A few ideas/concepts I have been thinking about lately in regards to itinerancy and organization for the betterment of churches and clergy…

I was thinking how as clergy we are each gifted in different ways, in some areas we are strong, and in others weaker. I know you could have one pastor who is excellent in pastoral care/shepherding. Then the next pastor that gets appointed to that church could be a great teacher/preacher, and then the next pastor appointed to the church could be a great administrator or leader of teams. Except for a few exceptional cases, it seems like most of us (including myself) tend to be gifted in 1 or 2 areas. Now, I understand we should all be willing to grow and learn, but I wonder if we are organizing ourselves in the best ways for the time we are in? I try to do my best to use more of my time in the areas I am strong in. I look at it as maybe this is the reason I have been appointed to this particular church at this time, maybe they need what I have to offer.

I understand that larger churches usually have more staff so they separate more responsibilities and focus on different areas; however, the reality is more of us will serve in smaller churches and a lot of us will be the only full-time staff member at the church (maybe the only staff member in general). We also are aware that the current itinerant system is getting more challenging for people because more households have both spouses working and sometimes spouses’ jobs are more relegated to a specific area and are not as easy for them to quit and move on.

What if churches were put more into “circuits” (lets say 2-4 churches) where they are pastored by multiple people based on their gifts? What if we did some kind of personality tests (enneagram or something like that) where we could find a mixture of pastors to serve these 2, 3, or 4 churches? You could have the 3-4 pastors spend the bulk of their time in their area of strength. You think about all we oversee such as evangelism/community outreach, leadership development, Finances/Fundraising/Administration, Counseling, Pastoral Care, Preaching/Teaching, Organizational Skills/Conflict Resolution, Vision Casting, and many others and there is no way we can do all of these great. So, it is not surprising that it is easy to burn out or just ask for a new appointment and hope the new church is “better” than the last.

Another possibility, along the line of church needs and pastoral gifts, what if we use something like the A.P.E.S.T. for pastors (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers) to see where they are most gifted and then place them together in churches?

What I mean by those terms… (borrowed some from Alan Hirsch)

Apostle- Sent ones into the community who challenge people to think in new ways of how to reach new people in new places.

Prophet- Attuned to God’s will for their community and challenging the status quo. They offer the church challenges to be who they are called to be.

Evangelist- People who call others to a response to God, to engage the mission fully, and to grow the church

Shepherd- Caregivers of the community, they focus on the protection and spiritual maturity of God’s flock, cultivating a loving and spiritually mature network of relationships

Teacher- Communicators of God’s truth and wisdom, they help others remain biblically grounded to better discern God’s will, guiding others toward wisdom, helping the community remain faithful to Christ

Imagine if you just took even two pastors and partnered them together with two churches? Where one of the clergy was for example gifted as a Shepherd and Teacher, and the other was gifted as an Evangelist and Teacher (4 out of the 5 areas). Or if you had three churches and three pastors you could align them with these gifts to specifically help each of the 3 churches in the area they were best in?

I wonder how this could create and foster diversity and awareness in our churches? How new pastors could be appointed with seasoned clergy they could learn and grow from, how new clergy could expand the seasoned clergy’s understanding of what might be possible or new ways of thinking, etc… Think about how this might even be a safe place for people to learn how to serve in cross-cultural appointments or if they were used to serving in rural/suburban/urban it could be a great way for them to learn about new environments with the support of other colleagues.

I also wonder how it could provide a safer environment for clergy who are women, non-binary, or people of color or different nationalities. Because while it is not always talked about it can be incredibly difficult for a POC or a Woman to be a pastor in many of our churches. Soooo….what if they didn’t feel as alone? What if they had 2 other clergy with them in their setting, supporting them, blocking any racist/sexist arrows that came their way? What if they didn’t have to fight that alone, or feel like they had to keep their DS or Bishop on speed dial?

I do not know how possible all of this would be, I do know something like this, or truthfully any big change to the itinerant system would require a lot of time and energy. Yet, I also know that our current itinerant system has reached its “best by due date” and I am wondering if we will make a change to it before it’s too late?

Important Conclusion:

If you made it this I want to thank you and give you a gold star for patience! 🤣🤣 I want to make sure I say clearly I am in no way saying that those who are leading now or before weren’t/aren’t doing a good job and trying their absolute best. This is difficult! I am also not a Bishop, District Superintendent, or on a Cabinet. Those who are have very hard tasks they have to oversee, so please know I am not trying to say I know more than them or would do a better job. I am merely pondering how we might lead and organize in a way that may be more fruitful today.

Just curious about your thoughts on what I have posted or other ideas you have on this topic.