDeleteThat was Dan Kuckuck by the way.
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