The work of ministry has shifted tremendously in the last 50 years. In the 1970s, pastors in the U.S. led tightly knit communities whose members mostly lived in proximity to the congregation. The primary focus of a pastor’s time was preaching and pastoral care. The gold standard of technology would have been a state-of-the-art copy machine or an IBM Selectric typewriter.
Today, congregations still look to the pastor for preaching and pastoral care — and so much more. Depending on the size of the church, the lead minister might be involved in financial oversight, staff supervision, program planning and community advocacy. In smaller congregations, the pastor might be the most technologically savvy person on staff. This means taking responsibility for recording worship services, updating the website and posting social media content.
What has not changed in the last five decades is the critical need for authentic pastoral presence. Doing the work of a pastor isn’t always about solving a problem. Sometimes our work is priestly. Sometimes it’s prophetic. Often, however, it’s just about being present. Pastoral presence is a stabilizing force in an anxious congregation. It’s manifested in the silence during a late-night visit with a parishioner in the hospital. It’s the voice that speaks a holy, transcendent word when everyone else in the room becomes frustrated and cynical.
Ministers learn to cultivate this leadership posture with time, experience and prayer. If we have good mentors, we also develop pastoral presence the old-fashioned way — by imitation. The work of ministry continues to be transformed by several factors, including the increasing secularity of American culture. Yet for those who are called to do this work in this historical moment, the church — and the world — still needs them to show up as those who have been sent by God.
