Pastors and Church Attenders: One of the most important things you’ll read this month …
From the good people of Read the Spirit, here:
http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/2013/1/21/new-study-shows-forces-driving-church-growth-loss.html
Quotable:
I only get to say one thing [to pastors]? Well, one thing I would advise is: stability. Stay—stay long enough. We have all sorts of evidence that clergy turnover is detrimental to churches. So, to pastors I would say: “Stay for the long haul. Stay for 10 years.”
Then, if I could say another thing: Pastors should reflect on their own ministry, think about how many parishes they have served. The average is about three to five parishes over a whole lifetime of commitment to ministry. So, the question for the pastor is: What decade of my ministry am I in right now? What parish is this in my lifetime of service? They need to reflect on this because they are not the same person they were in their first decade or their first church. What impresses me most about pastors is their resiliency and their ability to grow throughout their lives. Pastors in their first decade or their first church are struggling with different issues than those in their later decades. For pastors, that’s something very important to know about yourself.
Also worth reading – can religion survive the internet?
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/religion_may_not_survive_the_internet/