Ministry on Spec

Contractors build on spec all the time. They invest time and money into a home, planning that they will eventually turn a profit when the house sells.

Perhaps this will the new model for re-building churches that have experienced decline.

It's worked at Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. Not being able to call a full-time pastor several years ago, they called a well-qualified pastor who came in at well below the "going rate" because he had family reasons for wanting to be in Little Rock. Three years later, the leadership of this skilled pastor has brought the church to a place where they can install him as a full-time pastor.

I have taken another under-funded position at First Pres in Argenta, believing that this is the right time for this congregation to be re-born. The idea of it going under without having a chance to give it one last try with a regular (if not full-time) pastor was just not acceptable. Plus, I have a husband with an income.

Now our denomination has halted their program for church transformation--meaning aid for existing churches trying to make a comeback. So other than local Presbytery money, there will be no place for churches who can no longer afford a pastor to get financial assistance. It's a chicken and egg issue. How can a church transform without a pastor and how can a church in need of transformation afford a pastor? So maybe the Spec Pastor is the answer.

But how many pastors are out there who can actually afford or even want to work "on spec"? Unlike the contractor, you never actually recoup your initial investment (you don't get back pay). The best you can hope for is that one day, the church will be able to sustain a full-time pastor. Most pastors come out of seminary owing money on school loans. Others are supporting a family on a single salary. The potential spec pastor population isn't nearly large enough to serve those churches who do indeed have the potential to make a come back.

Perhaps that could be a new program for our denomination. To match churches who seem to have a chance to be re-born--meaning the potential to be self-sustaining in a few years if only they could afford a full-time pastor--with pastors who have the kind of entrepreneurial spirit to help bring a church back to life. And then supplement the pastor's salary on a descending level over a period of three-to-five years. Not only might it serve to bring churches back to life, it would also demonstrate our denomination's appreciation of our pastors' skills and our churches' witness.