Co-pastoring

This is from the past - number of years ago two of us "copastored" though my friend of many years was the "called" pastor and I was asked to "copastor. He was the "in charge person" as I would recommend in any situation - personal opinion of course.

We were both students and it was a small church, both worked as well. We changed off doing different things - he did most of the preaching and I did most of the teaching. We called together, if someone was in the hospital we both showed up. Our church had an eldership and deacon constitution which called for this sort of arrangement.

It worked quite well though we were both sensitive to difference in opinion in some areas of interpretation. If one of us landed on a difference we usually introduced the difference of opinion and presented both sides or if one of us had taught/preached a specific subject recently we normally skimmed over rather than beat it to death.

In my own case It would have to be someone I knew would work with me and someone that would respect me as and equal rather than a subject. I'm not sure I could work the situation with just anyone. Of course I'm the center of the universe so that may relate some :smilewinkgrin:

 

I have personally never been a part of a ministry with a co-pastor. However, I have a friend who is a co-pastor with 2 other guys in California. They been doing it for the last 5 years or so and it seems to work really well. They are all considered co-pastors by the congregation.

My friend preaches one service on Sundays and then he handles all the administrative duties. Another guy preaches the other service and handles all the pastoral care duties. Then the third guy handles the youth, children, and educational ministries. They share any counseling situations that come up as they relate to their other areas of ministry.

 

The church is not a military organization, though.

The pastor is not the "general" of the church.

 

I have noticed that husband-and-wife co-pastoring is becoming fairly common among African-American churches in the Washington area. I do not know how it really works out in practice.

One of you posted saying that when someone was in the hospital, the co-pastors both visited. I was a senior pastor with an assistant pastor who "claimed" any young people in the hospital as "his", and did not like it when I visited them. I used to say to him, "If we are both doing the same thing, one of us is unnecessary." Guess which one I thought fit that category.

 

""If we are both doing the same thing, one of us is unnecessary." Guess which one I thought fit that category."

This seems to be an example of why it takes people suited to the copastoring idea.