How many pastors does it take . . . ?

> How many seminaries offer course work in finance, book keeping, etc?

Is this a joke, like "How many cats does it take to change a light bulb?"

In an on-going, on-line discussion (on C-spice, a list-bot for clergy spouses) we've been griping about the unrealistic expectations churches put on their pastors - like expecting Rev. Jones to cut short his vacation and rush home when Aunt Ida drops dead.
Another issue that has provoked a flurry of interest is the expectation that the clergy not only preach, teach, counsel and console, but also manage the church finances. It seems that too many congregations expect their pastor to add the functions of business manager and CEO to all the other duties, without taking into consideration the fact that financial abilities tend to diametrically opposed to preaching and pastoral skills.

The tone of the conversation has been fairly resentful, reflecting frustration that no matter how many different tasks a pastor does, the congregation is never satisfied, and that whenever anything goes wrong, the pastor is sure to take the blame.
I might have thrown a wrench in the discussion by suggesting that the problem does not lie with the church having unrealistic expectations but rather with the clergy who will not set limits.
So what do you think? If these issues are evoking so much discussion on C-spice, they are also likely to be concerns here.
From my perspective, it seems entirely possible for a candidate or new pastor (or already-in-situ-pastor) to tell the session/board, "I am your pastor but I am not a financial manager, and I expect you to have a board of trustees, treasurer or administrator to handle the checkbook and church finances."
After all, knowing one's limits is part of any professional's responsibility.

In exactly the same way, it seems to me that it's the clergy's responsibility to take vacations. Yes, people do insist on dying at inconvenient times, but that is why God gave us colleagues who can (and should) be on call while one is out of town.
Where does that leave us as spouses? I think we need to praise our spouse's skills and encourage setting limits. We can work with our spouse to arrange the vacation. Actually making the arrangements for another pastor to be on-call would be exceeding our own boundaries, but we can certainly remind our spouse to do so, and then, when we get the call half-way through the vacation that Deacon Deedie died, remind our spouse that God can manage the congregation quite well for the next two weeks without us.
It all comes down to this: clergy are professionals. We will not be treated like professionals if we do not set limits on a congregation's demands.



Another pastor's wive observed that if Churches are going to require their ministers to manage the church's finances, and won't hire an accountant or assign the job to someone else, then seminaries should teach financial management or screen people who can't manage money from ordination.

Whoa! Is financial management taught in medical school or law school? Maybe it is, but somehow, I don't think so.

Clergy are skilled professionals in theology, counseling, leadership, intervention, Greek, Hebrew, people skills, etc. Great Grandmother of God, clergy have enough to do ministering to the flock and spreading the gospel!
waiting tables: Acts 6:1-4; different gifts: Ephesians 4:11-16
As spouses, I think we are less than helpful if we blame churches and congregations for forcing our loved ones to do tasks they have not been trained to do. It is counter-productive to encourage the attitude, "this church is so mean to make you manage the checkbook!"
As spouses, we can affirm and encourage our loved one to exercise leadership by delegating financial matters to financial professionals - either trustees/treasurer in the church or through paid financial services.

There's my rant for today. What do y'all think?