Call Day Again: How to Prepare for and Receive a Candidate

I would like to offer some advice to those congregations that have asked the synod for pastor from one of our seminaries this Spring. The first and ongoing duty, of course, is prayer. I wrote about that earlier this week: Call Day Celebration and Prayer. There are some other things you could be doing as well but before I get to that I want to say thank you.

Calling a candidate is a risky endeavor. Doing so exhibits trust that God will work for you through the synod despite the synod’s many imperfections. You are calling a man whom you do not know. Humanly speaking, you have done nothing much other than fill out some paperwork about your history and demographics, set a budget, and then placed it into God’s hands, believing that He will work through the district presidents and seminary faculties.

The men appointed to assign you a pastor are expected, and will try, to give each congregation the pastor who is not only qualified and competent, but who will also be a good fit. The reality is, though, that they don’t always know the candidates or the congregations as well as they might. They can get fooled or they can be lazy. We have all heard horror stories, sadly at least somewhat and sometimes true, about pastors who have torn congregations apart by false doctrine and bad behavior. Congregations who put themselves into the hands of the process are undertaking a real risk. Thank you for taking it. This is commendable of itself, but you have also set yourselves to be an important training ground for pastors.

Right from the start, you should know two things. First, even if you did scores of interviews and had resumes and recommendations from past congregations served, could offer a salary to make kings weep, and the pastor came with stacks of credentials, you could still get burned. In the end, you are calling a man not an angel. Men change. Men lie. Men fail. Secondly, the congregation or the district presidents and faculties are the mediate cause through whom God works, but it is, nonetheless, God who calls. He works all things together for good and in His wisdom has instituted and provides for the apostolic ministry through sinners.

No one wants a pastor who challenges the congregation’s faith by scurrilous behavior and false or weak doctrine. We do not seek such things. Yet, at the same time, we know that God sends crosses, trials, and difficulties to remove our idols and strengthen our faith. Strength comes from resistance. Maybe God will send you a man who is a great, inspirational teacher who opens the Scriptures for you like no one has ever before, but maybe He won’t. Maybe He will send you a man who forces you to search the Scriptures for yourself and teaches you unwittingly to turn the other cheek. Either way, it will be a blessing to you. God will send the right man. And, of course, odds are, it will be somewhere closer to the middle of that spectrum and that you yourself will add to the mix your own weaknesses and virtues.

Here is something else you should know. While the congregation takes a risk in placing itself into the synod’s hands this way, the man that God has been preparing for you has done some significant suffering himself and usually for at least the last four years. Most of our men have made serious sacrifices to attend the seminary, financially and socially. They have often uprooted their families, given up career or potential careers, and left behind the support of extended family and friends. They have all heard the horror stories also. None of them wants to be a pastor that wreaks havoc in a congregation. They all want to be shepherds. They all think they will be, and so do their teachers, but they are nervous, untested but eager. None of them know either, how their wives and children will do in a parsonage or in the local school. They don’t know what you will think of them, their sense of humor, their stuttering and ignorance, or even their hobbies.

Even as they know there are rogue pastors who hurt congregations, they also know as you do that there have been wicked or highly controlling and ignorant men in positions of congregational power in some places. They have heard horror stories about trustees that won’t fix black mold in the parsonage even though the children are getting sick, about elders who micromanage or try to force the pastor to violate his conscience and commune those he knows he should not, and about church secretaries who gossip about the pastor behind his back. Not every pastor who has left the Ministry after congregational conflict is innocent, but neither are they all always the most or even more guilty party and some of them have been innocent. Innocent, horribly and publicly guilty, or some mix of less than perfect and sincere, none of them have left the ministry and gotten rich. They have lost a serious part of their lives. They take their debts with them. All that to say that the man that God has prepared for you is taking a risk also and in many ways it is more personal for him than it is for you.

You can serve him by preparing the parsonage, offering fair compensation, and setting policies in place that make sure he and his family are taken care of and are treated with love and respect. Parsonages, in particular, are a great blessing but they are also a loss of freedom. The pastor and his family don’t get to choose where it is or check for the particular amenities that he would like. He is simply told. “You are living here.” That can be a relief but also a disappointment. Some of that is relieved if the pastor and family are welcomed sincerely and the house is treated as though it is theirs with freedom to use it appropriately, to paint, etc, as they see fit without micromanagement, if their privacy is honored, and also it is kept up to date and in good repair at the congregation’s expense. The district guidelines for salaries are a good place to start, not only for dollar amounts, but also for the allowance of time off and other needs that pastors and their families have. Making the pastor feel at home, secure, and amongst loved ones does wonders to alleviate his stress and worries.

Here is another thing that you know but sometimes forget. This pastor is not going to solve all of your congregation’s problems and usher in a golden age of prosperity. None of these men come fully trained, ready, or even competent. They come instead with demonstrated aptitude, capacity, and honest hearts. They love Jesus and His Gospel. They want to teach and evangelize. They want the Church to grow and they want to serve you, to love and be loved by you. They aren’t without weaknesses or sins, but they should know how to study, what to read, where to find answers. They have seen some things, enjoyed four years of intense study and life in the Church. That is significant. They aren’t novices or without skills, training, and experience. They have had field work and vicarage, have been through the Church year several times, and have sat through some meetings. For the most part they know more than you about the Bible and Lutheran doctrine. They deserve your love and respect. Of course, Seminary can only begin their training. You will be their practicum, where they cut their teeth. It is not often said but the simple reality is that first calls are at the same time on the job training and trial by fire. In my mind a brand new pastor is more like a brand new 2nd Lieutenant than anything else in this world, but it is probably not much different than a lawyer who just passed the bar exam or an engineer or teacher right out of school.

So please be patient. Let love cover a multitude of sins. Give him some room. I would be disappointed if he didn’t want to change things. You aren’t calling him to maintain the status quo. You are calling him to lead. You may not like some of his changes, but ask yourself this, “What is really at stake? How dangerous is it?” If he wants to change the sugary orange drink you have served to the Sunday School for generations to milk, what is really the harm? Will it fail? Will the kids hate it? Maybe. But why not let him try it? His heart is in the right place. It might sting a bit because you grew up on that orange drink and have fond memories of it. He wants to improve your practice and that can feel like an insult. It is, in a sense, a kind of criticism. But truly, his heart is in the right place. He wants to change it because he loves the children. Can you subdue your ego and subordinate yourself to this? Can you let him lead, give his ideas a real try, and not prefer your own ideas about what is best? Some of his ideas might prove impractical, but again, what is the cost? Can you handle some grumbling children for a couple of weeks? Maybe they will get used to it. Maybe their mothers will love it. And if it doesn’t work out, how hard is it to go back? Being a training ground for pastors has some costs. It requires sacrifices. It is not easy, but you should know that this is a holy work. It serves not just that man and his family, but the whole church, and you will be blessed through it also.

In addition to giving him some room and letting him lead, you can also do him a great service by attendance. Come to Church. Come to Bible class and midweek events. Send your children to Sunday School and youth group. Your presence is probably the greatest encouragement you can give. I don’t mean to say that kind words and true, accurate praise aren’t helpful or important, as is occasional advice and warnings, but he wants to preach and teach and he wants you to hear. Your participation, attentive listening, will likely mean more to him than anything else and your absence will sting deeply. Again, this is also to your benefit. It is why you have a congregation and is where God promises to provide for you. So don’t neglect it.

Thank you again for your trust in God to work through our synod, for your willingness to take an untested man and love and provide for him, and for your desire to hear God’s Word and support the Office that He has instituted. The wait may have been long, but God has been with you every step of the way and He won’t stop now.