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"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12).

One of the things I have done over many years is to look at various brotherhood papers, and now web sites, where churches are searching for a new preacher. I do this for several reasons. One is curiosity, seeing what congregations are looking. Another is to see what type of preacher a church is looking for and the qualifications desired. I also like to see if the elders are searching or a search committee. Sometimes these ads need to be interpreted or translated. Okay, this is morbid curiosity - why would anyone want to go through this time and time again, or at all?

Many years ago, I heard a person say that we need a preacher like the apostle Paul. He established churches, was reaching people, and preaching the truth. Then some facts were pointed out about Paul. He was not a trained speaker nor was he impressive in person when he spoke (2 Corinthians 11:6; 10:10). His physical appearance was repulsive to many (see Galatians 4:13-14), so much so that he saw it as a thorn in the flesh that he wanted God to remove (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)(1). Then when we look at his travels, we see that wherever he went trouble followed. He was thrown out of towns or arrested and imprisoned. Some even threatened to murder him (see Acts 12-28). And he was single! Once this is pointed out, most churches do not want to hire a preacher who has been arrested or who will stir up such trouble.

I thought that maybe some congregations would want someone like Jesus, but I doubt that would be true. Jesus told too many stories and questioned the traditions of the religious leaders. No preacher would survive a week doing that.

Why not one of the prophets? Most of the time they were not foretelling the future but bringing God’s complaint concerning His people, exposing their hypocrisy, moral failures and sins. Need more be said.

Since most would not want the above, congregations have come up with the type of preacher they want. Surprisingly, almost everyone wants the same type of preacher. I’m sure that many think this is Biblical. What type of preacher do they want?

First, most want a preacher who is a good speaker, able to communicate to everyone from ten to ninety. Translated this means he is able to please those in power and make them happy and until some other age group complains, he will stay with the congregation. But what does it mean to communicate to all? A person has to be able to preach to the following: those from the great depression and World War II generation, the baby boomer beatnik hippies, the yuppies, modern and postmodern generations. If one thinks this is an easy task, which some elders appear to, then it is not surprising that churches change preachers frequently. Some respond to stories and humor but those who do not like stories and humor complain that not enough doctrine is being taught. Then the others complain. For those who want communicators across generations, many complain about the cultural changes that each generation brings or refuse to recognize it. The idea that is express is that everyone should hear in the same way. Of course, some are just happy with stories without commitment and that is another problem.

The second requirement in hiring a preacher is in the job description. He is to do the following: preach, teach, visit the sick, hospitals and members, run the office, plan activities with various deacons, become part of the community, do anything else the elders decide the preacher needs to do, be married with kids, and be between twenty-five and forty-five with a successful track record. Translated this means the preacher is to do what the elders want and they will determine whether he is doing the job, usually by the amount of complaints they hear and how much he supports them. Reading the above, the preacher is doing both elders and deacons work without any titles or authority.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, an eldership has become a board of directors directing the preacher. Someone has got to do it, right?. What about elder responsibilities? I was teaching a class on James when I read 5:14, where James states that if any are sick, call the elders. I said that if any of you go into the hospital, you should call the elders to come and pray. The first question I received was this: "Does that mean you will not visit me in the hospital?" We don’t have a clergy/laity system, do we!? I said that I would visit that person, but that wasn’t the purpose of the text. I have thought about that over the years. Why would a person not call the elders to come and visit them? How is the preacher seen - as some "special" person or as one who has been hired to do this? What about the elders? Why is there a fear to call them to do what is Biblically required? Could it be that they are not seen as spiritual enough but rather as a board of directors who should not be bothered with such activities?

I recently read a rather humorous yet sad ad. It appears that a preacher that had been hired spent far too much time running back and forth to his house to help control his kids. So the congregation now wanted a preacher who had better control of his children so that they would not take away his time from the "Lord’s" work. People think that preacher’s kids will automatically be "perfect" children. They are kids! And they will act like them. I believe that some of those who complain about preacher’s kids have forgotten how their own children behaved (2). So the preacher is in a catch-twenty-two. He is to raise his kids but first he must be about the "Lord’s" work. If his kids are "out of control" then the preacher has got to go. If he becomes too involved in the community, then the complaint is that he is ignoring the "Lord’s" work and he has got to go.

A third requirement for a preacher is that he is under the "authority" of the elders in matters of expediency. Translated this means that the elders are the board of directors and the preacher will do what the elders want

whether he likes it or not. Where the elders get such "authority" is a subject of debate. Some one has to make decisions, right? In Acts 13, it was the church that sent out Paul and Barnabas. I get the idea that the decision involved everyone, but I could be wrong. The problem with expediency is that it is usually the elders who decide what is expedient and that it is almost always what they want, or their view that is presented, despite the thinking of the congregation.

I have seen this in a number of ways and when some matter of opinion is forced on the congregation, the elders are always shocked at the response. The usual reaction then is that we are the elders and we have the "authority" to make this decision. One illustration. One day after a baptism of a young man, a number of people clapped. In the next Sunday bulletin was a one sentence command: "There will be no clapping after baptisms." Several people came up to me and asked what I thought about what was in the bulletin. Since I had not read it, I didn’t know what they were talking about. Then I saw the sentence. I told them to go and talk to the elders. (I have to stop here and check something……..Yes, Matthew 18:15 is still in the Bible). I told them to go and talk to the elders. This wasn’t my first experience with such happenings.

We could look at any number of other requirements for preachers. They should be "sound in the faith" or "teach sound doctrine" or "doctrinally sound." Translated that means that a preacher is to teach the traditions of either the congregation or of the elders of the church and editors of certain papers. Another requirement is that he is to love and reach the lost. Translated that means as long as the lost they are reaching are like us; no tax collectors and sinners, or today homosexuals and prostitutes. The preacher should love the church. Translated that means he must keep as many people happy as he can, especially those who in some way have the ear of the elders. It might be those who are rich and give. It could be some sister who is a friend of an elder’s wife.

Okay, a lot of that was pretty cynical. I think some churches do that so that they can feel that they are fulfilling some Biblical mandate. Others do it because that is all that they have ever seen. And some of it is that we just are not being truthful with ourselves, or to say it another was, we are being dishonest with ourselves, and so we have to justify with words actions we are not doing.

So what would I want to see in a congregation? This is what I would write.

I would like to work with a congregation whose shepherds spend most of their time visiting with and praying for brothers and sisters in Christ. Their concern is not with the day to day operation of the congregation but as Paul said in Ephesians four, they would be doing what would bring about spiritual growth. They know their flock, where people work and grew up, the kids and their names and schools they attend, the interests of the family, and the struggles and needs of each. The preacher would be involved in this process as one who addresses the entire church on Sundays. Together they would work in developing a better understanding of God and the scriptures.

I would like to work with a congregation where a need is seen and people are selected to serve who have both experience and a desire to serve in a certain area (3). A fellow preacher told me of a discussion he heard one Sunday. A brother asked an elder about how the budget was coming. The elder told him that it takes time to put together a two hundred thousand dollar budget. The brother who asked the question was the budget director for a grocery chain of over twenty stores. He should have been the one putting it together rather than the elders, but with a board of directors mentality, that will not happen (4). Needs should be identified and people who are capable of handling that selected. That is not the "traditional" way but it is something we need to look at.

I would like to work with a congregation that isn’t bound by traditions (5). They are not afraid to look at texts and words again, to reexamine them and gain new insights which are often found in scripture. The preacher should have the freedom to preach and teach without fear of losing his job over disagreements on issues that some do not agree with. We must make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). There will be different points of view because of various factors. We will not see everything alike. Just consider that hand clapping issue again. My mother-in-law was a wonder woman. One Sunday there was a baptism at the church she attended, some people clapped but she didn’t. At lunch I asked her about that. She said that some are comfortable with clapping and that it is encouraging for them. She wasn’t but would not make it an issue. She just wasn’t going to do it. That is a Christ-like spirit!

I’m sure I could come up with other things I would want in a congregation to preach at. Some would deal with fellowship and worship. There are however four things that churches need to consider. While several texts come to mind, we will keep this one in front:

"’I have the right to do anything,’ you say-- but not everything is beneficial.

should seek their own good, but the good of others" (1 Corinthians 10:23-24).

One, Jesus is Lord and no one else is (Philippians 2:9-11). All authority was given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18). We are under His authority, As such, claiming to have some authority can be a dangerous and destructive attitude. Expediency has become a word which means that I will do what I want whether you like it or not and if you do not like it, take it or leave. Shepherds who spend time with the flock will find ways to work with as many as they can and provide guidance rather than directives to the flock. We all should be looking for what is beneficial for others, not me.

Two, we need to be humble. Humility is not something we are known for. The attitude has been, "It’s my way or the highway." In matters of expediency, we need to consider what will benefit others. It is as simple as that. It is not about me and what I want. It is serving others. Over the years I can count on one hand the number of people who came and talked with me when they had a problem or disagreement with me. Most of the time they went to the elders and complained. I never knew who these people were and the elders never told them to come and talk to me first. (Just a minute, I have to check something. Yes, Matthew 18:15 is still in the Bible. I thought the Lord might miraculously remove it since it is not practiced very much).

Three, we need to love one another, not just in words. We say that and then beat people up verbally. Love is seeking what is best for others even if it means dying for them. It is not emotional but commanded. What would be beneficial for that person? We might have to admonish them, correct them, certainly encourage and strengthen them, and pray for them.

Four, we need to be honest with each other. When I look at all those ads, we just do not want to be honest. We expect an ideal preacher who has no problems. You will never find one. I have my ups and downs. Sometimes I think that I am spiritually strong and at other times I’m just hanging on. Would a congregation want such a person? The unrealistic expectation is that the preacher should always be spiritually strong as well as the elders. So we put on a show. Sad. Yet as a preacher, there is a fear of losing one’s job admitting any struggles. "We certainly cannot have a preacher who has these struggles." What would happen if the preacher responded to the invitation admitting struggles with gossip or pornography or foul speech? Then again, what would happen if an elder responded admitting struggles with self-control or is tempted to use is position to get his way? Elders would have difficulty with this because of the expectations. I think the congregation would be very supportive and thankful at the humility of those who struggle, especially in leadership. But then there would be those who would complain because their expectations are not met. When we look at scripture, we see that Abraham, Moses, David and even Paul had their ups and downs. Why should we expect anything less with us?

Paul said that we need to learn to be content (Philippians 4:12). Changing preachers every three or four years does not help a congregation, nor the preacher’s family (6). I think it is time to rethink what we are looking for in preachers, elders and deacons.

George B. Mearns

(1) Some think that the physical problem came from beatings and stoning Paul received over a period of time, others that it was caused by some type of illness, either of which affected his eyesight.

(2) It would be tempting to write about elders kids, and I think that some of them face the same problems as preacher’s kids, so we wouldn’t go there.

(3) Most of the time churches think they need deacons, look for "qualified" men, and they appoint them to some area like education or buildings and grounds whether they have interests in that area or not.

(4) There is an "authority" issue involved here in the minds of many. Elders believe that they must control almost all activity as leaders, because if they don’t, then bad things will happen. I think this misses some Biblical principles (see Acts 6:1-7).

(5) Traditions are good as long as they are recognized as such and are not written in stone or as Esther says, according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.

(6) The amount of damage done to preachers and their families is incalculable. We just look at the short term effects and not the long term. Treating the preacher as a "hired hand" rather than a member of the family has been very destructive. One brother who had a degree in Greek, could present very good and thought provoking lessons, and was a preacher’s son, was asked why he didn’t go into full time preaching. He said that he did not want people to have that much control over his life.