One of the most painful aspects of the post-pandemic church has been its numerical contraction. Attendance is down across the board. And with that, giving is down across the board.

Let’s be honest. Most of us don’t love staff meetings. They are often boring, too long, and sometimes even irrelevant. And yet, we all know that staff meetings are a must if our teams are going to have any chance of staying on the same page.

Thirty-eight years ago this month I was installed as senior pastor at Fellowship Missionary Church. The church was a small plant and met in a YMCA. And I was as green as grass!

I have worked with scores of board members during my 30+ years of pastoral leadership.  In the early years, they were deacons who represented a particular area of ministry (missions, facility, finance, etc.). Later on, when we added staff to oversee those ministries, we moved to an elder board.

We’ve all heard of “worship wars” in the church.  They’re usually about musical styles – those who want contemporary music vs. those that prefer the traditional. They can be contentious and divisive. But perhaps even more costly to the life of a church are the “worship wars” that often take place between the senior pastor and the worship leader. 

It happens in every church and it impacts every leader.  A long-time volunteer tells you he needs a break and wants to step down. Your most dependable leader in the nursery says she’s interested in moving to another ministry area. A faithful worker quits without any explanation.

In reflecting back on nearly forty years in the pulpit, I am painfully aware that there were many things I got wrong.  Everything from preaching what was trendy to pleasing special interest groups. Or the occasions when I allowed my desire to be seen as “deep” overtake the need to be heard as “practical.” But I got a few things right.  Here are some that come to mind:

In a recent coaching group I asked the participants what topics they’d like to discuss.  While there was much interest in addressing major themes such as casting a compelling vision and leading cultural change, there were also requests for the more mundane yet essential subjects.  Things like hiring/firing, staff reviews, working with a board, and budgeting.

In my three-and-a half decades of pastoral leadership, I was blessed to witness a church grow from 50 to 2300.  While in the early days I was able to lead the church with a staff of one (me!), it wasn’t long before I discovered that the demands and responsibilities of a growing church had moved beyond my capacity. That meant hiring staff. 

One of the ongoing challenges of being a pastor is the never-ending demand of preaching.  Though in my 3 ½ decades of church leadership I never tired of the privilege of preaching, I found myself all too often struggling with the responsibilities of preaching.

After 40 years of pastoral ministry, I’ve come to see that these two realities are inevitable: 1. People will leave the church. 2. It will hurt when they leave.

Okay, you are a pastor.  That’s your title.  But what is your job? 

My guess is that you were given an official job description when you were hired.  It details what the expectations are of you and to whom you are responsible. But, at the end of the day…in a sentence…what are you supposed to be doing?  What you are you to be about?