When I was starting out in full-time ministry more than 20 years ago, if you had told me that I would one day serve as an executive pastor of a multi-mega church I would have asked you, “What’s that?”
More and more I’m running into young church leaders that aspire to be an executive pastor and I’m fielding more and more questions about what young leaders can do to prepare for the role. With that in mind, while this is not an exhaustive list, here are a couple of recommendations I’d make to any young church leader who thinks they may serve as an executive pastor (XP) one day.
1. Sober-Mindedness
Understand who you are, come to terms with who you are, and then be who you are. It’s not uncommon for young church leaders to think big and want something bigger than they’re able to handle sooner than they’re ready for it. It takes a deep well of experience built over time to serve well in the XP role, not just talent.
2. Submission to Authority
In
Matthew 8:5-13 the Roman Centurion demonstrates an incredible XP mindset (seriously click the link and read it). He understands what it’s like to be in authority so he has no problem submitting to authority. Great XPs submit to the authority of the lead pastor. They challenge appropriately, they lead up and ultimately understand what it means to both be in authority and under authority at the same time.
3. Recruit, Place and Develop People
The church is ultimately about people development. The theological term is sanctification, the every day church term is discipleship. Whatever label you want to put on it, great executive pastors are great at recruiting the right people, putting them in the right seat to succeed and developing them.
4. Organizational Alignment
The best XPs I’ve ever been around have an uncanny sense of alignment. They’re playing chess not checkers. They’re constantly working and reworking the organizational alignment (staff, finances, facilities, communication and ministries) of the church so it doesn’t become a lid to growth.
5. Fill the Gap between Vision and Reality
Great executive pastors fill the gap between vision and reality. In other words, they’re strategic in nature. They think “how” are we going to get “there?” But they’re not negative about that “how.” They’re solution oriented.
6. Get Theological and Business Training
It takes a heart for theology and a head for business to be a great XP. If you’ve got more of a business background then get some solid theological training. If you got a theological background then go get your MBA.
7. The Church Isn’t a Business
The church isn’t a business. It has a clear mission from Jesus about why it exists, the best ones have clear vision regarding where they’re going, and they have strategies to align staff and other resources around. There are a lot of things that “smell” like a business in the church (after all the book of Proverbs in the Bible too), but it’s not a business. The church is the Body of Christ, it’s the family of God. The goal is not to make shareholders happy by having a strong bottom line, it’s life change.
This article originally appeared here.
