Staff Your Church for Growth

L. McIntosh Gary

Description

Why, when, and how should a church add to its professional staff? Here is a practical manual dealing with the issues of hiring and utilizing multiple staff positions to encourage church growth.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2000
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781585582068
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

© 2000 by Gary L. McIntosh
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2011
Ebook corrections 09.30.2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-5855-8206-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified LB are from The Living Bible © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
To Dr. Peter and Doris Wagner for your sensitivity to the way the Holy Spirit is leading churches to grow in the twenty-first century
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Epigraph
1. No Longer the Lone Ranger
2. Staffing for Growth
3. Adding Team Members
4. Recruiting Staff
5. Appreciating Team Roles
6. Teaming Together
7. Nurturing a Healthy Staff
8. Motivating a Superior Staff
9. Discipling Up
10. Managing Staff Conflicts
11. Leading an Elite Team
12. Defining the Future
Notes
Resources
Services Available
About the Author
Also by Gary L. McIntosh
Back Cover
Special thanks to Tammy Felix and Megan Gibson my administrative assistants at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
CHAPTER ONE

No Longer the Lone Ranger
Jesus invested everything he had in a team. The Bible knows nothing of solo ministry, only team ministry.
Leonard Sweet
“I can’t handle this ministry much longer,” Mike Baines commented to a group of pastors at his denomination’s monthly pastors’ meeting.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” replied Bill Duggan, who had just recently retired after forty-three years of pastoring.
“What I mean,” Mike continued, “is that people in my church expect too much of me. I’m only one person, but they seem to think I possess all the spiritual gifts.”
“People have always had high expectations of pastors,” Bill agreed. “I remember that my first church demanded I visit all the members in their homes each year. It took a lot of my time but I got busy and visited everyone within six months. Once I was done, the people pretty much left me alone to minister the Word on Sunday mornings.”
“You must have pastored during a much simpler time.” Mike sighed. “Your church members all had similar expectations, but my people all have different expectations. I’ve got nearly four hundred people attending worship every Sunday morning and I’d guess they all have a different set of desires for their church and for me. There’s no way I can meet all their needs.”
“Why don’t you focus on developing your lay leadership?” Bill suggested. “When I was pastoring back in the late ’50s, quite a number of people volunteered their time to help out. I couldn’t have done it either if those people hadn’t given time to serve the church.”
“I do have a large number of people helping out,” Mike said. “In fact if it weren’t for them, I’d probably have resigned two years ago. Unfortunately there are just not enough people willing to help these days. My church consists predominantly of two-income families and a good number of singles. Most of them can give only about three hours a week to church activities other than on Sunday morning. That’s not much time when you think about it. My people desire to serve yet they are just too busy to donate much time to the church.”
“It’s a shame people aren’t loyal to their church anymore. When I first began pastoring,” Bill reminisced, “church members saw it as their duty to serve their church.”
“I know,” Mike nodded in agreement, “but people aren’t as loyal anymore and loss of loyalty means fewer volunteers for church ministry. Yet I don’t think the loss of loyalty is the total problem. My church has grown so large that I need fulltime help rather than volunteers who are able to give only a few hours a week to ministry.”
“Have you thought about hiring an assistant pastor?” Bill asked. “I pastored a church about the same size as yours and we hired a youth pastor to give me some help.”
“The board is considering that right now. The question is what position should we fill? Some of the people want us to call a youth pastor, but others think we need a pastor of administration. Still others want us to add a children’s director. It just all seems so complicated. I’m not even sure we’re ready for another pastoral staff person.”
“I’d think that having another staff person or a team to work with would be just what you need,” Bill said.
“Yes, I guess it makes sense. But, to be perfectly open, I’m a little afraid of having a multiple staff. When I was in seminary I served part-time on a church staff that experienced lots of conflict. It wasn’t a pretty picture. I’m not sure I understand how to build a healthy staff.”
“I guess I can’t advise you on that,” Bill confessed. “In many ways I’m glad I’m not pastoring anymore. Church ministry has become more complex over the years.”
“Yes,” Mike agreed. “I feel like it’s me against the world, sort of like the Lone Ranger. That’s it! I feel like I’m a lone ranger pastor. Maybe that’s why I’m so frustrated.”
Mike and Bill’s conversation is, of course, fictitious; however, similar discussions can be overheard today in numerous churches that are seeking to minister effectively in the twenty-first century. The questions and issues raised are ones I have personally encountered in Roanoke, Virginia; Jackson, Mississippi; Kalispell, Montana; Merritt Island, Florida; Mt. Vernon, Washington; and Longmont, Colorado. Countless early morning breakfasts, afternoon lunches, and late night discussions have revealed several concerns of many church leaders and pastors. They are asking questions such as:
Does our church need a multiple pastoral staff?
Are there keys to building an effective team ministry?
How do different pastoral roles fit together?
What are the functions of senior and associate staffs?
Is there a good process for adding team members?
What staff position should be added first? second? third?
What are the legitimate needs of staff members?
Is there a way to nurture a staff that builds longevity?
How do we deal with staff problems?
Is there a way to motivate a superior staff ?
What is the best way to staff a church so that it grows?
Historically church leaders had little need to ask these questions. Throughout most of church history few churches were large enough to have multiple church staffs. Only since the Industrial Age of the 1800s have enough people been clustered in cities to produce churches large enough to need more than one pastor. Even then, multiple staffing did not become a known phenomenon until the 1950s, when the growing complexity of the so-called Information Age sprang on the church, increasing mobility, diversity, and technology. However, today approximately one-half of all churches in the United States have some form of multiple staff. A church may have a small staff of two pastors or a larger team of a dozen or more. As a result, an increasing number of pastors and church leaders need to know how to minister through multiple staff.
Why Multiple Staff
Once upon a time a single person could effectively pastor a church. As Mike and Bill discussed, it is not as easy in today’s church environment. There are several reasons why multiple staff are necessary in churches today.
No One Has All the Gifts
Depending on whom you read, there are fifteen or more spiritual gifts listed in the Bible. Some students of the Bible believe that the actual number of spiritual gifts is unlimited, so it stands to reason that no one person, no matter how gifted, has all the gifts. While most accept this truth in their head, church members may continue to hold an emotional fantasy that their pastor (or pastors) possesses all the gifts. The truth is, however, that only one person has all the gifts and that is Jesus Christ himself. Once leaders come to grips with the fact that pastors are not gifted in every area, it becomes quite obvious that additional staff are needed.
The Loss of Volunteers
One might contend that all the necessary gifts to build a church are present in the people. God has gifted each person and, to the extent each person is empowered to use his gifts, the church will grow. Unfortunately the lifestyle of most people today reduces their time for volunteer ministry. The emergence of the two-income family, the growing number of women pursuing careers, and a commuter constituency, among other lifestyle changes, have diminished the number of hours the typical church member can devote to volunteer service.
The Change of Roles from Generalist to Specialist
Gone are the days when a pastor could focus on a simple homogeneous family church and offer a ministry package of one worship service, men’s and women’s programs, youth and children’s programs, a foreign missions group, and Sunday school. Today’s heterogeneous mix, consisting of blended families, married couples, singles, and formerly married singles, as well as ethnic diversity—with everyone wanting her preference in programming, worship style, and preaching approach—demonstrates quite well the growing complexity of ministry.
The obvious increasing complexity of our world makes it nearly impossible for a single pastor to deal with all the issues and needs of the people. Just as