Lovett H. Weems Jr. describes the growth of part-time pastoral leadership, particularly in older and established traditions where part-time ministry has not been considered the norm. He outlines five ways that churches with part-time pastors can flourish by embracing a shared ministry model that focuses on the congregation’s unique gifts and callings.
The Religious Workforce Project of the Lewis Center is a multiyear effort to understand the changing religious landscape in the 21st century. Funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., the project explores how congregations are adapting, especially in their workforce. This article is part of a series featuring insights from the research. The full research reports on which these articles are based are available at the project website.
The pattern of churches being served by part-time pastoral leadership is growing across U.S. congregations. Part-time pastoral leadership generally occurs in one of two ways. In one scenario, the part-time pastor serves one church. This part-time pastor may be retired or multi-vocational and works less than full-time (sometimes described as 25 or fewer hours per week). In the other scenario, the pastor is a full-time pastor but serves more than one congregation. Thus, this pastor works only part time in each of the churches served.
Calculating the number and percentage of churches served part time is difficult. Researchers approach the subject with a variety of questions and study various sources to attempt to learn the extent of part-time pastoring. One source, for example, is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which uses 35 or fewer hours in ministry as the basis for its part-time figures. Denominational reports are another source, though ways of calculating part-time and counting part-time clergy vary among them. Despite the limitations of the data, many church leaders appear to agree that more pastors are serving part-time in a number of churches within evangelical Protestant and mainline Protestant denominations as well as Roman Catholic parishes.
The reason for more part-time pastors, especially among older and historically more well-resourced denominations, is the same reason part-time ministry has been prevalent elsewhere historically: money. There are not as many churches able to support full-time ordained clergy. As declines in membership and attendance continue, fewer and fewer U.S. churches each year have the financial resources required to provide their members with a full-time pastor devoted only to one congregation. Many of the assumptions that underlie the presumed norm of a full-time, seminary-educated, fully ordained and credentialed pastor no longer hold up. Whether it is the supply of such pastors in some regions or the shrinking size of churches everywhere, the foundations upon which the full-time ideal is built are less present today.
A challenge can become an opportunity.
How can the increasing number of congregations and pastors moving toward part-time pastoral arrangements make the most of this new situation? If this change is wisely navigated, new opportunities can emerge for a rich shared ministry that multiplies the many gifts of congregation and pastor. These five perspectives and practices can help your church flourish with a part-time pastor.
1. Know that part-time pastoral leadership is common.
While part-time pastoral leadership may be new for a particular pastor or congregation, such pastoral arrangements are quite common both today and through history and are well rooted in Scripture. The increase of part-time ministry in some traditions today is not so much “a new thing” but a return to both ancient and global patterns of ministry. What is different today in the United States is that the role of part-time pastors is becoming more common within denominations for which full-time ministry has been the assumed standard for pastoral oversight, even if that standard was never totally achieved. For example, the employment status of Episcopal clergy is 59 percent full-time and 41 percent part-time, according to a presentation offered by Molly F. James, deputy executive officer of the Episcopal General Convention, at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in 2022. This is not an uncommonly high percentage of part-time clergy for denominations like the Episcopal Church, which many assume would be largely comprised of churches with full-time pastoral leaders.
2. Learn from other churches with part-time pastors.
One good thing about so many churches being served part-time now is that there are many sources from which to learn. All can learn from others in similar situations. People from churches familiar with part-time pastoral leadership are generally glad to share with others who may be just beginning this arrangement. Pastor and laity in churches new to this situation should think together about areas where the wisdom of others can help congregational life and identify a few key questions to begin such conversations.
3. Expect that some things will change.
A part-time arrangement works better when pastors and laity learn to adjust their activities, priorities, and expectations. Difficulties can arise when there is an assumption that things will stay the same; and when they do not, frustration and hurt feelings may result. The key question is: What is most needed from the time available from the pastor? In coming to a common understanding about this, the pastor and congregational leaders have the opportunity to explore the leadership callings of the pastor and everyone else in the congregation. And then, how can they help one another fulfill their leadership callings?
4. Embrace the biblical model of truly shared ministry.
In chapter 12 of First Corinthians, Paul lays out beautifully the image of the church as one body with many parts, each having different roles. No one part is complete without the others. Spiritual gifts differ within the body, but together these diverse gifts become God’s instruments for the church to be the body of Christ for the world. No gift is greater than another because all are essential. Each complements the others. It is a joyous thing to see a congregation engage the God-given gifts of all its members to offer a witness far greater than any one or a portion of the congregation could do themselves.
5. Discern your congregation’s distinctive callings.
Just as individuals are gifted differently, each congregation is gifted in unique ways. With more limited pastoral leadership, it becomes critical for a congregation to discover how its core competencies can meet the most pressing needs of the congregation and community. No church can be all things, so ask: What do we do as well as any church? What does the community need from our church? What are the most critical ministries of our church given the current makeup of the congregation? A congregation with part-time pastoral leadership may assume they will do less, but with special focus on its distinctive callings, they may well find greater joy and fruitfulness in a new and carefully shaped agenda.
Related Resources
- Congregations That Thrive without Full-Time Clergy by G. Jeffrey MacDonald
- Churches Thriving with Part-Time Pastors featuring G. Jeffrey MacDonald — Listen to the Leading Ideas Talks podcast episode | Read the transcript
- The 5 P’s of Sustainability for Small Churches by Rebekah Simon Peter
