The end of the people’s church

Already in the first part on the subject it was stated that there are no expiration dates for this or that church job. In different places, it will take different amounts of time for change to occur. Today, pastors and ministers are supported financially by parishioners. The change of this situation will come. It will change at the same rate as the idea of “people’s church” collapses or congregations become too small to support a full-time pastor. What does this entail?

Pastors and communities will both increasingly fall out of financial dependencies. This is an opportunity. For both, it is important to become aware of the new starting point, to see the freedom and to work positively for change. Pastors and congregations embarking on a new future become entrepreneurs. By this I do not mean that churches should be commercialized, but that there should be a different basic attitude toward work and community experiences.

The pastor or minister of the future must be able to develop and prove himself in a changed situation. This cannot be achieved with passivity. Employees, however, are passive throughout. Only when a change of job presents itself do people become active, and then they often just try to move on to a new job. Until then, you’re just an employee, doing your job, and that shapes your day-to-day life. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but what do you do when those jobs are getting fewer and fewer?

I write these thoughts from my own experience as an employee and entrepreneur. Only for a short time I worked as an employee in different companies, also in a national church. However, I have worked independently for the longest time of my professional life. Both experiences shape my statements here.

The end of a profession

Will the pastor’s profession end? In today’s sense, that’s likely. This is not to say that the task is superfluous, nor is it to say that a community needs expertise. However, the way these things are accomplished is likely to change. This changes the job description of the pastor or minister.

There are also pastors who no longer fit into the fabric of the ancestral church. This has always existed, of course, but today it is a phenomenon that is causing a stir. Pastors are increasingly dropping out, as are parishioners leaving the church. The reasons are complex. There have always been dropouts from every profession. This is peculiar to man. However, such changes happen more often today than they did 100 years ago. Times are changing. Others continue to develop personally, recognizing that they are no longer at home intellectually and doctrinally where they still earn their money today. This leads to an existential confrontation with profession and vocation. This is very demanding.

One problem with the current situation is that pastors and ministers have jobs for which they are paid. On the one hand, this is normal, but on the other hand, it is a dependency. This dependence is not tied to a skill alone, but also to an institution, to certain points of view, to a culture, to traditions, and so on. It is not easy to leave an ancestral field of work that is so specific. Imagine having learned something like “baker” but only knowing the recipes of a single specialty bakery. This makes it difficult to apply for another bakery. Theology is super-specific to particular faith communities. Does that make sense? Why (not)?

Ultimately, it may still be that one can no longer support the previous form of church (I’ll call it “Church 1.0”) because one sees the expiration date approaching and would prefer to be involved only in the development of “Church 2.0.” Mentally, you’re already living in the future, but you’re still stuck in the past. Changing one’s own situation in this not only takes a lot of courage, but also a fearless independence of previous structures – including the job structure.

Reorientation

What approaches help with reorientation? This may not be derived from the old structures and habits. I am summarizing here a few points that could be related both to the task of a congregation and to the task of a pastor facing the task of reorientation towards “Church 2.0”.

Each his own entrepreneur

A pastor should control his own profile, what he wants to work with. Today, this requires an own and personal website, in which one documents current projects, ideas, thoughts, assignments. Those who are looking for you will find a website in their own name the best. If you find examples of your work, insights, projects and the like there, that will soon be the first place to go. The principle here is: “Those who step outward are more likely to network”. It is the easiest way to find contacts with people who have a similar focus or are looking for someone exactly like you. That’s why a website is not a tedious duty, but an expectant freestyle. It is a means to an end. How is your network formed? What are the topics that have special meaning for you? What values are you building? How do you do it? Show it in writings, interviews, videos, documents, etc.

A community should control its own profile, without dependence on institutions or hierarchies. What do you want to be as a community? What do you want to become? What makes you relevant and for whom? Don’t dream too small, but bring facts, data and real steps. These may help formulate both the starting point and a clear goal. It’s not about fantasy, it’s about vision. Develop a vision for your community. The principle is: “Don’t just be sheep, but actively shape your life and that of the community”. At the same time, one may look outward, where most people and Christians are by now. They have resigned, left churches and free churches and often stand alone. That is where the future of Christian community lies. Community will remain, but in what way? This is the question for a positive development.

Entrepreneurial thinking

In all these things, there is no wrong or right. The point is to provide a space and platform for the debate. Ideally, it would be an open-ended exchange around issues of importance to the community. It can help to ask questions very specifically. When you’re an entrepreneur, you want to achieve something. What do you want to achieve and how do you want to achieve it?

Asked differently:

• What is the vision?
• What are the values you want to cultivate (personally/for the community)?
• What are the steps through which you want to achieve that?

Such questions are entrepreneurial questions. No vision, no perspective. No results without concrete steps. Lived values determine relevance to the community. They are simple questions. I emphasize them here because I have stumbled several times over the visionlessness of existing churches and free churches, congregations and groups. It is a mystery to me how some people deal with resources (people like money). As an entrepreneur, there are many things I could not afford. It would be the certain end of my company. I have had to learn to think differently, to give space to vision, to take concrete steps and much more. This gives rise to values that are worth championing.

Making independence possible

Dependencies are the biggest brake on development. Wage dependency can be the biggest drag. The integration into an institution (church or free church) offers many possibilities, but can also be restrictive and rigid. Steps toward independence are important if you want to set out for new horizons. Making concrete changes can make positive development possible. A realistic location determination can be a prerequisite for this.

If I want to rethink the job of a pastor, it’s not about the pastor. It performs only one task. The task should have relevance to the community. The actual task definition must come from the community. This, in turn, will only emerge from a living Christianity. Even if this is clear, the pastor can still define how he wants to do justice to the task. Does he need a 100% job for that? Can he do that on a consulting basis? Is it his job to make himself as superfluous as possible as quickly as possible? Does the pastor offer help for self-help? Does it promote maturity and should the community function without it?

Likewise, the community of the future should make mature decisions about its own needs, desires and goals, and either build up the necessary know-how itself or apply it in a targeted manner. No dependence on institutions or hierarchies, no false responsibilities, but placing joint development at the center. What vision do you have, and what does it take to make it happen? If you can’t tell yet, that’s where the development potential lies.

Deepening

• How do you encourage an exchange about these things?
• What does it take to rise to active entrepreneurship as a pastor or congregation?
• What skills do you have, do you have, and do they come into play?
• What will you live on if there is no more salary from a church or community?
• How do you celebrate community when there is no longer a pastor/minister?
• What would you do if you could decide your profession anew today?
• How do you see your future? Do you have a website that maps that? If no, why not?
• What does your community do for the neighborhood?
• What is the source of a community’s credibility?