When I agreed several years ago to conduct a question-and-answer column in the Adventist Review, I expected that I would have a unique window on Adventism via the letters I would receive. I have not been disappointed. Letters on every conceivable subject have come to my desk, and I have found myself seeking solutions to problems complex enough to baffle King Solomon. I feel like a physician with his hand on the pulse of a patient who is sometimes quite ill and at other times in robust health. At least I always hear what "the patient" is thinking—usually ex pressed in no uncertain terms.
I was prepared for some negativism, since that's simply the way human beings are—some will always see the worm rather than the apple, and ail one can do is speak soothingly to them. I was also prepared for valid criticisms of our church, and I took a solemn vow that I would never evade or fail to be honest with questioners. In general, I have had only one troublesome surprise, a surprise that has left me insecure and baffled. This surprise has come in the form of comments about our pastors.
Over and over, letters come to me telling the same story. This is a typical excerpt: "Our church is literally dying on the vine because the only time we see our pas tor is on Sabbath morning. I do not know of one member he has ever visited. My husband was incapacitated for several months last year, and though prayer was offered for him at church services (some times by the pastor), not once did the pas tor take the time and trouble to visit us. We were discouraged. What a joy it would have been if he had come and read the Bible with us and had a little season of prayer just for us. Am I asking too much? Didn't the pastors of yesteryear visit the members? If so, what has happened?"
Another correspondent wrote that "our pastor's wife works full-time outside the home and he is the baby-sitter. He makes no secret of this fact; he seems to regard it as a mark of his good father hood. But since he is being paid by the church for his full-time services, is it honest for him to take this approach? Laymen in his congregation pay very high baby-sitting rates. Can you imagine any employer other than the church who would allow a husband to stay home with the children and still pay his salary ? He seems to feel that if he fulfills his Sabbath morning duties he is entitled to the rest of the week off." Unfortunately, this is not an isolated problem. I receive many letters in this vein.
Many people write about their pastor's dedication to health preservation: "Our last two pastors have shared one strong idea—they are determined to get plenty of exercise via tennis, golf, swimming, and other sports. I would say their health is just about the best protected I have ever known, since neither pastor has ever visited any of the members or taken part in anything but Sabbath morning services."
The elderly who live in nursing homes or board and care homes, and who either are childless or have children who pay no attention to them, are especially in need of a pastoral visit. The church is the life line to which they cling. One lady writes: "I have not been able to attend church for several years, and how I long to participate in a Communion service. My heart is hungry for just one brief visit from my pastor. I'd like to talk over with him the great truths of this message, which are so precious to me. But I have given up hope. The only ray of light is the faithful Baptist minister who comes regularly once a month and never fails to speak to every person here in the home regardless of the person's church affiliation. He assures each one of us of God's love. The weather is never too inclement for his visit, and he never begs off because he is 'too busy.' Why can't my pastor (whom I have never met) be like that? I should mention that I send in my tithe and offerings through the mail—and at Ingathering time I receive a card reminding me to send my share. Sometimes I don't feel much like sending it."
Probably these samples are sufficient. Do you know that not once in the years I have had the column have I received a letter stating that "my pastor visits constantly and keeps the church feeling unified"? I keep hoping I will open an envelope and find that message, but I never do. Perhaps you will say that people who are happy with their pastor don't take the time to write, but this is not true in other areas of concern. Many people write joyful letters and share with me their happiness over various activities of the church and their appreciation of certain leaders.
And so I must ask you this: Where have all the visiting pastors gone? Has the Seventh-day Adventist ministry become exclusively a platform ministry? If we were talking about only one pastor for an extremely large church, I would understand that the exigencies of time make visiting impossible. But I receive letters from members who belong to churches with a whole staff of pastors, and still no visitation is done. As one correspondent put it: "The pastoral staff are in meetings all the time, as far as I can discover." Certainly staff meetings are vital to the carrying forward of church work. But should they usurp all the visiting time?
I'm prepared for an avalanche of defensive mail from pastors, but remember, if you know that you put in a reasonable amount of time visiting, you're not the one I'm writing for. If you're not a visiting pastor, though, will you think about becoming one ? And if any layman hap pens to read this, and your church has a faithful visiting pastor, will you make my day and send me a letter telling me about him or her? Surely the visiting pastors haven't completely disappeared from the face of the earth.
