Tuesday, June 22, 2010

#164 Reserved parking for the pastor


Pastors are known to get territorial in the parking lot. In most protestant church lots there is a sign reserving the primo space for the pastor. The assistant pastor and worship leader sometimes have their own spaces too, but the lead pastor's space is always closest to the building.


Even small churches have reserved pastor parking, but it is most commonly seen at megachurches. The more mega the church, the more likely there is a reserved sign. But churches so mega that they are multi-site don't need pastoral parking spaces at all their satellites where the pastor appears via videoscreen. His reserved space is at the lot from whence he preaches, and dollars to donuts it's occupied by something status-y which of course was bought with tithes. You will be hard-pressed to find a pastor of a large church who drives something unremarkable.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've noticed this, too. Seems to me to be contrary to the spirit of humility a Christian should have, and all that stuff Jesus said about sitting yourself in the lowest places and giving guests the best spots.

Anonymous said...

I would think, that a man of GOD wouldn't want a "special" place to park his car, that would be for the sick and the elderly people. He is to set an example to his peers, that we are to look out for one another, especially those who might be in a bad condition(ie; sick, old, frail.I have noticed these pastor parking signs before. they are always the same type of pastor, the ones who want you to sell Krispy kreme doughnuts for him and his wife to go on vacation, real storie.

Anonymous said...

There is one scenario where it's acceptable: my wife pastors a two-point charge. That is to say, she is the only pastor for two churches. She is at both churches every Sunday. So, she has a reserved space at the church whose service is later, because she might not be pulling in until right before the service starts.