10 Signs Someone Has Held Their Church Position Too Long

The pastor or church staff member or the chairman of a committee or a church officer has overstayed his/her welcome.Let’s talk about how to tell.One church I pastored had a vivid illustration of what happens when a member holds a position so long they begin to “own” it. Behind the church–same block–sat the synagogue. Across the street from the synagogue sat the funeral home, owned by one of our deacons. One day this good man told me, “Preacher, we could have bought the land the synagogue is sitting on for a pittance years ago.”Our growing church needed additional land, which is why we were having this conversation.He said, “When the house that used to sit on that property came up for sale, the people wanted $30,000 for it. I was willing to raise the money and buy it. I felt we’d be needing that property in the future.”“The trouble was that Mr. McClanahan, the church treasurer who had held that job for decades, vetoed it. He said that was just too much money for that piece of land, and we would not pay it.”“No one, including the preacher, wanted to stand up to McClanahan, so we let it go.”“And now,” the deacon said, “We can’t touch that piece of ground for a million dollars.”He was right in that. I’d asked around discreetly and found that out.A church where I was guest-preaching was in the act of trying to dislodge a church secretary who had held that office since Noah was a little boy. Even though she was in her mid-70s and long overdue for retirement, she would not budge. As the unofficial church boss, the woman would not change her way of doing things, would not agree that the pastor had the right to have an administrative helper who would do what he asked, and would not agree to go away quietly. (I have no idea how it turned out. These things rarely go smoothly.)So, here are ten signs the person has held this church job too long.Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes