The Gospel Coalition hosted a breakout panel titled “Faithful Endurance: The Joy of Shepherding People for a Lifetime” with H. B. Charles Jr., Dave Harvey, Richard Phillips, Jeff Robinson, and Juan Sánchez at the 2019 National Conference to address the present trend of short stays in pastoral roles within churches.

Knowing that the average length of tenure for an evangelical pastor is slightly less than three years, it’s no surprise that instability plagues our churches, which is healthy neither for the congregation nor the pastor. The panel discussed the value of faithful pastors who dedicate their lives to single congregations for decades, and the formative process through which faithfulness to a single congregation builds godly character over time.