Dr. Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, was surprised when he learned that a church fired its pastor because "he didn't visit the members enough."
Rainer says he does not know all the details involved about the pastor's firing, but based on that alone, he is not optimistic about the church's future.
"'Visitation of the members' became a common job description of pastors about a century ago. It's a bad sign," he writes for The Christian Post. "While I am not advocating that pastors never visit people, I am concerned that such expectations are well beyond those with serious and emergency needs."
Rainer says it's actually unbiblical to expect pastors to do all the work for believers of any ministry. The Bible verse Ephesians 4:12 says pastors are to train saints and believers, not do all the heavy lifting for them.
Expecting pastors to make constant home visitations also deprives members of their roles and opportunities, and it fosters a country club mentality. With this mindset, church members might mistakenly think, "We pay the pastor's salary. The pastor works for us to do the work and serve us."
If pastors are expected to spend all of their time visiting church members' homes, then they it will take their time away from sermon preparation. It will also take away their vital leadership, and foster unhealthy comparisons among the members who are not visited enough.
Pastors who make home visits will also encourage an inward-thinking church. "The members are asking what the pastor is doing for them, rather than asking how they can serve others through the church," says Rainer.
Rainer also warns that pastors might become people-pleasers instead of God-pleasers. They also risk getting burned out because they will not have enough time to themselves.
"When churches expect their pastors to do most of the visitation, they have an entitlement mentality. Such a mentality can never be satisfied," warns Rainer.
