tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post2754809534809552789..comments2024-03-28T03:25:49.943-04:00Comments on Common Denominator: When a pastor should change churches...Ken Schenckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09745548537303356655noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-14925232058442075472012-03-19T12:37:44.721-04:002012-03-19T12:37:44.721-04:00Well said!Well said!Ken Schenckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745548537303356655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-46805180794135093962012-03-19T12:36:40.936-04:002012-03-19T12:36:40.936-04:00What I’m suggesting is that the board has a very s...What I’m suggesting is that the board has a very significant role in providing leadership for a church. I’m wondering why we don’t evaluate the board’s role in the leadership process. It seems that we always assume that the board is functioning perfectly and if there is a problem in providing leadership to the church, then the pastor is the problem.<br /><br />So could we restate your four questions and use them to consider the board’s leadership performance?<br /><br />1. Do the members of the congregation and the pastor have confidence in the board?<br /><br />2. Have we, as a board, been watching significant numbers of key people, even leaders go to other churches and might it be helpful to know if their frustration with us was part of it?<br /><br />3. Do we as a board have a vision for our church?<br /><br />4. If the trajectory of the church is making us nervous, has the board contributed to the decline? Do the congregation and the pastor have confidence that we can reverse the trend?<br /><br />I’m entirely supportive of lay leaders and their significant involvement in the church. At the same time shouldn’t their leadership be evaluated at least as rigorously as the pastor’s?JRSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-11804039680899941092012-03-19T10:40:56.263-04:002012-03-19T10:40:56.263-04:00Yes, I framed it from the perspective of a pastor....Yes, I framed it from the perspective of a pastor. It seems to me the principles are similar if we are talking about a church or board, even district superintendent trying to decide whether a pastor's time should be up.<br /><br />For example, a board might ask questions like:<br /><br />1. Do we and the members of the congregation have confidence in this pastor (nice to know this before a recall vote makes it obvious ;-)?<br /><br />2. Have we been watching significant numbers of key people, even leaders go to other churches (and it might be worth a heart to heart to know if frustration with the pastor was part of it)?<br /><br />3. Do we even know what the pastor's vision is for our church? Do we agree with it?<br /><br />4. Is the trajectory of the church in question right now? Making us nervous? Has the pastor contributed to the decline? Do we have any confidence that the pastor can change in ways that would reverse the trend?Ken Schenckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745548537303356655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-58729901819773691262012-03-19T10:04:59.611-04:002012-03-19T10:04:59.611-04:00It’s interesting that you frame this discussion as...It’s interesting that you frame this discussion as though the pastor’s behavior is the key determining factor. That’s not to diminish the importance of pastors; however in Wesleyan churches lay leaders carry significant responsibility for moving the church forward.<br /><br />How do you account for lay responsibility in the areas you mentioned?JRSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-50253880725597629952012-03-18T17:22:50.682-04:002012-03-18T17:22:50.682-04:00Sad but true: Or the pastor may do something incre...Sad but true: Or the pastor may do something incredibly stupid (I.e. major sin/moral failure - adultery, embezzling, etc.). There is a chance he/she could return someday, but a major reconciliation, restoration, and rebuilding process must happen for the pastor and for the church who must now heal.<br /><br />Jeff BradyJeff Bradyhttp://www.trialsofjoy.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355052.post-69073291856005793182012-03-18T16:48:19.472-04:002012-03-18T16:48:19.472-04:00Some leaders can lose the confidence of the majori...Some leaders can lose the confidence of the majority of their people, but have so cut themselves off they don't know it... these are the leaders who get bushwhacked some day by their board and wonder how it happened... it happened over time but they had no back channel of knowing they were losing confience all along. These are messy exits and the church or institution often loses lots of good people in the leader's last days.Keith Druryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058949281404407630noreply@blogger.com