Leadership Development

In June and July of this year, I was able to have some incredible conversations with pastors over the phone or video-conferencing about their biggest challenges. The two topics that came up more often than any other were isolation and being overworked. Each points to an internal condition that makes shepherding God’s people difficult, indicating that an internal change would also need to be a solution to those challenges. That change only happens through the power of God, but the pastor may control some factors allowing that internal change to happen. Number three on the list appears to be an external factor, yet pastors may have more control in addressing this challenge than they think. It revolves around developing leaders in the church.

Not Enough People

The work is plentiful, but the workers are few. There are not enough people to get all the work done.

Basic tasks of the church are not getting done, much less outreach.

Volunteers have always fueled churches, no matter the size, whether it is a huge suburban church, a small rural church, or anything in between. The recent pandemic could be a factor.

Life after Covid is done a lot differently - it's harder to find volunteers. They can maybe help once a month if they are committed.

And it’s not just hard to find volunteers; it has also been a challenge to find paid staff!

We are even struggling to fill paid church positions. There just isn't a lot of interest.

Churches are sucking wind without a full staff.

Most pastors spoke about the urgency of finding people who can lead and move the church forward.

Where can we find more ministry workers? There is a need for a leadership pipeline.

Many of the pastors I spoke with are Lutheran and operate within Lutheran circles.

The Lutheran church worker pipeline is drying up.

The shortage is forcing these pastors to ask hard questions.

Can we replace retiring Lutheran teachers with non-Lutheran teachers? When are we not Lutheran anymore?

Servant-Minded People

In addition to fewer people to fill the needs, the church's people, whether paid or unpaid, seem to lack a servant-minded attitude.

Servant-oriented people and groups are disappearing. Larger churches need to go to paid staff to run programs.

Solid volunteer leadership is weakening.

It could be a reflection of the greater culture.

The great resignation has extended to churches, as well. People are not willing to sacrifice for the church.

Different generations within the church also seem to handle servant leadership differently.

The younger generation seems to pour into each other but not other ministries.

The lack of servant leadership leads to fewer people doing most of the work.

80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.

Management

The position of a pastor requires them to lead the church and inspire people on how and why to move in a particular direction. Leadership requires a balcony view to see the larger picture of what is needed and what is happening, but management skills to track the details are also a significant need for pastors and church leadership.

Staffing structures are hard to manage, and then it is hard to collaborate well.

There is a need for good management, no matter the size of the church.

In a big church, you have to manage the machine. In a small church, you have to be relational yet keep track of more details.

Volunteer leadership enables many programs to thrive, so the church is less active without those volunteers.

We need volunteers, but programs need to go away if we don't have the volunteers. If old programs don't die, new programs won't grow.

Pastors must care for the volunteers, often by caring for their staff.

I am struggling to find a new rhythm for volunteers while caring for the staff that is caring for volunteers.

Several pointed out that this was not something they learned in seminary.

Seminary teaches scripture, not how to manage people.

The seminary does not teach leadership or how to manage a staff.

Good management can balance grace and truth; truth to change the outcome and grace to change the heart.

There is a need for someone who can ask and say hard things.

Need to Equip

Instead of 20% of the people doing 80% of the work, we need to recognize how everyone can contribute to God’s glory using their gifts.

There needs to be leadership empowerment using the priesthood of all believers.

There is not a great divide between church skills and secular skills. All gifts are from God.

We have to translate secular skills to church work and let people use their corporate skills at church!

I often heard the word “equip” being used by pastors. They identified the need to see and empower people with different gifts, whether it was something they were ready to do or not.

Pastors often choose to be authoritative or equipping, but rarely both.

I have struggled to develop good leaders, so I resort to low expectations for people. I need to be more of an equipper.

Closing Thoughts

Leadership matters. There are countless books, programs, and conferences to encourage leadership because it is needed and powerful. Leadership development depends on the people following, but it starts with the person leading. When a pastor, or any leader, has the training, there is enormous growth potential. It begins with the leader.

The outside world has an idealized vision of pastors as professional theologians, but pastors need interpersonal, soft skills, and relational skills.

Pastors are thrust into different types of leadership, whether they are ready or not, and it can help to have someone walk alongside them to bring clarity and confidence to their leadership. If you want to learn how growth coaching can equip you with the tools you need to manage the complex responsibilities of being a leader of leaders, please Contact Us.