Of Atlas and Pastoral Sanity

I believe that in order to do truly great things we need time, and time is a commodity that America does not value.  A friend of mine posted a talk by Walter Brueggemann in which he said that the pastor has gotten side-tracked by other duties outside of the traditional rabbinic duties that pastors were supposed to possess.  I shall ignore the shortcomings of that analysis and state that too often the pastor has is believed to be the one person and only person who is to change the church.  The hierarchy (i.e. synods, District Super Attendants, or other high-muckity-mucks) are not believed to be involved in the dynamic changes of parish life and the laity are viewed as being ill-equipped.  Thus the onus and burden for the life of the church too often falls on the pastor.  I remember a lay person giving a talk at a chapel service.  He talked about how pastors needed to get their finances in order.  He said, "If you can't afford seminary, maybe that is a sign you shouldn't go or that you should wait."  I will not go into the segue of how that places mammon above God; but I will say that he is quite correct that pastors should look at their finances and stewardship.  That being said, one can be completely right but totally wrong by not attacking the whole issue.  My question is this, "Do we expect pastors to be some sort of shaman or pontifex maximus with the backs of Atlas who shoulder the brunt of the entire church expectant or do we look at the eschatological reality of the church as the culture into which we all participate?"  Pastors do and should have a lot of responsibility.  If I have let people down, I have let my God down; I deserve to experience the same repercussions and long to experience the same grace as my office dictates.  God save the American church.