Laborers in the Field: The Changing Jobs of Ministry

Today is Labor Day. We are celebrating the American worker.

Recent years have seen a lot of change within the American workforce. Some once common jobs no longer exist. Many of the specialty niches have been replaced by technology.

Similarly, some of the movements that helped create the concept of Labor Day are challenged. Unions must weigh their actions or risk rubbing a troubled society the wrong way.

The jobs involved in ministry haven’t changed much, but then change comes slowly in the Church. Maybe the job descriptions need to change.

  • Does every church need a pastor?
  • Does every church need a building?
  • Does every church need an organist? Does every church have an organ?
  • Do we train our pastors to do diverse ministry tasks or do we teach specialty ministries (youth pastors, interim pastors, country pastors, urban pastors, etc.?)

The formula most parishes follow today is the same formula used for the last 100 years. Call a full-time pastor. Add special skills only as the budget can afford to add skills. Ministry needs are neglected until churches can afford to hire personnel to answer the need. Often that never happens. Needs go unaddressed. Ministries fail.

Unlike the commercial market place which strives to identify needs and fill them, the Church keeps doing things the same way, hoping to one day have resources to address the needs that are staring them in the face today.

The Church is relying on volunteers at a time when few hands are raised. We continue to hire staff as if they will have ready help from volunteers.

On this Labor Day, churches should take a fresh look at what skills they need to accomplish their goals and stop putting all their mission dollars into one staff member.

It is poor stewardship to allocate the majority of resources to filling positions that are statistically unproductive.