What type of revitalization pastor are you?
As a student pastor and member of a small church in Elmore County, I had the opportunity to serve on the church’s pastor search committee. It was a new experience for me, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about the process. The chairman of the committee was a retired teacher who had also spent most of his life as a bi-vocational pastor. In one of our early meetings he drew a diagram on the whiteboard to show us that every pastor has a set of skills that fall into three categories: preaching, administration, and care. Pastors may have skills in all three areas, but usually there is an area in which the pastor is strong and an area in which he is weak.
Paul told the church in Ephesus something similar in Ephesians 4.
[11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (ESV)
Pastors have differing skillsets and churches need different types of equipping in the various seasons of their life. There has been some exploration into these various types of pastors as they relate to church revitalization, but these studies have mostly focused on the more dominant versions of these pastors. Leading revitalization requires a certain degree of confident, competent leadership. In a later post, we will explore how each of these pastoral types can lead in revitalization. Today, I wanted to simply introduce them to you.
Visionary Leader - Leading from the Pulpit
In many cases, this pastor is strongest in preaching. His sermons are inspirational and he uses them to lead the church toward godliness and health. This type of pastor is gifted in his ability to envision and plan for the future of the church. This pastor is driven and determined. He can be stubborn and thick-skinned which can be helpful in leading reluctant church members to make the changes necessary to experience revitalization. If this pastor’s weakness is shepherding, he may tend to see some people in the church as obstacles to overcome instead of people to care for. If this pastor’s weakness is administration, he may be tempted to take too much on himself because it is easier for him to do than it is for him to create the structure necessary to get things done. In either situation, this pastor may alienate people and find himself alone and burning out if he does not intentionally surround himself with differently-gifted leaders.
Shepherd - Leading from the Living Room
The shepherding pastor has a passion for caring for the people of the church. He thrives in living rooms and waiting rooms as he ministers to individuals and families during their times of need. This pastor knows his congregation and they are confident that he loves them. This pastor invests his time and energy into building relationships with the members of the church and their families. The shepherding gift can blind this type of pastor to the challenges that a declining church may face. Because of his love and concern for every member, this pastor may not be willing to lead the church to make changes that might make people uncomfortable. Without a balancing presence, the shepherd can become a type of hospice pastor to a declining church who simply keeps the members comfortable until the church dies.
Equipper - Leading from the Conference Room
The equipping pastor is a master of administration. He understands how to organize people and can lean into a committee/team structure in a church. He has the uncanny ability to get the right people in the right seat and enjoys watching the system work. This pastor has developed a system and trusts that the church will run smoothly as long as the members are invested in the system. He leads the church by leading the committees and teams. There is a constant temptation to this pastor to become focused on maintaining the machine at the expense of vision. The declining church might become so obsessed with maintaining the structure that it neglects the mission to make disciples. If this pastor is also strong in shepherding the church could suffer from a lack of vision or be held hostage by other visionary leaders on key committees who are working to serve their own agendas.
Over the coming weeks, we will explore each of these pastoral types with the goal of equipping each type of pastor to lead revitalization from their strength. Every pastor can intentionally lead their church to health and revitalization. God sovereignly equips pastors and places them in churches in which they can glorify Him. It is our job to understand who we are, understand who are churches are, and to leverage that understanding to lead well.