Pastoring is a lonely business. Primary preaching pastors spend hours preparing sermons that don’t always land. If a congregant is in the hospital, it’s the preaching pastor who gets the call. If someone wants to talk to “the pastor” after a church service, it’s usually the preaching pastor he or she wants to see. It can all add up to being too much for one man.
I know a pastor who labored for more than a decade, but he had to do so alone. There weren’t any other qualified pastors with him. He worked 90-hour weeks. He burned out. He neglected his family by being absent so often (one friend sat him down and said, “You barely see your wife and kids”). He was disqualified because he wasn’t managing his household well (1 Tim. 3:4–5).
What if I told you there’s help for him?
This pastor took a few years to rest under other pastors. These staff pastors invested in him and invited him into their ministry as a member, and later, as a lay pastor. He now serves a church with the support of two lay pastors. He swore he’d never do ministry alone again, and by God’s grace, he doesn’t have to. The Bible puts forth a brotherhood of pastors bearing the pastoral weight together.
The Bible puts forth a brotherhood of pastors bearing the pastoral weight together.
An unspoken categorical split often appears between staff pastors and lay pastors. Staff pastors are on the payroll; lay elders are the unpaid guys. This type of hierarchical division can unintentionally create tiers of elders. The New Testament consistently portrays groups of elders working together (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1).
By building a unified band of pastors equal in authority, despite their differing levels of responsibility, we give our churches healthier leadership—leadership that can take a punch, but, more importantly, leadership that holds each other up.
Lay pastors can help lift what no lead staff pastor should attempt to lift alone. But to do this well, they need experience. Lead pastors should be intentional about giving their lay elders experience by bringing them into the everyday tasks of pastoral ministry.
Bring Them to the Hard Things
The hardest moments in ministry are the ones that have few guidelines. Hospital rooms, deathbeds, and funerals are places where a wrong step can do damage. Experience can help.
I don’t remember my first hospital visit as a pastor, but I remember what my fellow pastor showed me. Be present, listen, be ready with a Scripture or two, pray for them, show them Jesus, and don’t stay too long. They likely won’t remember what you say, but they’ll remember you were there. There is a real ministry of physical presence. I’ve tried to keep these guidelines in mind at every hospital visit I’ve done.
I’ll never forget the first funeral I went to with my fellow staff pastor. It was for a toddler. There’s no script for this—no how-to book or biblical proof text. I sat in a room thick with the tension of lament. All I could think was, This should not be! I watched my pastor weep, preach, plead, and cry to the Lord for help throughout the service he led. Should I ever have to preside over a tragic funeral myself, I won’t have a script to follow, but I do have a heart posture to imitate.
Staff pastors: The next time you do a hospital visit or preside over a funeral, invite a lay pastor along to support and observe you. Over time, he’ll be equipped to lead in these settings himself and share the pastoral load.
Bring Them to the Joyful Things
Ministry is a front-row seat to the work God is doing in his people’s lives. One opportunity for staff pastors to bring lay pastors into this is in smaller teaching settings: Sunday school, Bible studies, and discipleship groups. This is a natural outworking of the teaching qualification we see in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. These settings serve as instruction for the congregation and refinement for the lay pastor who gets godly encouragement and critique from his fellow pastors afterward.
Lay pastors can help lift what no lead staff pastor should attempt to lift alone.
Years ago, a staff pastor pulled me into the Sunday school rotation. We taught a series on how to read the Bible, and the feedback was incredible. One young man remarked, “I’ve never heard the Bible taught this way. I’m going to buy one and read it in a year.” That’s the good stuff.
If there are pastoral visits or weddings that staff pastors can bring lay pastors to, do it. Weddings typically end up being joyful affairs. Few moments are more delightful than seeing a groom lay eyes on his bride walking down the aisle. Pastors get a unique opportunity to shepherd people in a celebratory setting while also exalting the true Groom. Share that with lay pastors, and you’ll remind them there’s much joy in the job.
Don’t Underuse Lay Pastors
It’s unwise to leave lay pastors untrained and underused. This will often lead to staff-pastor burnout.
Staff pastor, you don’t have to walk alone. Instead, share the burdens that often lead you to say, Who is sufficient for these things? Your lay elders aren’t just for sharing opinions in elder meetings. They’re also your colaborers in the overall shepherding of the church. Bring them along in the everyday tasks of ministry—in the hard things so they can learn to love the hurting, in the joyful things so they’re encouraged by God’s work.
