Lara Rusch ~ 19
I happened upon a window onto the issue of congregations’ internal relationships
at a Council of Baptist Pastors (CBP) meeting in Spring 2006.
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The keynote speaker for
that week (a local Baptist pastor) spoke to the assembly on how pastors can better
manage and work with associate ministers, their immediate subordinates in the church.
He was also recommending and selling a booklet on that topic. The speaker referred to
the fact that many people in their congregations want to be involved and even want to be
in charge of this or that activity. Many congregants also have hopes of joining a
“ministry.” Because many Baptist congregations consider every program or service they
offer a form of ministry, the would-be preacher has multiple potential ladders of
experience to the pulpit. Therefore it was important to the speaker that pastors maintain
the final say in who does what—specifically deciding who is qualified, committed, and
reliable for the many tasks within and related to the congregation. And, he argued, this
matter becomes tricky regarding lay people who want to follow in their pastor’s footsteps
and become associate ministers. In his words, this is a struggle for the pastor who must
consider each person’s capability and the validity of their “calling” from God. The
speaker emphasized to the audience (which primarily consisted of pastors and associate
ministers) that candidates for ministry in the Baptist Church “serve at the pastor’s
behest.” In no uncertain terms he reiterated to the associate ministers present, “you have
to be subordinate to the pastor,” which entails learning all you can about him and
attending to his style and substance of ministry, including the way he likes to run the
services. The role of the associate minister should be to release the pastor from some of
his many duties, and to publicly support the pastor as much as possible.
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Author’s fieldnotes, Council of Baptist Pastors, Bethany Baptist Church, Detroit, Michigan. May 23,
2006.
Convention