A Travel Free Learning Article
By Dick Hamm, Ministry Partner with The Columbia Partnership
Voice: 317.490.1968, E-mail: DHamm@TheColumiaPartnership.org
Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org
Download Hamm, Avoiding Ministry Mismatches
As a former denominational executive and now a coach/consultant, I see an increasing number of mismatches between ministers and congregations. That is, the characteristics of congregations and the situation in which it currently exists do not match the characteristics of the ministers who are being called to serve these congregations.
Whether we are talking about congregational polity, in which the call is largely a matter of negotiation between the congregation’s search committee and an individual minister, or a connectional system in which a bishop or other middle judicatory official is responsible for the matchmaking, it seems that an increasing number of pastors are surprised by the realities of their new charge. The result is often a couple of years of struggle and stress followed by an unhappy parting of the ways.