By Addison Clayton
Pastors often move churches every few years but when this happens what challenges they face. Everyone has had to move in their life to different towns, schools, homes and some even had to move churches. As college students we have all left home to an extent. Commuters had to leave their old school for a school with new people from all over and new experiences as traditional college students. We left home where we most likely felt safe and familiar with a whole new environment. Pastors and Leaders of churches are no different. Leaders of churches often get called to leave and go to new churches. Robert Sheppard of Sherman, Texas was a pastor of New Heritage Baptist Church for 12 and a half years. Recently God has called him to a church in east Tennessee. He has helped shed some light on the challenges that pastors face when moving churches.
Firstly, the question to understand is what is involved in being an engaged pastor. The answer to the question is quite easy; it is a passion for serving the lord, to fulfill god’s call to make disciples who make disciples. That is something Brother Rob has been passionate about, helping guide people into discipleship.
“The calling to make disciples should be the heart of everything the church is involved in. It is a perpetual endeavor,” Brother Rob said.
Some reasons that pastors may leave a church are that they are sensing the lord releasing them because they have accomplished what he called them to or because they have become discouraged. According to an article by Thomas Costello on “Eight Sources of Pastoral Discouragement, few reasons a pastor may become discouraged include: fighting among members and staff, a decline in members, the Facebook effect/Social Media effect, financial issues, inability to make changes, bullying, being pulled in too many directions, and struggling to maintain the church.
“The hardest part about leaving a church is leaving the people,” Brother Rob said.
Something Rob said can make a transition easier is to be proactive and understand the value of an interim pastor.
One of Rob’s favorite parts of being a pastor is being able to preach and see lives change in the congregation. Seeing a life change for the better is one of the most beautiful things one can see. He said he loves watching someone go from just knowing Jesus as a follower into seeing them become more than a follower and walking with Him.
The most difficult part of being a pastor is dispensing church discipline and walking through hurt. Becoming a new pastor, one has to gain trust with a new congregation and learn to work with new people. They also walk through the hurt that everyone feels. Some advice Brother Rob has for a young pastor is this: “Make sure you have peace about the transition, an opportunity elsewhere and a passion for the next chapter of ministry.”
Brother Rob said he is excited knowing that God is at work.
A way that we can pray for pastors going through a church change is “Pray that God will carry him. Be sure to encourage him as he follows hard after Jesus,” Brother Rob said.
