What I learned in my first year as a pastor / Post for week # 3

Don't ignore people's expectations. The author tells the story of how the small church he served expected him to stand at the rear of the sanctuary as the people exited the building so he could shake their hands. While this seems like a trivial matter, it was a long standing tradition within this congregation and very important to the people. The pastor quickly learned that regardless of how trivial or biblically irrelevant a certain expectation might be, it cannot be ignored. An unmet expectation creates stress because it creates disorder within the congregation's culture; consequently, the people will do anything to restore order to what they perceive to be chaos. People don't like change and will fight to maintain the status quo. This leads to the second most important thing the author learned in his first year as pastor: Choose your battles carefully! Not every ridiculous expectation is worth trying to change. The pastor also strongly disliked the congregation's preference of displaying flags in the sanctuary. However, he realized that these flags were a part of the congregation's culture and that trying to change this preference would cause a significant strain between the pastor and the congregation. A wise leader should therefore first discern if the congregation's expectations can be met without compromising biblical values, unity, and growth. If not, then the pastor must clearly communicate why these expectations cannot be met instead of hoping that the expectations will disappear by ignoring them. What type of expectations might you encounter in ministry that might be difficult for you to meet?