10 Signs Your Pastor Is Becoming a Chaplain
In the broadest sense, a chaplain refers to those who are assigned to care and provide ministry for a specific group of people. Military and hospital chaplains, for example, have clearly defined groups who come under their care and ministry.
In local church ministry, we don't typically use the term "chaplain," though there are many pastoral roles that are congruent with chaplaincy. In fact, most of the pastoral care and concern for church members are chaplain-like functions.
Without a doubt, pastors should minister to church members. The danger is when pastors do little other than minister to the needs of church members, and the leadership of the church is neither equipping others nor leading the congregation to reach those who do not have a church home. In essence, the pastor is becoming a chaplain.
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Here are ten warning signs that such a process is likely taking place.
1. The pastor is not equipping others.
Church members expect the pastor to do most of the ministry, and the pastor fulfills those unbiblical expectations.
2. Pastoral care of members is increasing.
As a consequence, the pastor has less time to lead the congregation to reach beyond its walls.
3. The pastor does not take time to connect with non-members and non-Christians.
Simply stated, there is no outwardly focused Great Commission leadership.
4. The pastor deals with members' complaints at an increasing rate.
Once members get accustomed to the pastor being their on-call chaplain, they are likely to become irritated and frustrated when the pastor is not omnipresent and omniscient for their every need.
5. The pastor worries more about the next phone call, conversation, or email.
Such is the tendency of the pastor-chaplain who knows there will always be complaints about needs not getting met.
6. The pastor experiences greater family interference time.
Many pastor-chaplains are fearful of protecting family time lest they not be highly responsive to church members. Some of these pastors have lost their families as a consequence.
7. The pastor is reticent to take vacation time or days off.
Pastor-chaplains would rather have no time off than worry about what they may miss while they are away from the church.
8. The pastor is reticent to take new initiatives.
There are two reasons for this response. First, the pastor-chaplain does not want to upset the members with change. Second, the pastor-chaplain does not have time for new ideas because of the time demands of members.
9. The pastor has no vision for the future.
The pastor-chaplain is too busy taking care of current member demands. Little time is available for visionary thinking and leadership.
10. The pastor has lost the joy of ministry.
Of course, this unfortunate development should be expected. There is no joy in dealing with unreasonable expectations and constant streams of criticisms, or with a ministry that has no evangelistic fruit.
I pray you pastors will look at these ten items as a checklist for your own ministry. And I pray you church members will look at the list and honestly evaluate your church to see if you have pushed your pastor into full-time chaplaincy.
As always, I value your input on these topics. Let me hear from you.
This article was originally posted here
