Pastors encouraged to be shepherds rather than executives_122203

Posted: 12/19/03

Pastors encouraged to be shepherds rather than executives

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

The pastor is no longer the chief executive officer of the church, but a minister who serves as the shepherd of his members, gathering them and moving with them toward a goal, according to Texas Baptist leadership experts.

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Posted: 12/19/03

Pastors encouraged to be shepherds rather than executives

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

The pastor is no longer the chief executive officer of the church, but a minister who serves as the shepherd of his members, gathering them and moving with them toward a goal, according to Texas Baptist leadership experts.

Gone are the days of the administrative pastor who hands down orders that his staff and membership carry out, argued Bob Cavin, director of Texas Baptist Leadership Center, and Lewis Timberlake, a leadership consultant who works primarily in the business realm.

While the CEO style of pastoral leadership is needed in some situations, it can easily get a pastor fired, Cavin noted. The average tenure of a Baptist pastor is notoriously short, and about 95 percent of terminations are due to leadership issues.

“Often the issue is people running over people,” Cavin said. “It's the pastors not bringing people along with them.”

Following a trend that is happening in the business world, church leadership is slowly moving toward a team-management and consensus-building style, said Timberlake, a deacon at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin whose clients have included AT&T, American Airlines and McLane Group.

People are accustomed to having input in work-related decisions and want the same in their church life, Timberlake said. Members want to share their passions and ideas for the church. They want to be consulted. Therefore, ministers must work by influencing the congregation, not telling them what to do.

By trying to build agreement, a pastor ensures congregational support for his efforts and knows when the church is not prepared to take a particular action, Cavin and Timberlake said.

“The church has got to get back to the type of leadership that reaches out and brings people in,” Timberlake added.

The process helps leaders gain the trust of the congregation, Cavin added. Members will see their pastor cares about their concerns and will know their leader has their best interests in mind.

This style of servant leadership does not mean a minister is weak in his beliefs or stances, Cavin said. To the contrary, ministers can survive taking a stand on an issue because they have built the trust of the congregation.

The duo believes the servant model follows the example Jesus set. Christ chose his words and actions carefully, moving the disciples along as he could. But when appropriate, he took a stand.

“Jesus was a strong leader,” Cavin said. “There were times he was very decisive in his action.”

This style of management relies heavily on personal relations skills, Timberlake added. Leadership is mostly communication, especially non-verbal. It relies on a consistent example of being a Christian shepherd.

Timberlake encouraged pastors to ponder this: “What are you preaching outside the pulpit?”

Not everyone is born with the gifts that lend to this style, Timberlake acknowledged. But he insisted the skills can be learned.

In January, the Texas Baptist Leadership Center will launch a program Timberlake tailored for church leaders. The 16-hour curriculum will include personality profiling and concrete pointers on how to improve leadership skills.

For more information, contact Texas Baptist Leadership Center at [email protected] or (888) 447-5143.

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