Our church growth studies at the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth have consistently shown that the most effective growing churches are led by pastors with a long tenure. Pastors who "stick with" a church through good times and bad gain a level of credibility and respect that allows them to challenge the church to take risks necessary for growth. The church that knows that their pastor will support them, love them, and still lead them even if they do not always achieve their goals will follow that pastor when he moves them toward growth.
However, as a consultant, you will often work with church leaders who are struggling with their leadership in a particular church. Indeed, you would likely not be involved with the church were it not facing some difficult issuesâ€â€issues that are almost always related to the one who leads the congregation. This leader's level of commitment to a long-term ministry at that churchâ€â€as well as the commitment of other leadersâ€â€will directly influence your work there.
Confronting personal issues
This is perhaps the most personal issue consultants face. Following are a few strategies to address this important question of commitment as you focus primarily on the church leaders and specifically on the pastor:
1. Up front, ask pastors about their commitment to the church. You cannot know the pastor's intentions until you ask. Because pastors contribute so heavily to the church's future, I ask them about their personal plans during my first interview. You likely will sense an uneasiness in answering this question if the pastor is already considering moving to another church.
2. Be aware of the pastor's ministry history. For example, if a pastor's track record shows that he routinely leaves a church after the fifth year, you may have reason to wonder about the pastor's plans if he is in his sixth year of ministry at his current church.
3. Ask pastors about their vision for the next five years at this church. If they have noneâ€â€or if their stated vision is only genericâ€â€they may believe that their remaining ministry with this congregation is only short-term.
4. Ask other staff members about their commitments to the church. Again, you will not know their willingness to stay until you ask them. As a consultant, do not be afraid to ask this tough question.
5. Ask staff members to describe their "ideal" job description. As you interview them, ask them to define their current job description and role. Then, ask them to describe their "ideal" job description if they could re-write it. Any significant gap between the two is room for discouragementâ€â€and sometimes a reason to begin looking elsewhere for ministry employment. Unhappy staff members are seldom ready to think long-term about the church.
6. Review the church's history of staffing. Under the leadership of the same pastor, suppose a church has lost three of its five full-time ministers in the last 18 monthsâ€â€all within their first three years of ministry there. Your role as a consultant is to determine the causes behind these departures, and then determine if a systemic problem exists. Something is likely happening when multiple staff members leave a church fairly soon after arriving.
7. Ask the pastor and staff to describe the "greatest" days in the church's history. If the church's greatest days are in the past, current staff will likely have a weak vision for the future. Ideally, a committed church leader will describe the church's greatest days as yet to come.
8. Listen closely during laity interviews for internal conflict in the church. Underlying conflict may prod pastors and staff members to consider leavingâ€â€even when they say otherwise. Though we might hope it isn't so, the same ministers who say they are committed to staying may already be talking to another church, especially when conflict exists.
9. Be aware that some leaders are committed to staying, but not to growth. Longer-term ministries are especially susceptible here. Once comfort and complacency set in, leaders will sometimes do what it takes to stayâ€â€including stifling growth that may threaten the church's current power brokers. This obstacle to growth is a difficult one to overcome.
10. Pray for wisdom. As noted previously, some leaders may struggle being truthful when confronted with questions about their plans. Others may genuinely be committed to staying, but they are nevertheless already dreaming about the next place to go. Ask God to give you discernment as you listen.
A final word
The goal of this series of articles has been to help consultants begin to analyze the overall health of a church. I pray that these articles have been beneficial to you as you consult with local churches.
Editor's Note: This article is the eighth and final in a series dealing with questions to ask when consulting with a church. Read the other articles:
Is the church a praying church?
Is the church driven by a Great Commission focus?
Is the church reaching non-believers?
Is the church keeping new members?
Is the church both locally and globally minded?
Does the church have a strategic plan for future growth?
Chuck Lawless, Ph.D., is Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth and Dean of the Billy Graham School at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of four books, including his latest, "Membership Matters : Insights from Effective Churches on New Member Classes and Assimilation." Dr. Lawless also consults with churches on church health and growth and is an instructor with Church Central's Church Consultant Training.
