I was raised in a church that regularly fired its pastors for not meeting the expectations of the congregation.

In Baptist churches - where I grew up - it is reasonably easy to get rid of pastors. Sometimes all you need is a simple majority of the congregation. In this system there is a terrible pressure for pastors to avoiding offending the congregation or implementing change which would be unpopular.

Strengths and weaknesses of Anglicanism

One of the great strengths of the Anglican system is the way it protects its ministers.

This lets them say hard things, implement change, and not minister at the whim of the congregation.

And yet, that protection can lead to the exploitation of the parish.

There are churches being led by the wrong men. Unless there is a serious matter like immorality it is difficult to remove them. If their faults are obvious enough it actually makes it hard for them to go somewhere else. What other parish will take them?

Sometimes parishioners are just left to vote with their feet or their wallets. Or wait for the eventual retirement of the minister.

Reforming the system

What might reform look like in this area?

Some have suggested a move away from tenure and towards accountability for performance.

Yet such a move will raise some fundamental questions. Is fruitfulness of a church the right measure of a minister? And how is it measured?

Being faithful may mean years of very ordinary un-noticed service that enables fruit down the track.

I’m reading Don Carson’s Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor which tells the story of his father’s ministry in French Speaking Quebec. The fruit of his ministry is very different from that of his son but both are from God.

I’m happy to see accountability and fruitfulness on the table. If ministers are content in ministry without seeing fruit then surely something is seriously wrong.

Yet how many churches run the same programs year in, year out, without seeing people become followers of Jesus or grow in godliness?

We also need to provide more gracious ways for some ministers to leave full time paid ministry.

Maybe this means helping them re-train in another field. I heard recently of an assistant minister who was encouraged to leave ministry by his rector. He and his wife reacted with profound relief - that move has been a blessing to them and their church. Yet for this one story, there are probably 20 others stories of relationships soured and churches scarred by a minister leaving ministry.

Spare a prayer too for those faithful ministers with tender consciences who are lamenting their lack of fruitfulness. Your labour for the Lord is not in vain!