We need your help. I, like hundreds of other pastors, am the pastor of a small church that is struggling and quite possibly dying. I don't want it to die and I do all that I know to do to keep it going. I go to the seminars and conferences that give glory to the wonderful churches that are growing, are missional, are simple, transformational, focused, and relevant. I listened to speeches and sermons that instruct me on how my church needs to be like one of these churches. I read the material on your latest evangelistic strategy that is going to revolutionize my church. Guess what, it's all garbage.
It's not that I don't believe in the latest Stetzer or Rainer research. It's not that I don't see value in what you are espousing. It's not that I don't believe that you haven't spent hours and untold amounts of money coming up with the latest evangelism strategy. It's that for all the rhetoric, for all the discipleship seminars and training sessions I've been to no one from a leadership position has been able to answer my one question: If I do what you are suggesting I'll be out of a job, then what?
Honestly, I often leave your meetings feeling as though we struggling, small church pastors (who are the majority in your denomination) are the second class citizens who weren't smart enough or spiritual enough to be David Platt (no offense to David). I often leave such meetings thinking that I have one of two choices: implement what is being discussed and cause chaos at my church or simply leave my church and start a new one. Which by the way, there does seem to be a growing tendency toward, if you aren't planting a church then you aren't really doing anything.
I guess that is my biggest problem. This feeling that because we happen to be in a situation where there aren't hundreds of people being baptized then the only logical conclusion is that we, as the pastors, aren't doing something right. And perhaps we aren't. Perhaps all the small, struggling church pastors should just leave their churches to go start new churches. Perhaps we should be pushing our churches harder to change their centuries old ways and be "culturally relevant." Perhaps there is much to do and much that can be done. Perhaps. Perhaps we small, struggling church pastors would like to believe that are denominational leaders are as interested in helping these pastors fulfill their calling, to which they are faithfully serving, as they are in telling us everything that is wrong with our churches.
Consider these pastors as men on the frontline of a war and it's trench warfare. It's hard, it's cold, it's dirty and it's dangerous. What we would like to know is that the generals aren't going to send down a order that says, "Hey guys, here is a new program with flashy door hangers, power-point ready sermons, and even a meditative cd of worship music. Now let's go baptize some folks and be sure to record them in your annual church profile!" What we would like instead is for the generals to say, "We know what is wrong. We know that you know what is wrong. Let's work together to fix it and if it can't be fixed then know troops that you won't be left here in the trenches to die."
I don't think I need to give you the stats but I will:
Leaders, we are tired, burning out, and could use a helping hand from you. Stop telling us what is wrong all the time. We get it. We know the troubles our churches face. We are there. All we want to know is will you be there with us?
In His grace, for His glory,
Pastor John Raymer, small church pastor
