I remember many years ago meeting a very sharp assistant pastor. He was young, but came into his role with a great deal of energy and potential. He was functioning well in his current role, so the senior pastor was pleased. However, the senior pastor made an important...
In Lyle Schaller’s classic book Survival Tactics in the Parish, he writes about the next pastor that follows a long-term pastor. That next pastor, even if they don’t call him an interim, is an interim. The only question is whether he will succeed himself and...
The berry bucket is a theory I’ve had for many years. Carl George wrote a whole chapter on it in our old book Leading and Managing Your Church, which you can pick up for a song now on Amazon, seeing as it’s out of print. But I’ve recently found that the berry bucket...
“So how do you bring about conflict resolution?” asks the interviewer. “First, I believe any conflict resolution needs to be grounded in Matthew 18. That’s essential. From there, when a grievance is brought, I clarify to make sure there aren’t any misunderstandings,...
Once you know what specific qualities and behaviors you’re looking for—but before you invest in thorough behavioral interviews—there’s an intermediate step: doing an initial screening. Doing this process well can help you increase the initial number of candidates so...
When I’ve helped pastors develop leaders, I ask, “What do you want your leaders to be able to do?” “Well… lead.” I get the same responses when I ask search committees and elder boards, “What do you want your pastor to be able to do?” “Well… pastor.” We need to drill...
