Bob and Betty Smith were looking at pictures on the wall of the little restaurant where they had eaten many meals over thirty years ago. Only one person, Frank Smith, no relation to them, knew they were in town. Bob had been pastor for five years of the Riverside Church before getting a call to pastor the mother church of their denomination, Evangel Church, which he had successfully pastored for thirty years.
When Riverside Church was looking for a new pastor, after their last pastor left quickly, Frank remembered Pastor Bob and how much he had helped him during a difficult time in his life many years ago. So, Frank called Pastor Bob and Betty and asked them to come to Riverside and talk with him about the church.
Bob and Betty sat at the small table looking at the pictures on the wall trying to remember who they were, and wondering if they were still in the Riverside Church or even if they were still alive.
Bob and Betty remembered their waitress, Veronica, even though she did not recognize them. Veronica was about twelve years old when they left Riverside to pastor Evangel Church in Springfield.
Riverside was a small town of about five thousand people where everybody knew everybody else, which was good but also challenging because everybody did know everyone else! The good as well as the bad things.
DO I STAY OR GO?
As Pastor Bob and Betty were looking at the pictures on the wall of the small diner, they were reminded of several things that had happened when they pastored Riverside those many years ago. Veronica introduced herself to them and began to make small talk. When she discovered that they had pastored Riverside Church, she mentioned that she had attended there some while in High School. Since she had no customers at the moment, she began to talk about her life to the Smiths. She had gotten pregnant during her junior year and had to drop out of school because of it. Her boyfriend had refused to marry her or even support their baby daughter. She was embarrassed and felt shame for what she had done. She continued to live with her parents and got a job working at the diner, a position she had held for many years. Her daughter, Maya, had graduated from high school with honors and had gotten a full-ride scholarship from the local college. Veronica mentioned how comfortable she felt talking to the Smiths and said, “I wish you had been pastor at Riverside when I went there.”
Frank, who was a real estate agent, called to say that the house he was showing was taking longer than expected, but he would be there as soon as possible.
While the Smiths were drinking coffee at their table, they began to consider their future. Should they consider coming back to Riverside if offered the job? Or should they stay where they were in Springfield? It was a city of approximately 125,000 people, with a diverse range of nationalities. Their church had lots of things going for it. They averaged over 1,400 people on Sunday morning, had a good parsonage to live in, and the church, although not wealthy, seemed to always have the necessary funds to support the staff and other church obligations.
The things that bothered the Smiths about EvangelChurch were the politics and the varied ideas and beliefs that arose during difficult times, such as the recent covid epidemic. Evangel Church lost about 300 people during covid who never returned after the church started having public services again.
Plus, their denominational headquarters were in Springfield, a block away from the church, and Evangel Church was expected to set an example for the rest of the denomination by implementing all the new ideas and changes sent down by the Board.
IS THIS A GOOD FIT?
When John Smith finally got to the diner, he, Pastor Bob, and Betty got a table in the back corner. Bob began to ask John about the Riverside Church’s attendance, financial status, and overall health. John freely admitted that they had been better a few years ago, but most of the people believed that with the right leadership, they could recover and move forward as they once had.
John asked Bob what it would take financially for Bob and Betty to become the pastor of Riverside. Bob said that his present arrangement with Evangel was that the church provided a parsonage with paid utilities and an annual salary of $100,000. Bob said that because of his grandson’s health, he and Betty gave 1/3 of their monthly salary to help pay the bills. Bob said as much as he would like to become Riverside’s pastor again, he did not think that was a realistic possibility. John said that he understood and would inform the board at their monthly meeting on Friday.
After John left, Bob and Betty got in their car and cried because they both would have liked to pastor Riverside Church again, perhaps as their last pastorate before retirement. After a time of prayer, they began their return to Evangel Church in Springfield with heavy hearts. While Evangel had been good to them for over thirty years, it was the committee meetings, the grumbling, complaining church members, and the denominational rules and expectations that made it difficult to really pastor the people as he would like.
After they rode in silence for half an hour, Bob said, “You know, the vast majority of church members in America do not know what Pastors and their families go through to pastor their church.” Betty said, “That is for sure!”
This article was based on actual events of pastors that I know. The names have been changed to protect identities.