I’ve been blessed to work with several pastoral staffs, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. In fact, I’m almost finished with an interim pastorate—and I’ve so learned to love and trust the other pastors that Pam and I have joined the church. Here are some of the Christmas gifts I’d love to give to all other pastoral staffs:
- Fun together. The best pastoral relationships I’ve seen are pastors who actually enjoy being together. They have a good time when they just hang out.
- Much laughter. There’s nothing quite like a group of God-called pastors laughing together in the course of their daily work. It’s a true blessing when you’re that comfortable with each other.
- Genuine support from their senior leader. In my experience, that kind of support means interest . . . and friendship . . . and time . . . and prayer. It means the senior leader stands with the staff, guards them, and helps them grow.
- Genuine support for each other. Rivalry and deceit tear up a pastoral team; on the other hand, genuine “I’ve got your back” support for each other is sweet indeed. Nobody on a pastoral team should feel like he’s alone on the journey.
- Training opportunities. I admit my bias as a trainer/educator, but I believe a call to ministry is a call to keep growing. The happiest pastoral staffs I’ve seen have the church’s support for further training and education.
- Ongoing prayer times. That is, I’d like to give pastoral staffs regular times when they pray together—not simply because that’s what they’re supposed to do, but because they seriously recognize their need for God’s help together.
- A God-sized vision. When the pastoral staff works toward a united, clear vision that necessitates God’s intervention and help, they fight harder for unity. They don’t allow pettiness to get in the way of the task.
- Gratitude for each other. Pastoral staffs that work well together view each other as a gift to the team. They know they’re individually better because they share the work together.
What would you want to give to pastoral teams? If you want to learn more about church staffs, check out these “6 Posts about Church Staffs.”
Editor’s note: This article was originally published at chucklawless.com.
MDiv Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
The Preaching and Pastoral Ministry track prepares students for pastoral ministry in the local church with a special emphasis on expository preaching.
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