The title of today’s post is based on a question that I read in Facebook group for pastors.
“I have a question for this group. If a church isn’t growing should the pastor be fired? After all, in for-profit businesses, if the company doesn’t grow, the president gets fired. So why don’t we hold pastors to the same level of responsibility?” (Since the original question was asked in a private group, I’ve paraphrase it enough to keep the anonymity of the person who posted it, but the essence of it is intact.)
There are two ways to answer this question. One, based on the business model as presented, and another based on a more biblical model of the church.
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.