Few Pastors Switch Jobs Because
They Feel It’s God’s Will
From Focus on The Family

Today’s pastors are switching churches rather frequently, but fewer of them are moving on because they feel it’s God’s will according to Ron Sellers of Ellison Research.

In Sellers’ study of why pastors change jobs, he found that they said feeling called elsewhere by God was not high among the reasons for their move. “Twenty percent got a promotion -- they moved for instance from a youth pastor to a senior pastor position,” he explained. “Sixteen percent wanted to move on to a larger church.” Only 12 percent, he added, indicated that the primary reason for their job change was God calling them to a different church.
Bobby Holt, senior pastor of Vista Grande Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said many pastors are tempted to move on because their current church isn’t taking care of them financially. “I can tell you story after story after story of ministers that certainly have not been paid an adequate salary, and that’s lamentable,” he told Family News in Focus.  “I think a minister -- especially one that is committed to ministry -- should be honored and respected and viewed as a person worthy of a special honor.” “When a pastor is being taken care of by his local church,” he added, “it frees him to consider God’s will over the long haul.”

Ralph Kelly, senior ethnic ministry manager at Focus on the Family, said that kind of longevity leads to blessings for all involved. “Once a pastor is able to stay, the people begin to trust,” he said. “Pastors are . . . moving from one church to the next every three to five years -- and really you don’t start being a pastor until after about 5 to 7 years.”



This article is from CitizenLink and was published October 28, 2005. CitizenLink is an on-line policy and culture information news service of Focus on the Family. For more information or to subscribe to this free service, log on to http://www.citizenlink.org.