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32
minister Donald F. Campbell of Stam–
ford, Connecticut: "You don't try to
moralize anymore because these people
would just walk out on you."
The problem is brilliantly high–
lighted by the tongue-in-cheek pastoral
"success" book
H ow to Become
a
Bishop Witho"t Being Religio11s
by
Methodist mi.nister Charles Merri.Il
Smi.th.
Pastor Smith' s book is ostensibly a
handbook to the minister whose only
goal is material and professional suc–
cess, who wants the quickest way to the
top. His real object is, of course, quite
different, as he explains in the "Bene–
diction" at the end of the book.
By poking fun and satire at those
less-enviable aspects of modern religion,
he hopes to help eliminate them. His
"exposé" points up in humor what
many other theologians have said in
more serious tones.
For example, the chapter "How to Be
Impressive in the Pulpit" demonstrates
that the way to be a popular and
successful minister is to preach what
everyone wants to hear. People like
"soothing words" rather than the poi.nted
message of the Bible: "The first rule
for the popular preacher to remember
as he prepares a sermon is that
style
i.s
of eoormous importance while
content
makes little ultimate difference" (p. 31,
emphasis ours throughout the arti.cle) .
Ministers are urged to preach about
sin-wi.thout getting specific, of course
- because "people will never connect
the words with anything that rniddle–
dass whi.te Protestants do,
so
you can
flai.l away at sin and sinners to your
heart's content" (p. 37).
Author Smith is at pai.ns to dis–
tinguish the "pious irnage" - a put-on
front of
what people expect
in a
clergyman - from the truly religious
attitude of the sincere and dedicated
mi.nister: "lt can be demonstrated with
astonishing ease that the one thiog the
church
cannot
abide is a
genuinely re/i–
gious
man, and that it takes a generous
endowment of other qualities to offset
thi.s handicap if a man is to become a
successful clergyman" (pp. x-xi).
The JdoJs Worshipped by Society
Other ministers have discussed the
"suburban church" attitude deri.ded by
The
PLAIN TRUTH
How to Become a Bishop .
A Presby·
terian mi.nister in Southern California
described bis parishioners: "By living
in suburbia, i.t appears to them as if
they've 'made it,' so they look to the
church simply as a pi.ous club to soothe
their wounds aod bless the status quo
and not disturb anything."
This may explain why an Episcopal
pastor in Virginia complained: "These
people just use the church for what they
think they can get out of it." A fellow
11
1f
religious people
v.(ould puf into practice
the tenets they affix on
Sabbath in their tem–
ples and synagogues,
or on Sundays in their
church, they could rev–
olutionize society/
1
Conservative
Rabbi Joseph
H.
Wagner
pastor in the same denomination added:
"God is in the background, usually....
When a real problem comes up they
forget the church and say, 'What's the
quickest way to buy myself out of
this ?'"
Parishioners on the whole do not
know what their churches teach and do
not care. But if they di.d know, what
purpose would it serve? Would they
allow their churches' beliefs to interfere
with tbeir daily lives, anyway?
One of Pastor Smith's colleagues, Dr.
Dow Kirkpatrick, agreed: "Any time a
minister makes it clear that he takes
seriously the Gospel and ,intends that it
shall result in decisions in individual
and community life, he's in trouble. He's
going to be the target of people who
want to get cid of him. That's an
occupational hazard among preachers."
Is it any wonder that ministers and
priests are leaving their chosen profes–
sion in such numbers?
Sorne have thought that the cause has
been mainly the generally low pay or
the requirement of celibacy (among
Catholi.cs) . But studies show sur–
prisingly
different
reasons.
June
1971
Why Pastors Leave the Parish
The United Church of Christ spon–
sored a comparati.ve study of ministers
and ex-ministers recently. The results
have appeared
in
the book
Ex-Pastors,
lP
hy Men Leave the Parish Ministt·y
by
Jud, Milis, and Burch.
In the majority of cases, money has
nothing to do with the decision. As one
of the book's authors, Dr. Edgar Milis,
put it: "Money is a straw on the camel's
back, but not the one that breaks it."
The study showed there was no
simple answer since most left for a
number of reasons. But two out of five
said that being "disillusioned with the
church's relevance to problems of
the modern world" was of "high"
impoctance.
Sorne of the problems described
by the anonymous minister at the
beginning of this article will illustrate
the frustrations felt by many.
1 had won a preachi.ng award
as a student, and 400 persons
(half bis congregation) were
there for my first sermon. Except
at Christmas and Easter , tlie
members never carne
in
such
numbers again. As one woman
. .. put it: "The people would
rather hear about
their
idea of
Christianity than Christ's.
Not only didn't they want to
hear about it; they didn't want
to talk about it. On my first
round of calling on members 1
did little more than joke, make
small talk and otherwise get
acquainted. This approach of the
religious ward heeler, 1 found
made me a big hit ... .
On the next round of visits, I
began to talk religion as part
of each call. lt was a low-pressure
approach, mainly telling mem–
bers wbat I thought were the
main doctrines of our church
and asking
if
they had any
questions. Almost every time
they would cough, hesitate, srnile
shyly, try to change the subject
and as soon as possible rush me
to the door. Soon it became
di fficult to find members at
borne. When they were home,
many preferred talking at the
door to inviting me in.
After fighting with himself and the
church's problems for two or three
years, this minister, who has chosen
to
rema in aoonymous, 1inally decided: