No matter how many times you have done it before, when you come to a new congregation, it is a very vulnerable time for both the pastor and the congregation. It would be fair to say that it is a time filled with anxiety for almost everyone. Think of how many people have a high stake in the outcome of what at best is a an open-ended situation. The pastor’s family has been uprooted from their previous home and have to adjust to a new community. The pastor, no matter how successful or unsuccessful his or her previous position, is starting all over again. In one sense that is exciting and promising but on the other hand there are no guarantees.
It is a clean slate but it is a slate upon which many people seek to impress their hopes and fears. The pastoral nominating committee are hoping their efforts will result in a successful pastorate and that their friends and colleagues in the congregation will be positive about the efforts of the PNC. They also know that if something goes wrong, they will get the blame. The session has a high stake in your call because they will be working with you. The congregation has been waiting for longer than they would like, and during that time have been forming expectations and images of who the new pastor will be.
Expectations are never based solely on rational logic. They are filled with emotion, hopes, and fears. Many of those images held by the congregation are based on experiences which have nothing to do with the new pastor. Their previous experience with pastors, good and bad, even the messages from their biological family of origin about pastors and faith have shaped what they want and expect of a new pastor. Some are prepared to dislike the new pastor because s/he is not the former pastor, while others hope s/he will be nothing like the former pastor. Some are filled with anxiety caused by their own personal life and society and hope for a savior while others are distrustful of what they consider false religious leaders and are prepared to not be satisfied.
How does a pastor begin in such an atmosphere?
