Michael Crawford

Professor Olivia Rines

UWRT 1101-002

March 18, 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. The role that a pastor has is
one that many times can be seen as walking a fine line. 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 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.
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. 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.
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.

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

Charlotte area pastors face some challenges in this area due to the large number of
churches and especially denominational churches. The ultimate goal of any pastor is to reach
those who do not have a relationship with the Lord and help them to have that relationship. 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.
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 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. 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. 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. 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.
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 feel 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
2 Pastor Ann is a fictional name in place of the real name of the participant

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 approached her instead of her seeking out various grants for
things, was actually a little surprising to me. 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
and when they find out just where they are located say that they have wondered who was there.
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.

* I really enjoyed reading this micro-ethnography. I felt that you had strong paragraphs
throughout the paper. I learned that Charlotte area pastors have many goals but all share one
common goal and that is to make sure individuals have a relationship with the Lord. You made
excellent references to the two pastors you interviewed and I really liked how you used footnotes
to tell the reader/audience who Pastor Bob and Ann were because that made it easier knowing
this was a fictional name. Although you referred to your two interviews I would suggest making
a few more references to your observations though. But one thing I feel like you should do is
make a reference to Swales. In your paper, it was difficult to find the six defining characteristics
that identify the Charlotte area pastors. But this is an easy fix, just simply refer to Swales before
each paragraph where you describe one of the characteristics. Another minor flaw with the paper
was the proper MLA format. You forgot to add the header and footer with your last name and the
page number. Other than that, I feel that this was a strong draft and with another peer review,
your second draft will be fantastic.*