Michael Crawford

Professor Olivia Rines

UWRT 1101-002
March 18April 4, 2015
Charlotte Area Pastors
A pastors primary role or duty is to preach and proclaim the Word of God in order to
help guide and lead people to a personal relationship with the Lord. This is done by spending
time studying specific scripture references and being able expound on them during the message
to help those who hear understand how to apply them. The role that a pastor has is one that many
times can be seen as walking a fine line. Pastors use the Bible and the scripture as the primary
source of communication to their audience. Pastors today are being challenged more and more
to stay away from personal opinion in their sermons and rely more and more on the scripture
itself. Pastors have to be able to share with those that listen what the Word of God says and
many times do this in a way that will not offend the hearer. There are some who will preach the
word and not really care one way or the other if someone is offended by what they say or not, as
long as what they are saying is straight out of the Bible.
Charlotte area pastors seem to be mindful of the community in which they are located for
the most part. The community will cause the pastor to tailor the message or the delivery so that
it will reach and impact the most people. The pastors ultimate goal is to preach or declare the
spoken Word of God in order to help those that hear it to make a choice and change their life. As
the pastor prepares what they are going to talk about each week, they have to be mindful of what
is currently happening in their particular community.

Pastors have to be able to share with those that listen what the Word of God says and
many times do this in a way that will not offend the hearer. There are some who will preach the
word and not really care one way or the other if someone is offended by what they say or not, as
long as what they are saying is straight out of the Bible. Pastors today also have to be mindful of
the changing social climate while they prepare their message or sermon each week. There are
many pastors that are seeing how the increase of social media and social networking is having an
impact on the local church congregations. Years ago if you wanted to hear a sermon or listen to a
preacher you had to attend a service somewhere. Today you can listen to preaching on the
internet, hear it through social media or just stay home and watch your chosen preacher on TV.
Local pastors are feeling the effects of this as the numbers that actually turn out for a service are
declining and inconsistent. The decline in attendance has been seen as steady over the past ten to
fifteen years according to the participants.
Pastors in the Charlotte area are also feeling an impact due to the changing social climate
of what is acceptable today. This is becoming a challenge for some pastors as it causes a conflict
of where they stand versus what they say in the message. Some pastors are very clear on where
they stand regarding certain issues and will not compromise. Pastor Bob1 said No matter what
pressure I may face, whether from the community or from the congregation, my stand remains
firm. This is what is meant by those pastors who are aware of the pressure but will not
compromise. Some pastors know that in their community there may be a strong presence from
those who support alternative lifestyles and want the pastor to openly accept this and preach
about it.

1 Pastor Bob is a fictional name in place of the actual name interviewed.

Pastors have to be mindful of those that they want to reach and those that they are reaching.
People have been known to hear things in an entirely different context from which it was actually
said. Since people will interpret what they hear, many times this can cause a pastor to become
selective with the words that they actually use when delivering certain messages. There are
some pastors in the area that will read the Bible in preparation for the message but what the
people hear is not completely accurate of what was read. Some pastors will do this because they
feel that the Bible is much harsher than what people want today. Some area pastors will preach
the message to the congregation just as it is written and not make any excuse for doing so. One
of my observations I heard a pastor make a comment as he started his sermon that said What I
am going to say is straight out of the Bible and some of you may not feel that it applies to you.
In his sermon were mentions of immorality within leadership, especially in the church.
Charlotte area pastors face some challenges in this area due to the large number of
churches in their immediate area and especially denominational churches seemingly
overpowering. The ultimate goal of any pastor is to reach those who do not have a relationship
with the Lord and help them to develophave that relationship for themselves. The actual goal
that many pastors seem to display more and more is to ensure that the local church that they are
pastoring has members. This causes pastors to shy away from developing open forms of
communication and dialog with other pastors, especially those outside of the organization or
structure that they are associated with. Pastors of some churches have the mindset that if they
develop open relationship with surrounding pastors that their members could be stolen from
them.
Pastors have to be mindful to some extent of the fact that without members they would
not have a local congregation to preach to. This should not be the reason that pastors do not have

relationship with other pastors, but the reality is that it does. When the local pastors understand
that there are more individuals that do not attend a local church than those who do, they would
not be as concerned about those who are currently members in the local church. The local
congregation also plays a role in helping to spread the word that is preached within the local
communities. The intercommunication that takes place within churches has to do with the
general announcements about upcoming events, but more so with simple one and one contact
throughout the day. Each member is challenged to spread the word about the gospel to those that
they come in contact with.
This question was asked to both of those that were interviewed: What type of
relationship do you have with the area pastors in your local community? The answer was
somewhat surprising but was basically the same from both participants. The answer that was
given simply was that they have a rather casual relationship with the surrounding local area
pastors., but many of the pastors in their communities seem to have some fear or hesitation that
the members that they currently have are going to be taken by another pastor. This answer was
surprising as the role of a pastor is not to ensure that the local church building is full of people,
but that the people all have a personal relationship with the Lord.
The pastors that participated in the research and even the area churches that were visited
for the most part seem to be striving for the same common goals. This would fall into context
with the sixth characteristic by Swales regarding the level of members. Those that are called to
preach the Word have to ensure that what they preach will draw others and cause a change in
their lives. How the local pastors accomplish the goal may be vastly different, depending upon
the community which they are presently located. If the community is a poorer more rural
community, using the latest computer equipment, big screen monitors, etc., may not make the

best impact on the people. In communities such as this, sometimes the pastor has to go back to
more basics and not include modern technology. When the people in the community can tell that
the pastor truly cares about what they are dealing with, the struggles that they are facing and that
the pastor is real, then the people will and do respond.
Charlotte area pastors feel that the communities which they are located in do accept them
and support them, but they also are somewhat cautious of them. The pastor has to find ways of
making the local community feel that they are there to help in that community and support the
community, without putting the people down and causing any division or separation. This is an
interesting challenge for the pastors as they have to find ways of reaching the community and
making a statement without coming across as pushy or bullish. Most area pastors that desire to
impact the community in which they are located must first go into the community and find out
what is needed. The pastor wants the local community to know that they are there to help and
give assistance as needed, without being taken advantage of. Many pastors have found this hard
to do in recent years as there are more and more individuals that are facing hard times and in
need of assistance. Communities are looking to churches for what they (the church) can do for
them and not what is truly needed within the community.
The two participants were both asked what they would like to do or see happen in their
local communities and the answers were somewhat similar. Pastor Bob stated To be able to
reach to young the people. To have or build a youth center or a recreational center. He feels
that one of the issues of getting the youth and young adults involved in the church is because
they need something that they will relate to. This is a struggle that many area pastors are
currently facing, but some of them are not actively seeking ways to overcome it as Pastor Bob is.

Pastor Ann2 stated To have a resource center that those who need help finding a job, developing
their resume, getting the assistance that is needed. To have a computer lab and the resources in
place for anyone who needs to get or complete their GED or help with school. Pastor Ann
wants to have a more personal relationship with those in the local community and to be an
avenue for them to achieve what they have started.
The local pastors face some uphill battles being able to accomplish what they would like to see
happen in their local communities. Pastor Ann stated that the city officials have approached her
a couple of times to let her know of grants that they were offering for certain things and to see if
she and the church would be interested. Her answer was exactly what would have been
expected, which was YES! and she has completed all of the necessary paperwork. When she
made the comment that the city has approached her instead of her seeking out various grants for
things, this was actually a little surprising to me. In many communities for pastors to acquire the
resources needed they have to go seeking and spend hours doing research. Most pastors and
church leaders have to do the leg work themselves to find grants and other resources that can
help them accomplish whatever the goal is in that area.
Location of the actual structure seems to be an issue with both of the participants. Pastor
Bob stated The actual location of our building, which is an older 3 bedroom house that was
converted, is an issue for some. The physical structure itself should not be a deciding factor, but
for some reason many people have this impression that if the structure is not a large, multimillion dollar place that they will not get what they need. Pastor Ann stated The signage for the
church is a hindrance and needs to be bigger and in more locations. The church only has a small
sign out front and then the name above the doorway. Many people have heard of the church
2 Pastor Ann is a fictional name in place of the real name of the participant

and when they find out just where they are located say that they have wondered who was there.
Both pastors have what could be described as strategic locations for being able to effectively
impact the surrounding communities.
Charlotte area pastors face some challenges from government leaders to preach a certain
way or say certain things or face the possibility of not having a tax free status. Some pastors will
cave in to the pressure, but there is a remnant of pastors that have and are taking a stand for what
they know is right and will not change. Pressure comes to each one of us, but how we deal with
that pressure when it comes is what makes the difference. Pressure in our lives will help to
expose those areas that are weak and need strengthening. Pastors face pressure from within their
local churches and well as from the communities they are located in.
Charlotte area pastors share a common goal which is to preach or proclaim the Word of
God. As the pastor proclaims the spoken word, it should cause those who hear to come and
develop a personal relationship with the Lord. As these pastors strive to do this, they also face
certain challenges from within the local communities, the churches, and even from local
governments. Constant changing social climates is a challenge that pastors have to face. Many
pastors will agree that having and utilizing needed resources is a vital part that is necessary.
Pastors have to be willing to set aside personal agendas at times in order to ensure that the
ultimate goal is accomplished. This challenge has been established for years and will take many
more to be completely destroyed.
While I really enjoyed reading about your discourse community, this draft is not quite fulfilling
the requirements for this assignment, which were to discuss how your discourse community
meets the six characteristics of a discourse community outlined by Swales. The first issue is that
you seem to be focusing on pastors in general. You should be focusing on a specific group of
people, in this case Charlotte area pastors. Makes sure that you make this clear throughout this
paper. It would help if you avoided general claims involving phrases such as pastors think or

most pastors do As you revise this draft, make sure that you are explicitly discussing each of
Swales characteristics and directly referencing his chapter. I would also like to see you
incorporate your data more. You frequently made claims but they werent always supported by
information from your interviewees or from your observations. Make sure the reader knows
where you are getting your information. Finally, be deliberate in your word choices and think
about how you are phrasing your thoughts. If you have questions regarding this aspect, either
make an appointment with the Writing Resources Center or come talk to me.
The following is the rubric for the assignment, including what you would have received had this
draft been your final draft. This grade will not be recorded anywhere. It is simply a chance for
you to see where you stand.
Category

Content
(65 points)

Organization
(10 points)
Style and
Conventions
(25 points)
Score

Scoring Criteria
Is focused, clear, purposeful, and meets the needs of the audience
Properly addresses the question, What are the most important things for
an outsider to know about this community?
Describes Swales characteristic #1 (common public goals)
Describes Swales characteristic #2 (mechanisms of intercommunication)
Describes Swales characteristic #3 (participatory mechanisms)
Describes Swales characteristic #4 (utilizes genres)
Describes Swales characteristic #5 (specific lexis)
Describes Swales characteristic #6 (threshold level of members)
All claims made are supported. Writer uses specific references to data
and/or sources to support claims.
Introduction establishes a framework for the rest of the paper and
includes a thesis statement
Conclusion summarizes the paper and pushes the reader to think about
specific issues/concerns outside of individual discourse community.
Utilizes a strong internal structure and purposefully moves the reader
through the text
Sentences are all well-crafted and consistently varied in structure, length,
and beginning. Vocabulary and word choice are precise and varied.
The writer demonstrates a firm grasp of the conventions of written
English (spelling, capitalization, punctuation etc.). There are no typos.
Is formatted according to the conventions of MLA
Is 1500 2500 words
Total Points

Total
Points
5

Score
3

10

5
5
5
5
5
5

4
0
1
0
0
1

10

10

10

10
5
100

10
5
62