June 2008
Leadership Development Ideas
Senior Pastor - View Yourself as a Coach
When you think about your pastoral responsiblities, we can imagine that teaching, preaching, studying, and caring for the needs of your congregation are high on the list. And if you are leading a smaller church, there are likely many other duties that can fill your day. We want to challenge you to think beyond these tasks, and start viewing yourself as a ministry "coach".
In our Murrow article this month, he highlights the importance of freeing up our senior pastors to really LEAD and learn how to delegate many aspects of ministry to layleaders. As the pastor, you need to courageously invest in godly men in your congregation and play the coach in their lives.
A coach generally earns the respect of his team players by leading out of his own experience and modeling the behavior he wants to see in his team. And given the nature of your coaching environment, more of your coaching will be "caught" than "taught." So for example, if you want your men in leadership to place a high value on family time, you may need to model saying "No" to a ministry opportunity in order to say "Yes" to participating in a family event.
Coaching also means that you are willing to delegate responsibility and allow your layleaders to do things according to their giftedness, which may be different than yours. Find ways to encourage your leaders, allowing them the freedom to do things their way, affirming their gifts and advising on ways they can grow. Don't be afraid to let go and let others serve. You do not need to be the lone ranger.
When it comes to men's ministry, Men's Ministry Catalyst can be a great resource for helping you develop your men.
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