Call Process

[Lprdgecko]

At the end of our service this evening, my pastor announced that he had received a call from a church in another state, 8 hours away, to be their pastor. He said he has a few weeks to make his decision. I really really really don't want him to go, but that's very selfish of me. He has asked for prayers and any advice from us because he doesn't know what to do yet.

My question is, how does the call process work? It seems like this was all out of the blue, since we've just started a "mission" (for lack of a better term) to be the mentor to a nearby congregation and its pastor. I find myself feeling angry at the church who called him for potentially "stealing" him from us. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but it's hard not to.

We've had two pastors in the past be called elsewhere, but I was fairly young at the time.

 

[cerette]

I think most synods have a list of Pastors who are "available" to receive a call, and they may already be serving other congregations. It is then up to the Pastor to decide if he's gonna stay with his current church or move to the new one that just called him.
If he moves, the congregation that is now without a Pastor, would have a look at the "list of available Pastors" and extend a call to someone and wait for his answer.

It can definitely be sad to see a Pastor move elsewhere, but then again it can be exciting to get a new one.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

I think most synods have a list of Pastors who are "available" to receive a call, and they may already be serving other congregations. It is then up to the Pastor to decide if he's gonna stay with his current church or move to the new one that just called him.
If he moves, the congregation that is now without a Pastor, would have a look at the "list of available Pastors" and extend a call to someone and wait for his answer.

It can definitely be sad to see a Pastor move elsewhere, but then again it can be exciting to get a new one.

True; but a congregation if free to call any rostered Pastor within their Synod, or another Synod in full fellowship. Your Pastor may or may not have been seeking a call.

Either way; pray that the Holy Spirit guide him; and that he be willing to submit to that guidance.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

When we received the call to come here, most of the members of our old church were very encouraging, telling us that it was time to go. They knew we were getting stretched there and that we weren't overly confident about raising our children in Detroit.

We considered the call for about 6 weeks but I think we knew pretty quickly that we were going to take it. We were fortunate in that we asked them if we could come after Easter, even though that was 2 months after we accepted the call. Trying to pack up while doing Lenten service and whatnot would've killed us, I think!

And we had NO CLUE it was coming until we got the phone call. Funnily enough, they called while we were getting ready to go to church and we didn't answer it because we didn't recognize the number. I did some research when we got home and told my husband he better answer it the next time since it appeared to be coming from a church where there was a vacancy in the area.

 

[Lprdgecko]

Thanks for your responses.

I'm anxious to find out what he decides to do. On Sunday, we installed the pastor of the congregation we are mentoring to be our associate pastor. This is an Ethiopian Lutheran congregation. They will be worshiping in a different LCMS church's facilities in a nearby town which they were offered free of charge and which is located closer to its members. I think the reason our church is doing this instead of the other one is because the other church doesn't quite have the resources to do so at this time. From my understanding, my pastor is to be the mentor to the Ethiopian pastor, our congregation to their congregation, for a couple of years until they can stand on their own two feet. So that's a big unknown as to what would happen to them if our pastor were to accept the call.

His wife doesn't want to leave. She is only a few years away from being eligible for her employer's retirement plan, which would definitely be beneficial to them.

We shall see, I suppose. I am going to pray for guidance for him as he makes this decision.

 

[Lprdgecko]

He's staying!! Apparently a pastor friend of his had submitted his name to that church - he said he wasn't on a call list or seeking a call. I'm so relieved. I hope that church is able to find a pastor soon.

 

[LilLamb219]

He's staying!! Apparently a pastor friend of his had submitted his name to that church - he said he wasn't on a call list or seeking a call. I'm so relieved. I hope that church is able to find a pastor soon.

That's good news!!

Unfortunately the pastor at my church has taken a call elsewhere and now we're trying to get a call committee formed. I've never been on one, but if it doesn't require a lot of time, I might consider being a part of it. One guy said a lot of them are doing interviews over Skype now. That's kind of neat

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Our pastor has been gone for 10 months now. We've had a few fill in, this last one has been consistently filling in for several months. A few pastors have turned down our call. We've lost half our parish over this.

 

[LilLamb219]

Our pastor has been gone for 10 months now. We've had a few fill in, this last one has been consistently filling in for several months. A few pastors have turned down our call. We've lost half our parish over this.

That's not good.

I saw the newsletter for this month and the church still wants to have services without a pastor (not celebrating the Eucharist, of course). I have my doubts it will work for me since I want good Law and Gospel properly distinguished. I don't want to hear a layman

 

[MNKeith]

Sadly, my congregation is also starting the call process. Out pastor leaves in a couple weeks. I pray that we have minimal divisiveness. But having a traditional service and a contemporary service , we have essentially two congregations within the same building and I sense this will cause troubles.

 

[LilLamb219]

I would dread having 2 different services. That will greatly influence how the next pastor will be looked at and hopefully those on the call committee will be evenly divided.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Sadly, my congregation is also starting the call process. Out pastor leaves in a couple weeks. I pray that we have minimal divisiveness. But having a traditional service and a contemporary service , we have essentially two congregations within the same building and I sense this will cause troubles.

That could be a dealbreaker for some considering that call. I'm fairly certain my husband would think twice, as he is not a fan of contemporary worship...but he's also always maintained that if a congregation wished it, he would make sure it was done correctly.

 

[Mrs Awesome]

My father is a retired ordained LCMS pastor, so I have gone through this many times with him. As much as it seems difficult for you, it is at least 10 times harder on your pastor and his family.

Pastors in the LCMS synod are on what is called a "Call List". Congregations that are seeking a new pastor will refer to this "Call List" in hopes of finding someone to lead them. Pastors on this list can either be semi-retired, not have a current church home, or already be a pastor somewhere.

When a pastor is called it is sometimes expected and at other times it is out of the blue - but always he has a ton of things to prayerfully consider. It is a very difficult time for a pastor, even if he has felt for a long time that a move is needed (for whatever reason). Some pastors leave because they need a more hospitable congregation to lead (trust me, some are downright EVIL). Some pastors leave due to family issues, such as needing to be closer to them. Some pastors leave because they feel God nudging them to do so because they're leadership is needed greater elsewhere. Some pastors leave because after serving one congregation for so long, he no longer feels challenged and this can be very bad for a pastor emotionally and spiritually. Some pastors leave because a congregation has made it very clear they want them gone. Others leave for a myriad of other reasons. It's just like any professional considering changing his or her current job.

No matter the case, God has put this call into your pastor's life for a reason. He (and his congregation) need to pray about this and seek God's guidance.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Admin Hat...

Thread closed pending review by staff.

Mark
CF Admin

 

[PreachersWife2004]

MOD HAT ON

Thread has been cleaned up a bit and reopened. If you notice your posts missing, it's because they violated the rules or quoted a post that violated the rules.

Be mindful of where you are posting, and the rules for posting in that forum. In the congregational areas, if you are not a member of the denomination of the forum you are posting in, you cannot debate.

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