Clarifying the Pastor's Role
Larry Osborne
For the sake of an effective and growing ministry, I needed to function as an initiating leader.
—Larry Osborne
Navigating my way through unfamiliar streets, my thoughts darted between the task at hand—finding a pancake house at the edge of town—and the opportunities ahead of me as the new pastor of a small, Southern California church.
After eight years as a youth pastor and assistant pastor, I was excited by the challenge. As I pulled my Toyota into the restaurant's parking lot, I was full of ideas, energy, and enthusiasm. The chairman of our board had been in Europe while I candidated and was called, but at this pancake house we finally would have the chance to get acquainted.
After initial pleasantries, the chairman asked me what I had in mind for the church. For thirty minutes, I shared my dreams and vision.
When I finished, he leaned across the table. "Son," he said, "don't get too many fancy ideas. You just preach and pray. We'll run the church. And don't dig your roots too deep, either, because it's a good idea to move on every three or four years."
I was stunned. Based on the interviewing process, I'd assumed people were looking to me to set the direction for our ministry. But it was painfully obvious that as far as he was concerned, I was an employee, not a leader. And something told me his opinions weren't to be taken lightly. Maybe it was the three offices he held: board chairman, treasurer, and finance elder.
What's my role?
Driving home, I knew we had a serious problem. Each of us saw himself as occupying the same role, the initiating leader.
Many, if not most, leadership teams experience such role confusion at one time or another, particularly when there's a new group of lay leaders or a new pastor has been brought ...
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