Pastor’s Column in The Informer (FBC’s Newsletter) – published August 2007
I am so excited that Amanda Barbour-Johnston has agreed to be our new Associate Pastor! The following is a revised excerpt from Mike Clingenpeel’s editorial in the July 8, 2000 issue of The Religious Herald. I offer it as a way to help us welcome the Barbour-Johnstons on August 4-5 and as Amanda begins her work here on September 4.
Repeat your name to Amanda and John every time you see them, at least until you are sure they know who you are.
Include Amanda and John in your events. But don’t get upset if she has to decline your invitation.
Don’t expect her to remember everything you’ve told her. If it is something important, write it down or email it to her, and make an appointment to see her.
Let her have her own style. There is more than one way to be a pastor, to lead a ministry, to deliver a sermon, to make a visit. That difference is a function of her unique giftedness. It’s a good thing!
Be tender. Everything that is thrilling about coming to our church is matched by something sad about leaving her former church.
Show up. Nothing is more encouraging than your attendance and participation in the various ministries that she is leading. A pastor’s enthusiasm feeds off the energy of the congregation and vice-versa. Your presence is a vital ingredient of the synergy you hope to build.
When you have a complaint, tell the pastor directly. Why go to the pastor and tell her directly? Because it is the biblical way to deal with disagreements (Matthew 18:15). It is also the courteous thing to do, and it is the only proven method for redeeming relationships.
Make the following assumption about your pastor. She wants to serve you. She wants to be your friend. She is a human being, and needs sleep, a day of recreation, and uninterrupted time with her family. Show her a gracious deed and add capital to her emotional piggybank. She longs to cooperate with you and God to see people identify their lives with Jesus, to watch people grow in the likeness of Christ, and to see an authentic work of God in our community through our fellowship. She is praying for you daily as you pray for her and her ministry.
Welcome your new pastor with all the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ, Michael
