The
American Heritage Dictionary -2nd College EditionThe Pastor Emeritus
The
American Heritage Dictionary -2nd College Edition
A curse or a blessing? We are waiting for input from several preachers who have had the experience of either being an incoming pastor in a church where there is a Pastor Emeritus as a member of the congregation or as being the Pastor Emeritus themselves. What are the dangers inherent in this situation and how to avoid them and how can this be a blessing to all involved including the incoming Pastor, the Pastor Emeritus and the church itself.
I would love to hear from other pastors than the ones we have contacted who have had the experience of having a Pastor Emeritus in the church or of being a Pastor Emeritus yourself.
Brother Jack Cook tells us a little of his routine as Pastor Emeritus.
Bro.
Walt
Hey.
God bless you!!
Pastor Laitres doesn't recommend it, here's what he has to say.
Hello Bro. Stowe,
I happened to have pastored a church with the former pastor of 34 years of service
in that church as a member and who lived next door. It is very difficult – it
takes a number of factors to work, including both the emeritus and current pastor being
ultra-gracious. I don’t recommend it. The few situations like that which
are given as success stories usually aren’t that good. Anyhow, that is my
brief observation.
Take care brother, in Christ, Bro. Peter (address below)
--
Pastor Peter Laitres
North Baptist Church
South Shore Christian School
899 N. Main Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508)580-1400
5/27/07
At the last entry I mentioned something about the "trauma" of retiring from the pulpit. I looked the word up in my dictionary and have decided that "trauma" may be a bit of an overstatement. Something to the effect that "a trauma is an emotional shock that leaves lasting damage to the psychological nature". I don't even know that the word "shock" would even be appropriate but one thing for sure, you have to do some major readjusting to your new role in the the church and in your life.
For some years now, 30 to 40, maybe 50 years, you have been the accepted leader in the church. You spoke with authority. You made decisions on behalf of the church that the pastor alone could make. You spoke your mind, as it were, every few days from your pulpit. You opinion carried weight. Your views on biblical subjects became the norm for the church family. You were the "overseer", the "bishop". Many respected you as their pastor. And then one day you stepped down and turned the reins over to the new man.
Most everything that came with the office of pastor completely and instantly evaporated the moment the new man took over. Which, in spite of the fact that that is exactly the way it should be, it still takes some getting use to. Instant adjustment is required to change from the up front leader to the tail end follower. And it has to be done with grace and good will. You must adjust from speaking with authority to little speaking at all and that with no authority whatsoever. You must adjust from having a weekly platform to speak your peace to having no platform at all. You must adjust to changes in the congregation as those who once looked to you with great respect as the pastor transfer that respect to the new pastor. Some you will find have no respect for you at all. But that's ok, if they will just respect the office. You must also adjust to the fact that you have no authority to make any decisions at all as respects the work of the church and chances are few people will care to hear any advice you might care to give.
When I anticipated stepping down from the pulpit in November of '05 as pastor of Calvary Baptist I had arranged for Pastor Dave Brown, one of the most gracious preachers I know, to come over on a given Sunday and preach what I would call a "transition" service. The message was to have three parts. Part One was to be for the new pastor. Words of advice and wisdom on stepping into an established work. Part two was to be for the old pastor. Words of advice and wisdom as being an "emeritus", how to help and not hurt the church and the new pastor. Part three was to be for the church family. Words of advice and wisdom on adjusting to the new pastor and how to properly relate to the retired pastor. I felt that it would be a message that we all needed and if taken to heart could spare the church possible problems and trouble that could accompany the transition of pastors. Things did not work out that way (the man in question began to show his true "progressive" colors and bailed out, thank God!) but I believe it is still a good idea for churches to practice when calling a new pastor.
NEW ENTRY Aug.31st, 07
My personal thoughts as a Pastor Emeritus.
Life is made up, among other things of course, of constantly adjusting to that which is new. A new born has to adjust to being out of the womb and into a totally new state of existence. Can you imagine the difference between life in the womb and life in the world as we know it. Of course you can but only to a point. And the change can be vastly different for each individual. One is born in a clean, sanitary, loving environment, the other is born in a back alley and tossed into a dumpster. There are adjustments to be made for school life and then for each class in that school.One adjusts to sexual awareness, being out of school, to the work world, to married life, to fatherhood, etc. The list goes on and on.
You have to adjust from infancy to childhood, to adulthood, to middle age, to old age. You have to adjust to difference positions you may hold. Every adjustment means you are traveling on a road that you have never been on before. Someone is going to be a pastor, a new role for him. What can he do to prepare himself to be a pastor? In my mind, NOTHING. Nothing prepares you to be a pastor except being a pastor. Nothing prepares you to be a parent except being a parent. You can be BETTER PREPARED but in my mind " you will never know what it is like until you are one." So you may ask, what's the point? The point is that anytime you are doing something for the first time you are bound to make mistakes. Maybe not so serious but maybe real serious. Is there anyone who has stepped into a new role and after several years you would not do a single thing differently than you did at the beginning?
The pastor emeritus is adjusting to a new role. likely the new pastor is adjusting to a new role, more than one in fact. To a new church, to having the emeritus around, and maybe for the first time to take a church already established. And of course the church itself is adjusting not only to the new pastor but also to having the retired pastor around but in a totally new position. Is there a possibility that one or the other of them will make some mistakes along the way? Not only possible but probable! And this even when having the best intentions. So even when all parties are doing their best to make it work someone will likely goof up and no one should be suprised by it. All parties need to cut each other alittle slack and not make an honest mistake into a capital crime.
What I have written may give you a little food for thought until I can get back to you with a recount of our own experience here at Calvary Baptist church in Roy, Wa. I will say this just now, in the over two years since I stepped down as pastor not even one complaint has ever been brought to me against the new pastor. I think that's a real commentary on the people of Calvary Baptist.