There is a difference between being accessible and being available.

Accessibility is the ability to be accessed. For a pastor to be accessible means that their door is always open, their phone is always on (and they always answer), they are always willing to say, “Yes,” when you request their time and presence.

Pastors today are more accessible than they have ever been. Much of this is due to the nature of technology. I carry this rectangle in my pocket wherever I go that provides an open door of accessibility. So whether I am in the church office, at home, at the grocery store, or at the hospital, I am accessible to everyone in my congregation. Send me a text, give me a call, shoot me an email and you have access to my attention.

The increased accessibility of pastors is not only due to technology. It is also due to pride. Pastors have followed the competitive climate of the surrounding culture. If you want to be relevant, if you want to move up in the world, if you want your church to grow, then you need to be accessible. You need to say, “Yes,” to the opportunities you are given. A local organization asks for you to come to their event and speak or pray – “Yes.” A community member has an emergency and needs to meet with you right away – “Yes.” The denomination needs something from you – “Yes.” Say “Yes,” and more opportunities for growth will come your way. Say “No,” and someone else will get the opportunity and move ahead of you.

But here is the rub: just because a pastor is accessible does not mean the pastor is available. 

Availability is the ability to avail – to be of help or benefit. I think of availability as the ability to be fully present in the time and place in which you find yourself, with the people with whom you find yourself. There are plenty of situations in which we are physically present in a place but we are not available to the people around us.

My wife knows well – unfortunately – that there are times when I am home but not available. I am distracted by other thoughts, exhausted from the day’s work, or in a sour mood. She may have access to me. I am right next to her. But she knows I am not available. I am not present enough to engage in meaningful conversation or help.

The irony is that oftentimes the more accessible we are, the less available we are. When I allow myself to be ruled by the accessibility my cell phone gives me, it hinders my ability to be available and present where I am. I may be at home, but my attention is on the prayer request that I just received by text. I may be at the event I agreed to assist with, but I use the time to catch up on my emails. I go on a walk but my mind is racing through all the commitments I have for the week. When I get home I am too tired to be available to my wife and kids, to myself or God.

Perhaps this is the real problem for the pastor. The pastor who makes himself or herself accessible to everyone becomes unavailable to God. The pastor who does not have time to pray without distraction, to be present enough to hear the Word, is a pastor who has abandoned their call and set sail for Tarshish.

As I reflect back on the month of April, I confess that I was far too accessible to be available. Some of that comes with the season. It was Holy Week! For my district in the Church of the Nazarene, Holy Week was immediately preceded by our District Assembly. But, knowing full well how full of a month it was going to be, I continued to say, “Yes,” to every opportunity to come my way. By the end of the month, I was unavailable to anyone who actually needed a pastor.

The word, “No,” is one of the most important tools in the pastor’s toolbox. We forget that when we say, “No,” we are only saying “No” to one thing. But when we say, “Yes,” we are giving a thousand “Nos.” When I say “Yes,” to the request of a local organization, I am saying “No,” to anyone else who may need my availability: including my family and God.

Of course, there are times when we need to be accessible, when we need to say, “Yes.” But the question is not simply: Do I have room on my calendar? But: Do I have room to still be available? 

I have spent the better part of the last couple of weeks on vacation. During this time I was less accessible, but I have returned to be more available. I have relearned that to not take a vacation, to not rest, is to steal from God and His Church. A church needs a pastor who is not only accessible but available. And for a pastor to be available, perhaps they need to be a little less accessible.