When the pastor is a 'museum curator'

Most pastors inevitably will face three common criticisms. The most common of the three is the issue of worship style and music. Although worship wars have abated a bit over the past few years, every pastor can be assured that there will be a few people in the congregation who don't like something about the worship services.

A second common criticism of pastors comes from congregants who feel they aren't getting sufficient pastoral attention. Indeed, even the pastor who gives extraordinary attention to pastoral care can't be omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. I remember well one angry critic of a church where I served as pastor. She yelled at me for more than 10 minutes on the phone because I did not visit her when she was in the hospital. When I tried calmly to explain that I didn't know she was in the hospital, she shouted even louder, "Well, you should have!"

It is the third common criticism that I wish to address in this article. It fits within the broad category of physical facilities. Some or several church members have deep emotional ties to, for example, a certain building, a Sunday School classroom, a parlor, stained glass windows, or pews. When the pastor attempts to suggest any changes related to these items of great fondness, he might meet a wave of unexpected criticism. Read more