I umpired several baseball games last week, and I could not help but laugh at the irony.
The average age of the players was probably 16 or 17. The average age of the two umpires was between 65 and 70.
Some would suggest that the old geezers hang up their masks and chest protectors. Good suggestion, but it is easier said than done.
There is a shortage of younger men and women who are willing to officiate sports (not just baseball) at every level. I had planned to hang it up this year, but my supervisor asked me to stay on because of the need. There have been games that have been moved to another day because of lack of umpires or some games have had only one umpire.
Football officials have told me the same thing is happening in their sport. High school football used to be basically a Friday night event. Games are now being played on Thursdays because there are not enough officials to cover every Friday night game in many areas.
Sports organizations are trying to recruit and involve younger officials, but it is not an “easy sell.” Officials have to deal with people (coaches, fans and players) who think they are always right.
I have always maintained that officiating is the only profession where you are expected to be perfect when the game begins and get better as the game progresses.
It sort of reminds me of church. In fact, I am going to add “Pastors/Ministers” to the category where you are expected to be “perfect and then get better over time.”
In the April 12 issue, we printed an article entitled “Pastor Pipeline Dwindling in Tennessee.” The article noted that many pastors are still preaching in their 70s and 80s.
I have no doubt they are doing it because God has still called them, and their health allows them to remain active. Yet, some have acknowledged one of the reasons they are still preaching is because some churches, especially smaller congregations, do not have the resources to attract and call younger pastors.
In this issue, we have an article regarding a Barna Research study that indicates more pastors are feeling dissatisfied with their ministry and are less confident in their spiritual callings.
Why is this happening? Could it be that we (church members) have unreasonable expectations for our pastors and staff ministers?
Yes, they are ministers and should, to some extent, be held to higher expectations. They have been ordained and set apart by the fact they have been called to ministry. Yet, we must not forget that they are still human. They will make mistakes. We all do.
We have to be willing to show grace and mercy to our ministers when they need it just as God showed grace and mercy when He allowed His Son to die on the cross for our sins.
Troy Seals and Max D. Barnes wrote a great country song in the mid-1980s that became a hit for country music legend George Jones, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”
Tennessee Baptists (and Southern Baptists in general) need to be asking ourselves, “Who is going to fill our shoes?”
As leaders in our churches, we need to be sensitive to the needs of our pastors and their families. We also need to become mentors to younger families who are joining our churches and help prepare them to become leaders in our churches.
In the article on the dwindling pastor pipeline, Sing Oldham, of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff, observed that laymen are not responding to God’s call to ministry the way they have in times past.
“In the mid-20th century, it was common for deacons, Sunday School teachers and other lay leaders in construction, business, manufacturing, agriculture and other professions to respond to God’s call to preach, teach and lead,” Oldham recalled. “When they did, their pastors mentored them in ministry.”
Oldham called for “a resurgence of pastors calling out the called and training them for effective ministry.”
I applaud the TBMB for recognizing the importance of involving young adults in ministry. See story on the recent young adult conference sponsored by the TBMB on page 7.
Pastor Dustin Laster, of First Baptist Church, Hampshire, who attended the conference, summed it up well.
“If we don’t reach young adults and disciple them in ‘picking up their cross and following Jesus,’ we won’t be able to effectively reach a lost world. The young adults in our churches should already be leading and learning to lead,” he maintained.
Amen, brother. B&R