Call it what you will, (Associate Pastor, Executive Pastor, Overseer of Ministries, etc), our church needs an X Pastor. Here’s why:
- We are growing but constantly hit a plateau and have to do it all over again
- There are people and ministries that need supervision and oversight that I cannot provide
- Our systems are overtaxed
- I am overtaxed
- There are communication gaps
- Some of our ministries are non-integrated and work in isolation
- Some of our workers are beginning to show signs of non-integration
- Our small groups need direct support & oversight
- I am bogging down in details
- We are not as effective as we could be
- The way we currently operate is outdated – it worked well at the 300 level but not so well at the 500 level
- We have simply outgrown our current structure
- It is time (long overdue) for my role and duties at PCC to change
- And more...
What is an Executive Pastor and how is it different from the Senior Pastor?
An X Pastor is different from the Senior Pastor in that he gives more immediate oversight to the organization and all its operations – planning, directing, allocation of resources, and evaluating the ministries of the church – freeing up the senior pastor to preach, teach, and shepherd the flock more effectively. An X Pastor is the human nerve-center for everything – staffing, development, coordinating, job descriptions, hiring & firing, and oversight of all ministries in the church. He ensures that things get done, that communication takes place, that unity is maintained, and that faithfulness to the vision is maintained. Most immediately, he relates directly to the staff (paid and unpaid), department heads, and volunteers as the central hub that all their spokes fit into. In other words, he is the “single point of contact.”
3 comments:
Ron,
As I'm sure others thought, I thought Gene was the X Pastor. If he is not the X Paster what is his title and responsibilities?
Louie
Gene is our Administrative Pastor/Overseer (some churches call this a Business Manager or Business Administrator). He is primarily responsible for the business and legal side of the church, such as compliance with state and federal laws for non-profit organizations, insurance, reporting to the Internal Revenue Service, risk management, keeping of minutes, finance, accounts receivable & accounts payable, workers compensation, facilities management, information technology, etc). Very complicated stuff and a full load by itself. In addition, he works in three ministry areas and also oversees our First Impressions Ministry. On top of that, any other assigned tasks.
An X Pastor, on the other hand, has a broader scope of responsibility as an overseer, directly supervising ALL the day-to-day operations and ministries of a church. Typically, everyone (except the Senior Pastor) reports to the X Pastor. The X Pastor in turn reports to the Senior Pastor. Under this model, the X Pastor is “running the ship” freeing up the Senior Pastor for teaching and shepherding.
Since we don’t have an X Pastor right now, a lot of those duties are shared by both Gene and myself on top of our regular load. As such, we are both spread too thin, which leaves both of us less effective (in our main areas) than we could otherwise be. Our church has simply outgrown this model.
Ron,
Thanks for enlightening me on the difference between the Administrative Pastor and the Executive Pastor. I agree that you both are spread very thin. I will be praying that God sends the right person to PCC to fill this very important position. By the way I am very much enjoying this new series on Future Shock.
Louie
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