This is a guest post by Ryan Gordon of Creative Worshiper.
Every leader carries a significant amount of responsibility on their shoulders.
There is pressure to meet tight deadlines and successfully deliver on projects. Leaders provide direction and vision for those they lead. They push boundaries and always look at how current processes can be improved.
While church leaders are busy managing that list of responsibilities, they are also charged with the task of loving and shepherding their church.
Some say the most important responsibility of pastors and leaders is to serve those they are over.
But I disagree.
The most important role of any pastor or leader is to serve those they are under.
Every senior pastor has a vision for their church. There’s a drive, a passion, and a direction they feel God is taking them. They don’t simply want butts in the seats – they want changed lives.
In ministry it is absolutely essential to own your senior pastor’s vision.
It’s easy to have vision and direction for your own ministry and mistake it as a substitute for your senior pastor’s vision.
This has been a difficult lesson for me to learn. I’ve realized that anytime I work outside my pastor’s vision, I remove myself from his covering and authority. Not only is it dishonoring to him, but it is dishonoring to God.
Knowing the vision isn’t enough. You have to live it, breathe it, embrace it, and meditate on it often.
Here are 5 tips for serving your senior pastor’s vision:
1. Read it
Plaster it all over your desk. Use it for your computer’s wallpaper. Tattoo it on your forehead.In order for it to really take root in who you are and what you do, you have to engage yourself with it often.
2. Tell others about it
Doing so will remind you and those around you that there is a reason for what you do. Share it with other leaders. Share it with your team. Talk about it with your coworkers and staff. Doing so will help you submit to and work within your pastor’s vision.
3. Know the mission
Vision provides a destination and an end goal, but mission provides clarity for that vision. It gives direction for how to reach it and assists with every decision-making process. If you don’t know the mission, you can’t assess if what you’re doing is in line with the vision.
4. Put it into practice
In your area of ministry, strategically engage your workflow with the vision. Focus your activities around it. Use the mission to drive every plan of action and ensure that what you do daily, weekly, and monthly line up with your pastor’s vision.
5. Cut the Fat
When your vision drives your ministry, you can easily fall prey to building your own kingdom. Take an honest assessment of your ministry and ask yourself, “What needs to go?” Chances are there are things you’re doing that aren’t serving your pastor’s vision. Cut those things and implement new and fresh ideas that do.
Question: In what ways are you serving your senior pastor’s vision? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Our church is very missional and we just met and talked about the impact of the music as being missional. Making sure the lyrics are “understandable” and it doesn’t feel as though there is some “insider” language we are speaking. This week while listening to the set list, my daughter asked me what “Adonai” means. If she is asking that question, chances are a visitor or new believer may not know that as well. As a missional church, we can take that opportunity to display on through media a verse or “factoid” visually to teach a name of God.
Hey Rebekah! I love all the different names of God in the Old Testament. You may be right in that some people may not know what they mean, but I would suggest using those moments as a teaching opportunity during the worship service. Provide some clarity to the name Adonai and maybe share another name or two and their meanings. Then challenge your congregation to go deeper in their worship.
It can go a long way to remind people that they aren’t worshiping a docile or stagnant God. He’s personal. He’s our healer, redeemer, shield, and the list goes on and on. This can be a great way to walk with people on their faith journey through the worship experience.
This is great stuff. Really, really good. I say this as the third level deputy assistant associate under-pastor, who is probably guilty of this more often than I’d like to admit.
I must say, that title is pretty amazing 🙂
I live in DC, so in government you’ve got Secretaries running departments (like Secretary of Defense). Then there’s Deputy Secretaries, Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Deputy Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Under Secretaries, and Deputy Under Secretaries. Seriously, those are all real titles. So it’s really a play on that 🙂
Thanks, Will! You’re not alone on this one – I think we’re all guilty of failing to submit to our Pastor’s vision at some point.
As a “third level deputy assistant associate under-pastor” are there any tips you would’ve added to this list?
Maybe something like “Support Publicly, Disagree Privately.” It’s okay to disagree. In fact, if you do disagree, you need to say it. (See Ben Reed’s post http://www.benreed.net/index.php/2011/09/22/6-reasons-a-yes-man-will-demolish-your-vision/). But you need to express your disagreement in private. Outside the room, you have to be the biggest champion.
Awesome point, Will. I’ve heard Andy Stanley say we should be a “raving fan publicly and an honest critic privately”. That’s such an important lesson for staff pastors. Thanks for sharing!
That’s probably where I got it from. I’d like to think all of my leadership ideas don’t originate with Andy, but it’s probably just not true.
Great post!