The Pastor As Leader

Great Expectations

Not All Expectations Are Equal

Out With the Old?

What Does a Pastor-Leader Look Like?

In With the New

Suggestions for Implementation

Great Expectations

The time for a congregation to seek God’s leading in calling a new pastor does get people to thinking, and even reminiscing. What will the new pastor be like? Will he be really good with youth? Maybe she would really help us with fixing things up around here. People share their hopes and expectations, based on good and not so good experiences of the past. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get a pastor who is like Pastor M____? Now there was a real pastor!

Expectations are normal; we all have them. Some of the expectations we have of a new pastor are even reasonable and important. However, it is important to examine expectations—all of them—and establish those which are Biblical, reasonable and helpful in aiding congregation to become what God is calling it to be.

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Not All Expectations Are Equal

At one time, we could fairly easily describe what a good pastor did and was: preacher, teacher, administrator, visitor in homes, counselor, and many times, general maintenance person around the church—to name the more obvious activities. While churches did grow and some even thrive, that was in a different time and culture. In the flux of our now very secular culture, some things what worked in decades and generations past no longer work well, if at all. We know this because some of the facts we are facing as congregations today.

• No county in America has shown even a 1% growth in church attendance in the past 10 years.
• Sunday school attendance and other kinds of Christian have declined
• 80-85% of all churches in America have plateaued or declined
• At least 65% of Americans are unchurched, having no formal ties to any church.
• The average worship attendance in churches in the Northwest between September and May is 15-20%
• Research among adults less than 35 years old reveals a skeptical or even cynical view toward paid clergy and ministry.
• Many congregational members routinely complain about fruitless meetings under an old style of governance which leaves no time or energy for sharing Jesus with friends and family.

Clearly, new model(s) of ministry are needed if we are gong to fulfill the Great Commission.

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Out With the Old? Not Entirely

Sometimes when we talk of moving to a new model of ministry, some people fear everything will be thrown out, good and bad, just because it is “old.” Let us be clear: old is not bad and new is not good, just because it is “old” or “new.” Rather, we need to focus on what will bring the desired results—people coming to a transforming experience with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In this move to a model of ministry that will meet the challenges of today, are we advocating a complete dismissal of pastoral ministry has we have known it? Not entirely. What needs to happen is a thorough examination of what we have done, modifying, deleting or adding things that will more effectively bring people to Christ’s kingdom. The methods need to change. The Message never will. However, we need and must call pastoral leaders into our midst who can lead congregations to become transforming, mission-focused communities of Christ-like faith and action.

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What Does a Pastor-Leader Look Like?

If our congregations intend to fulfill the Great Commission and reach the world for Christ our congregations will need to seek a pastor who leads differently and who does ministry differently. Our expectations will shift …

from ”pastoral” care to “congregational” care
from blocking to permission granting
from “solo” leader to developer of leaders
from doing all ministry to equipping others for ministry
from every member to accountable/responsible
from a “boss” to for agreed on goals

Does a pastor-leader stop all visiting? Does she/he not go to the hospital at all? Is the pastor-leader not engaged in evangelism? Certainly not. But here is the difference: The pastor-leader witnesses, brings others to Christ because it is part of his/her call as a follower of Jesus and NOT because he/she is paid to do it for the congregation. A pastor-leader does visit, but also leads the congregation to provide care for each other. The pastor-leader does these things as an example to the congregation; everyone needs to be engaged in some way in sharing the good news of Jesus with others.

In short, a pastor-leader does not do all, or even most, of the ministry but rather leads in such a way as to “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph. 4:12, NIV).

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In With the New

Not every pastor-leader will do things the same and will not lead in the same way. However there are some common characteristics of a pastor-leader, including the following:

• A fully committed follower of Jesus Christ who demonstrates personal and spiritual integrity.
• Involved in regular study and sermon preparations as well as times of prayer, reflection and quiet discernment.
• Exhibits care for self and for family.
• Seeks God’s vision for the congregation and works with the leaders of the congregation to develop, communicate and implement this vision
• Leads the congregation (by teaching and personal example) to engage in evangelism and disciple making
• Supports the ABC family by leading the congregation to give financially to region and mission work and encourages congregation members to participate in the life of the ABC family.
• Participates in area and regional meetings and training events
• Leads and equips the congregation to become healthy and mission-focused in its life together.
• Makes him/herself available to attenders and demonstrates accessibility through regular office hours,
• Takes responsibility for his/her own continuing education and spiritual growth
• Assists the health of the congregation by providing for administrative needs of the congregation.

In visiting with a potential candidate, other qualities of this kind of leadership may become evident. It is very important to have specific discussions with potential candidates about his/her leadership style as pastor.

A final note: Congregations which seek a pastor-leader and support that pastor as he/she leads in these will have a greater potential for overcoming the trends of plateau and decline. A church does not need to be small or rural to experience plateau or decline. Any congregation that is not seeing conversions, baptisms, new members and increases in worship attendance is plateaued and could be headed for decline.

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Suggestions for Implementation

As search committees work through these ideas and come to understand the necessity to seek a pastor-leader, they also become aware of the fact that others in the congregation may not be in the same place. It is, therefore, vitally important to engage the congregation as a whole adopting this shift. Here are several suggestions about ways to create a congregation-wide mindset about the need for a pastor-leader:

• Enlist the help of your interim minister to do Bible studies or discussions about the nature of pastoral leadership.
• Use parts of this resource in newsletters or bulletins
• Contact the region staff to arrange for a workshop on becoming a healthy, mission-focused congregation and the role of the pastor in leading such a congregation
• Plan a discussion about leadership issues with any potential candidate. Focus on his/her practices and expectations. Share with him/her the congregation’s understandings and expectations.
• Conduct a church-wide assessment to determine your church’s health, lifecyle stage, attendance patterns and future mission.

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