Pastoral Priorities

I borrowed much of this from a friend who shared this in his first newsletter after a new appointment as Senior Pastor of a local church. I think there is much wisdom here for pastors and churches.

1. Worship and preaching must be my first priority. I cannot sacrifice my time for planning and preparation for secondary demands that bid for my time. A worship service that is alive and eventful is central to all we do.

2. Leadership is my second priority, both in terms of being a leader and developing leaders. Understand that leaders are supposed to lead, not just facilitate, coordinate, or enable. I will accept the privilege, responsibility, and accountability of leadership.

3. Pastoral care is my third priority. Teaching, visitation, prayer, counseling, writing, telephoning, being present with you in your daily joys and sorrows—all this assures that ministry for me remains people-centered rather than activity-centered.

4. I am committed to moving forward. Churches have the tendency to develop a “maintenance” posture, dealing only with their problems rather than opportunities. I will not settle for the status quo. I will encourage you to pioneer new areas, to take creative leaps of faith, and not to be bound by the problems of the past.

5. I am committed to speaking the truth in love, without compromising one for another. I will not back off difficult issues. I will try to be clear about where I stand and what I believe. But I will seek to do everything in love and respect for you, and welcome your dialogue.

6. I will learn to use you in the ministry of this church. Delegation and leadership development have been hard for me to learn, yet I realize many pastors end up spinning wheels on matters they have no business or expertise in doing. My job is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” and not try to do it all myself.

7. I will be a servant to your spiritual needs, but not a slave to your whims and prejudices. I am learning that I cannot be everything to everybody.

8. I value quality and quantity. I want us to do all things well, yet to be a faithful church, we must unapologetically always reach beyond ourselves. Growth is a key factor by which we must measure the effectiveness of our ministry.
I look forward to our ministry together. By God’s grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish much to His Glory in the coming years.