Each of us who serves as a pastoral leader is first a pastor. That may have gone without saying thirty years ago, when I was a young pastor, but these days the emphasis has shifted to leadership in most areas of life. The reason is simple: leadership is lacking in virtually every sphere of life: government, business, the church, and families. For all the talk about leadership these days, and all that’s written about it, finding leaders with character, competence, and the courage to lead is a challenge. The truth be told more churches are struggling because of a lack of leadership than a lack of pastoring.
But pastoring is an essential part of who we are and what we’re called to do. Yesterday after worship, Nancy and I were on our way to the funeral home to visit a family in the church who had lost an elderly parent. I got my phone of the console of my car, and saw I had a text message. It was from another member of the church whose 35 year-old nephew had died that morning of an apparent heart attack. While the family isn’t directly part of New Life, they consider me their pastor, so that was added to the list of visits. Nothing can make a situation like that better, but as pastoral leaders, it is our task and opportunity to care and be present in the name of Jesus.
While that is a dramatic example of the pastoral part of leadership, we have opportunities every day to show a shepherd’s heart whether we’re the only pastor on staff or lead a large staff. In my role as the lead pastor of a large and growing church family , my primary shepherding takes place toward the staff. While my leadership gifting is high and my mercy/ compassion gift low, my role calls me to encourage, challenge, pray for and with staff members. Sometimes that involves a casual word in passing. At other times it’s part of our structured staff development time. Im not naturally inclined to see when someone is down or struggling as many of you may be, but it is vital to our long-term health as a staff, and ultimately then, as a church family for me to be aware of the overall climate of the staff as well as the health of the individuals who make up the staff.
How are you doing at the pastoral part of leadership in your church? Are you aware of who’s hurting and who’s doing well? Do you take the time to encourage and correct both casually and intentionally? Whether that means doing so primarily with with your staff, or with the church family as a whole, everyone follows the leader, and it will always be true in the pastoral area. When people see you caring in Jesus’ name, regardless of your spiritual and natural gifting, they will take their cures from you and do the same. The pastoral role in leadership is essential in order to have a healthy and growing church family.
Here’s to leading better, by taking the time to be a pastor–today!