Fellow pastors… I write to you today to unveil something I feel is about to take place. We are about to see many of our friends lose their jobs. Like many of you, I have many pastors as friends on Facebook. Yesterday, I saw a post that we may see many times in the next few months. It was a about staff pastor who was forced to resign because the church needed to reallocate funds for the coming year.
The pandemic has trimmed the fat of the lukewarm church as over 30% of Christians in America stopped attending all forms of weekly worship. Combined with the new trend of online worship that is expected to overtake the majority of worship attendance in the next few years, we are about to feel the financial pinch of ministries that have buildings and staff costs that can no longer be covered.
In short, we are about to see the largest purging of paid ministers since the church was formed. I say this because this is not the type of shortage where we will see pastors leaving ministries and finding new paid positions. We are about to see thousands of friends face the reality that they will not be able to minister anymore unless they volunteer their time.
We need to mourn for these men and women of God. Many have worked for years to receive the education, move place to place, and jump through every hoop just to be able to follow the call God has placed on their hearts. These pastors are about to lose income. Many will be forced to cut ties with people they have loved and serve for many years. Some will lose their homes and be forced to move. And many will feel like they have failed in serving the Lord. America is going through a drastic change, and many pastors are about to face that change directly.
Yet God has a plan, and His plans are good.
A reformation of church structure is taking place. The bonds and controls of our broken denominational systems are being broken as more and more pastors are being led out of those old systems of ministry and embracing a revitalized one. It may be new to us, but it is not new at all. For it is allowing God to be the provision of His church once again.
Can you believe that an almighty God has called some to be His ministers and messengers? And if He has called them, will He not empower them to serve? Can we not have faith in His provision for our ministries? The wisdom of the Kingdom is always upside-down to the world. Why can we not understand that less can be more with Christ? Less control, less organization, less doctrines and rules. Can God take a people filled with His Spirit alone and build His Kingdom on Logos alone? By all means…
We are about to see many of our friends lose everything they have worked so hard for. The jobs are going to dry up as the Church takes the next decade to shed the buildings they can no longer fill. How will you counsel them? In what direction should they go? What will you do when the next budget is revealed and you become the sacrificial lamb?
I urge you to follow the Spirit’s lead. Join those of us who have already come out of the traditional systems of ministry. We have worked hard to blaze a trail for you in order that you could be spared the same pain that we have already faced.
What if I could tell you that there are new tools or systems being created for ministry that are free to use and are solely meant to help pastors start small independent ministries wherever they are. What if I told you that there are networks being created for like-minded pastors to share resources, receive relational accountability, and spiritual and emotional support. I am just one of many who are developing these types of ministry systems.
The old days of taking 6 to 10 years to earn a pulpit, being force to move multiple times, spending thousands of dollars on Christian education, and being an employee of a group of board members is coming to an end. It is time to take the business out of worship. Let us show you how ministers can start local fellowships where they live without being hindered by the control and rules of a denomination. Let us help give you the green light to start pastoring right away.
Know my heart pastor. The time is coming where some of you are going to lose your position because of this massive transition. You can either spend more money, invest lots of time and energy to scratch and claw to keep what you have earned, or you can let go and let God be your provision. No matter what your choice, I thank you for your service to the King. In the end, we are called to follow the leading of the Spirit. Just as I felt lead to share this with you today, God will lead you with what to do next for you and your family. Remember, you have not failed. The world is just more broken. Therefore, remain steadfast in our hope for the return of Christ.
If you know of any pastor who wants to learn more about these options, have them message me directly.
Blessings…