The ‘forgotten’ stakeholders

“STAKEHOLDERS” IS A WORD NO LONGER RESTRICTED to commerce. The church, as well as other non-profit organisations, has used the term “stakeholders” to get people to buy into its vision. The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines the word as “someone who has invested money into something, or who has an important connection with it, and therefore is affected by its success or failure”.

Question: Who are the stakeholders in the enterprise called the local church?

In our structure, the primary stakeholders are the leaders (the Local Conference, the Local Church Executive Committee, including the pastors), as well as the staff of the church. The members of the church are also stakeholders as many will be affected by its success or failure, having contributed financially, and forming spiritual and emotional attachment to it. However, the stakeholders who have direct influence to determine its direction are its leaders.

Another question is: Where do the pastors fit in this picture? Are they stakeholders? The oft-heard comment is, “Pastors come and pastors go.” Implied here is that the leaders who are not pastors are the genuine stakeholders, and that the pastors are not.

Allow me to present another perspective, having been a pastor for more than 25 years. While our itinerant system sees pastors move to and from churches, it is more common nowadays for Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) pastors especially to stay in one church for longer periods than before. However, even where a pastor moves after a shorter period, it is incorrect, and I add, also insensitive, to imply that that pastor is not a stakeholder. 

A pastor invests his or her life in that church. We tithe, spend time, effort, energy, and often make personal and family sacrifices in serving the church. Moving away, after having given so much is a painful affair. We have formed spiritual, emotional and other relational bonds with the community there. We grieve the loss.  

Pastors’ families are also affected by these movements. When the children are younger, and cut ties with other children and the aunties and uncles, it is something some just cannot understand. When the parting is acrimonious, and known to the older children, some may be so hurt that their parents are treated badly they want nothing to do with God or church subsequently.  

Ministerial etiquette prohibits us from interfering with what our successors are doing. But there are ties that bind us as stakeholders long after we have left.

The Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup is the President of Trinity Annual Conference.

QUOTE:

“Our itinerant system sees pastors move to and from churches … even where a pastor moves after a shorter period, it is incorrect, and I add, also insensitive, to imply that that pastor is not a stakeholder.”