11 Things Your Pastor Needs From You

If you are a Senior or Lead Pastor -- tune me out. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to your team.

I'm talking to staff pastors and directors. I'm talking to anyone on a team at a church. I'm talking to those of you who give significant time at your church, even if it is unpaid. I'm talking to key volunteers and high capacity leaders.

The role of Senior Pastor is a really hard job. Do you want to make it a bit easier? If I could sit down with your pastor and ask, “What do you need from the men and women on your team?" -- I’m fairly confident I know what they would say.

Here are 11 things your pastor needs you to be…

A Momentum-Increaser

This deals mostly with attitude – don’t make your pastor be the only one pulling up the energy and attitude level of the rest of the team. Bring the energy. Everywhere you go, take your fun with you and help bump up the momentum.

A Values-Champion

No one should live out the values more than you do. Whatever your team or your church has decided are the important values of the church—live those out! But don't just live them out—also be a champion of the values.

A Silo-Destroyer

We’ve all seen churches built through silos. Every ministry has its’ own purpose and vision, and none of it connects to the overall vision of the church. It’s like a federation of little sub-ministries all living under the same roof. The youth ministry does its’ thing and has its’ own mission, the women’s ministry does also, the prayer ministry is off doing their thing, and the choir? Everyone knows you don’t mess with the choir.

A good staff member is acutely aware of silos and is out to destroy them, to bring everything back to the overall focus and mission of the church. Be a Silo-Sniffer and Silo-Destroyer!

A Straight-Talker

You don’t do triangle conversations where you talk to Joe about Bill’s problems, hoping that Joe will tell Bill how disappointed you are. You don’t play those middle-school games. You talk straight, tackling issues when they arise, treating people like adults. You refuse to participate in gossip or slander or put-downs—even or especially about someone you don’t care for.

A Generous-Giver

Jesus told us that where our money goes is a direct reflection of our heart. If you are on staff at a church and you don’t give also give to that church, the Bible calls you a hireling. Nothing wrong with hirelings—but don’t think anyone is fooled that you are committed. It’s just a job.

Your pastor wants staff members who love the mission of the church, who give to the church, and who can’t wait to see what’s going to happen through the ministry of the congregation.

An Innovative-Thinker

Your boss/leader wants you to be solution-oriented. Don’t just come with problems—but also solutions. He/she wants staff members who hear about budget cuts or staff cuts and says, “No problem, we’ll figure out a different way to do this.”

The most creative ideas are born through adversity. Some of the greatest ideas in ministry have come when we haven’t had enough staff, and haven’t been able to buy all the stuff we needed, and we haven’t had money to fly here or go there to learn from another church—we’ve just had to figure it out with limited resources. That’s when you have to rely on God and be creative!

A Loyal-Friend

I’m not saying you are best friends with your leader, or that you chest bump at the end of the football game, but he/she needs to know you are “for” him/her. If put in a corner, you would defend him.

This can’t be a deal where you are an employee and he (or she) is the boss. This is the church, our cause is too important, he needs the sense that you’d sign up again to work for him.

A Back-Protector

Always assume the best of everyone on your team! When accusations are flying, believe in your team. That doesn't mean you don't have legitimate accusations investigated, but it does mean you appropriately protect each other until you have solid reason to believe otherwise.

An Integrity-Keeper

Be someone who still walks the walk when no one else is looking. Your personal choices are bigger than you. They affect your kids, your family, and they can take your entire church down.

Your leader doesn’t need you to be perfect, but they need you to live an authentic life of integrity. If you need to take some time off to work on something, for goodness sake, ask for the time off...before you make a choice that will cripple the entire church.

A Faithful Spouse and Available Parent

The strength of your ministry and leadership comes from your strength at home. You do no one any good if you work at the church all the time while your marriage is crumbling and your kids are being ignored.

Don’t believe the lie that you can trade quantity time for quality time. Quality time never comes without quantity time. You have to spend hours upon hours with your kids if you hope for occasional, spontaneous, moments of heart-to-heart connection.

A Lifelong-Learner

This doesn't mean you have to love reading 400-page books or getting advanced degrees. Whatever your learning style, never stop learning. This might be books, podcasts, or picking the brains of others who know more and have more experience than you.

Do you want to impress your boss? Every time you meet, tell him or her what you are learning.

Listen...I know there are some bad leaders out there. I know some of you have worked for a self-absorbed, narcissistic, manipulative pastor, and that experience (i.e. baggage) makes you want to color every leader the same way. Yeah, me too. 

But I've been in this work for nearly 40 years. And for every bad leader, there are so many who have pure motives, who are doing everything they can to meet the needs in their congregation and reach more in their communities. They will be the first to tell you they aren't perfect. But they are trying to bring their best. And they need you to bring your best. They may not deserve your support, but they need it.

We can do better -- let's support our pastors!

Tim

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