Who Leads the Church?

Who Leads the Church?

Responsibility Grid for the Congregationally Governed Church

Your Personal View Check only one in this column		Church’s View Check only one in this column		Board’s View Check only one in this column		Previous Pastor’s View Check only one in this column
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church and to lead the church in its implementation
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Board, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Board, and the congregation, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor, Pastoral Staff and the Board are responsible to establish the vision for the church, and to lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff) and the Board are responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Congregation, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Board is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and the Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff), under the Board’s direction, leads the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Board is responsible to establish the vision for the church, with the Congregation’s concurrence, and the Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff), under the Board’s direction, leads the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Congregation is responsible to establish the vision for the church and, with assistance by the Board and the Senior Pastor (and the Pastoral Staff), the process by which it is accomplished.

Copyright 2007 - Dr. Dennis Baker
Used by permission

The Purpose of Coaching

My field supervisor, Steve Elliott has been my mentor and coach for over three years now. While in our reflective meeting a couple weeks ago, Steve shared with me the importance of the verse 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul writes to the young leader Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now, teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Paul’s instructions to Timothy is exactly what Steve has been doing for me over the past three years, and it is what he is continuing to do on a higher level now that we are working together at with Church Assistance Ministry. Steve has been teaching me what it looks like to be a leader who serves and contributes to others, with the purpose of me passing those same teachings on to others in the future.

One similar opportunity has already arisen in my life: a friend has asked me to mentor him on life goals. We will begin meeting and talking about what goals he has, and I will mentor him based on what I have experienced and what Steve has taught me.
            Maybe, someday after I have mentored my friend for a while, he will pass on what I have taught him, and continue the work Steve has started in me just at Timothy was continuing the work Paul has started.

Finding my Giftedness

While meeting with Steve Elliott, my field supervisor for Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) last week he made a brief but powerful statement to me.  After two full months of interning with CAM under Steve’s leadership and being mentored by him for over three years, Steve affirmed what I believe in my heart and what I have prayed many times.  At times we feel something in our heart that we know is true, and we think God has affirmed it, yet the world does not always agree with that feeling.  Well, while meeting with Steve last week, he affirmed a belief I have in myself that has very rarely been affirmed by the world. 

After Steve read and article I wrote reading my weekly reflections, he said, “You have a real gift in writing.”  Then he went on to explain that I am very skilled at observing circumstances and situations, seeing a leadership principle in those situations, explaining that principle well in written form, and finding relevant illustrations to back up the principle. This was in response to a five page, 2,700 word article I wrote for Steve and CAM entitled, The Impact of Coaching. 

This was encouraging to hear since I have loved creating content in written and verbal form for several years, but when I create that content and share it with others, it is not always accepted well.

Interning with CAM is helping to encourage my giftedness by exposing my work to a veteran leader who has mentored many young leaders in his life, which gives him good skill to recognize gifts and strengths when he seems them.

Considerations for Inclusions in a Letter of Call for a Pastor (part 2 of 2)

11. Study Leave ~ For a pastor who is not working on a Board approved study program, two weeks per year is standard with the time being taken out for any Board approved educational activity. In addition to this time, a pastor who is working on a Board approved study program should be given ___ number of hours/week to study for that program. This means that the average number of hours is reduced on church business by 10 hours per week to 40.

12. Days Off ~ Pastors work on Sundays (and often on Saturdays as well). Make sure the pastor has at least one day completely off each week {1.5 days/week off is reasonable and workable}. Allow him to pick this day when possible, taking into consideration the rhythms and realities of your church schedule and culture.

13. Sabbatical ~ Arrange to give the pastor two months off after five years of service as Senior Pastor. The time is in addition to vacation. He would submit a Sabbatical Plan for Board approval. Then, a Sabbatical of six weeks every three years after the initial five years is wise for long term ministry health of the Pastor and the Church.

14. Books and Ministry Materials Allowance ~ Pastors can easily spend hundreds of dollars a year on commentaries, ministry books, computer research tools, etc. A church that provides a generous reimbursable allowance for this expense communicates to the pastor that study and research is important to an effective church.

15. Church Credit Card ~ Make sure the pastor has one so that he can pay for things without dipping into his personal funds before asking for reimbursement. Standard reporting procedures are expected.

16. Cell Phone and Voicemail ~ Have the church pay for a cell phone for the pastor with a reasonable plan that fits the needs of the church ministry. This allows the pastor to be more of a mobile office, freeing him from having to be present at the church site by allowing him to stay in touch with the Administrative Staff and Church Leadership.

17. Ministry Meals ~ Pastors are expected and need to meet with church members, missionaries, other pastors, community leaders, homeless people, etc. as a part of their positional responsibilities. One way a church can encourage a pastor is to provide a reasonable Expense Account that is wise and appropriate for “your church culture and pastoral expectations.”

17. Equity Sharing ~ The high cost of housing in many areas requires the church to enter into an Equity Sharing Agreement with their pastor {and perhaps associate pastors as well}. Samples of proven Equity Share Agreements can be provided.

18. Personal Projects ~ Does the pastor need help remodeling or painting his house? fixing his car? working on a hobby? Arrange to have someone check with him periodically about these kinds of issues and then to ask various members of the congregation if they would help out.

19. Bonus Gifts ~ Have the Board periodically send the pastor and his wife to a nice restaurant, a weekend away at a bed and breakfast or _______. “Share the Love!”

20. Accountability Reviews ~ Have the pastor list out five to seven personal and ministry areas in which he would be accountable to the Board (E.g. excellent sermon preparation, moving the congregation to be people of prayer, etc.). Each Board Meeting would have an Agenda Item where the pastor reviews and reports for five to ten minutes on two of the agreed to ministry areas {sometimes referred to as KRAs}. E.g. "I am 80% in compliance in this area. I've done X, Y, and Z, but I really need to be doing Z more often." The Board then prays specifically with and for the pastor.

If more attention needs to be paid to an issue, the Board can either talk about it immediately or put a more extended conversation on the Agenda for the next meeting. (It's essential that this is a list of items for which the pastor wants to be accountable, as opposed to a list the Board would generate for accountability.)

21. Marriage Encouragement ~ "If the wife is happy, the husband will stay." So what will make his wife happy? This needs to be addressed by the Board on a regular basis. Twice a year is very doable. Have the Board Chair call her and ask her how they can help out. The Board needs to be both proactive and intentional in providing for the health of the pastor’s marriage and family life.

Posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Considerations for Inclusions in a Letter of Call for a Pastor (part 1 of 2)

The primary goals are to honor the pastor and to help him and his family to minister for the long term as effectively as possible. The following categories cover most of the basic considerations that a Pastoral Search Team and Board need to cover in the calling of a pastor.

1. Salary Considerations ~ It is wise to include a "cost of living" adjustment such as the CPI into the Letter of Call {Agreement}. This gives some assurance that his effective salary is maintained and does not go down. Each year the Governing/Elder Board should review the salary to see if it is appropriate to grant an increase above and beyond this amount.

2. Housing Allowance ~ This is essential to do each year in the Official Minutes of the Board. There is a special IRS provision that allows a pastor to have a Housing Allowance that is a distinct tax advantage. “Clergy Tax and Law Report” by Richard Hammar is the trusted guidebook for details.

3. Vehicle Allowance ~ Mileage spent driving as a pastor is also considered a non-taxable business expense if handled correctly. It must be written in a Logbook which is widely available. A “best practice” is a Policy to reimburse the pastor for mileage at the current IRS rate ($0.50/mile for 2010) rather than giving them a fixed amount.

Possible Wording: "The Board will pay the current IRS mileage rate for driving done as a part of the pastoral job up to a maximum of XXX dollars per year."

4. Social Security Offset ~ Arrange the Agreement so that the pastor is paid the Social Security offset separately each quarter. This helps keep the pastor out of a financial bind with the IRS.

Example: If his base salary & housing is $80K, out of which $12K is needed for Social Security obligations, pay him $68K for salary and housing, plus an additional $3K each of the three months that his Social Security payment is due.

5. Medical Insurance ~ Make sure that this is a covered expense for both the pastor and his family. This can include Dental and Optical Coverage @ some reasonable level.

6. Disability Insurance ~ Most Denominations have a Group Policy that is reasonably priced. This wise expenditure protects both the pastor and the local church.

7. Retirement ~ Make sure that the church is paying into an appropriate retirement package. 10% is the normative figure. The Denominational Retirement Plans {403b} are most advantageous because of the manner in which the distribution is made after Retirement in the form of a Tax Free Housing Allowance.

8. Educational Expenses ~ For a pastor who is working on a Board approved study program, it is extremely encouraging if the church will pick up a % of the actual tuition costs involved. Life long learning for the pastor is a great investment.

Possible Wording: "The church will pay for 50% of tuition costs at XXX Seminary up to a maximum limit of $ ___ / year for ___ years."

9. Work Hours ~ The expectation among pastors was that 50 hour work week plus Sunday is about average for a healthy situation. If this becomes a problem, minimums and maximums can also be agreed to in writing. It is useful to actually chart how many hours of work occur for a couple of weeks once a year.

10. Vacation ~ At least four full work weeks a year. The Agreement can also be written to increase this by ___ number of days every ___ years. It is helpful to have money built into the budget to pay for pulpit supply.

Posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Great Work is Done in an Informal Context

While continuing my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) I am learning more and more that my work is much more than my work in a professional context.  The work I do to serve others does not only mean writing and teaching leadership in a professional context.  It means working in an informal context as well.  I have been able to observe this in the work CAM staff is doing to raise up and equip others leaders in both professional and informal contexts, and they appear to do just as much work in the informal context as they do in the professional context.

The main area I have observed this is when CAM staffers Steve Elliott and Dennis Baker both shared information and stories about the men they are coaching.  Steve and Dennis are pouring their lives into other men to teach them what it means to lead and serve others.  Many of these relationships are informal consisting of meetings for coffee or talking over the phone.

I have observed three differences between professional and informational ministries:

1. The professional context pays the worker financially while the informal context is often free to the person who is being served. 

2)      In the professional context, lots of people know about the work you do while the informal context is limited to a few people who know what you do. 

3)      The professional context offers a small level of change among the people being served because the relationship is shallow.  The informal context causes great change because the relationship is deep.

Often our culture gives great accolades and credit to people doing the “professional” work of serving lots of people.  However, I have come to realize that great service is given in an informal context by going deep with the person being served.

Covenant for the Pastoral Search Team

Covenant for the Pastoral Search Team

WHEREAS, members of the Pastoral Search Team of _______________ Church have been selected to this position of highest trust and responsibility;

WHEREAS, members of the Team recognize the potential effect of our deliberations and recommendations to the church upon its future mission and ministry in Christ’s Church, the spiritual health and fitness of its fellowship, the teaching of its children and the maturing of its membership in relationships characterized by grace and love; and

WHEREAS, it is acknowledged and confessed that the discovery of God’s will and direction in the calling of a pastor can be confused and complicated by human and supernatural factors not easily understood,

We solemnly enter the following Covenant together before the Lord.

A COVENANT OF PRAYER

We will uphold one another in prayer and seek, both separately and together, the clear leadership of the Holy Spirit.

A COVENANT OF HONEST COMMUNICATION

We will speak openly and honestly with one another without taking offense. We realize that we need the opportunity to ‘think aloud’ in order to help sort out impressions and responses as we study our church’s needs and evaluate potential candidates.

A COVENANT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

We will treat, with confidentiality, Team discussions and evaluations regarding specific potential candidates. We will deal responsibly with privileged information. We will agree in Team on appropriate process and progress reports to the Board of Elders and church. We will not publicly criticize the perspectives or decisions of any other members of our Team.

A COVENANT OF ACCOUNTABILITY

We will proceed with ethical sensitivity and thoroughness in all investigative and evaluative procedures in the consideration of any pastoral candidate. If a potential candidate has been engaged in conversation and is later dropped from consideration, we will notify him tactfully in writing. We recognize our accountability to our church and to God for our decisions.

A COVENANT OF UNITY

We will present to the church for its consideration only such recommendations as we can fully support as a Team. Where there are honest differences of opinion, we covenant to work these out before making a recommendation to the church.

Therefore, we enter into this Covenant with our Lord, being led by the Spirit, in order to faithfully discern his will in the calling and selection of a pastor to our church.

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Blog posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Who You Spend Time With is Who You Become

One benefit I am receiving from interning with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) is that I get to spend time with men who are older, more mature, and more experienced that I am. 

Who you spend time with today determines who you will become tomorrow.

As an intern with CAM I get to spend time weekly with Steve Elliott, a man who has been in ministry for almost forty years.  I also get to spend time quarterly with other staff and board members of CAM who have been working in ministry for a long time.

There are three things I am benefiting from as a younger man spending time with these older men:

1. They give me examples of what to do: Their examples, stories, and lives show me how to effectively serve others and manage a family.  This ensures that I do the right things with my time going forward to help me become more successful.
2. They give me examples of what not to do: They have many stories of how they have failed and been unsuccessful which gives me a clear picture of what not to do.  This allows me to avoid failures in my future and serve more people without having to experience the lessons they have had to experience.
3. They give me examples of good habits to develop and maintain:  You definitely reap what you sow.  When spending time with these men I am able to see what habits they have maintained over their lives and how that has affected them long-term.  This gives me a better perspective to choose the habits I cultivate and maintain going forward in ministry.

As a result of spending time with these men who are older, more mature, and more experienced than I am, I will grow into a man who has gleaned years of examples of godly lives lived and be able to incorporate these into my own life in order to do great work.