Our work supporting leaders has grown significantly over the past years through conferences and resourcing (see below). It has been a growing burden within the EMW’s leadership to provide more personal and pastoral support for church leaders. We are therefore thankful to God for allowing us to partner with Llanelli Free Evangelical Church to release Phil Swann as our pastoral director. Below, he answers a few questions about his burden and new role.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Phil. Can you share a little about yourself?
Yes, certainly. I was brought up in a Christian home, and my dad was a Pastor, but I wasn’t converted until I was twenty. I qualified and worked as a physio, but I started in pastoral ministry in 1990, and for the past twenty-six years, I have been a pastor at Llanelli Free Evangelical Church. I teach pastoral studies on the EMW TTC (Theological Training Course) and serve on the EMW Management Board as a trustee responsible for Church Leaders.
As a pastor yourself, you must have extensive experience working with pastors through your TTC work. What is it like being a pastor today?
It is very mixed and challenging, but that’s not unusual for pastors and church leaders. There is a need to develop resilience and stay fresh and enthusiastic about the work, and the regular challenge is balancing family life with pastoral work.
The nature of our world today as a ‘global village’ means the pressure to preach like someone living on the other side of the planet can be a problem. Things are particularly challenging for those relatively new to being a pastor.
As cultural change around us seems to accelerate, the challenge of discerning the times grows. Leading a church to respond missionally and faithfully is not easy, especially if you are a younger man. We need to bring an extensive view of Jesus to our people through preaching and not be superficial in pastoral care, especially when the people we reach often come to us with increasingly complex pastoral and social needs.
Maybe the biggest challenge is to focus on what matters and, above all, on Jesus.
What led you to this role?
The EMW Management Board first asked me to respond to the need. Caring for pastors and church leaders is in my DNA, and I grew up surrounded by it. I’ve certainly grown into it during my own ministry and developed a passion for helping the Church in this way. Pastors, especially in Wales, are often alone in smaller churches and can be isolated without the support they need. I hope to provide some help.
Please share with us what you’ll be doing.
The wonderful people at our church in Llanelli are with me in this and are releasing me a day a week to be accessible to help pastors. So, I’ll be making myself available and reaching out to, above all, encourage and empathise. I’ll be visiting pastors and having a cup of coffee with them (decaf!) to listen, learn and look to be a friend. I don’t have all the answers, but I want to share what I have with my whole heart.
Incredible; how can we support you in this work?
Thank you so much. Prayer is my biggest need. Pray that I will be helpful under God. Please also pray that I will be humble, sensitive, and always bring people back to Jesus.
philswann@emw.org.uk
