Comments on: Why we don’t have a Senior Pastor

By: PK

PK — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:31:04 +0000

I have made a small change in the second paragraph under “No Senior Pastor at CFC” to make it more accurate. A board member pointed out that we did not have agreement that we do not need a senior pastor, but we did agree to try it out this way.

By: PK

PK — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:24:50 +0000

There is a spectrum of churches from those primarily pastor led to those primarily board led. I think that my church is somewhere in the center section of that spectrum. But I believe that plurality of leadership is a basic biblical principle, so in a strongly pastor led church I would suggest working toward a team leadership approach rather than a single big boss. A team of pastors can exercise strong leadership without having a senior pastor who calls all the shots.

In a smaller church with a single pastor, the pastor and a few key lay leaders can form the leadership team. There is no reason that “pastor led” or “board led” need to be the only two options.

By: whu

whu — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:38:08 +0000

if the church is led by the “board” then the pastors do not carry too much weight. Its natural to reflect the congregation make-ups when calling pastors, so the title doesn’t mean too much in a “lay leaders” led church. So the church history dictates the structure and the leaders in the congregation make the decisions. Those who support thru giving and participating in ministry.

By: PK

PK — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:41:29 +0000

In many ways, option #1 is the best but it is very difficult to find a senior pastor candidate who is not only bilingual but truly bicultural.

I agree that #2 could be a disaster if the role of the “senior pastor” is not clearly defined in writing. But in some cases it might be possible to define a very limited role for the senior pastor. After all, the whole concept of a “senior pastor” is not directly founded on anything in Scripture.

I agree that there is a risk to #3. I do work very hard to keep a good relationship with the Chinese pastor. We are both aware of the stakes. But to make it a little less dependent on the relationship between two individuals, there also needs to be a strong leadership team on the board. In this model, if the relationship between the two lead pastors breaks down, it would be up to the board to deal with the problem. The biblical model is plurality in leadership.

By: NKL

NKL — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:05:37 +0000

1. With the Chinese church in my town at a crossroads, I believe that we need a difinitive senior pastor. There must be vision and there must be authority to carry out the vision. I’m not sure there is an alternative to #1 for us.

2. I see #2 as a disaster waiting to happen. Is there any Biblical model that can help me understand the adoption of a figurhead?

3. Some churches in my town are working with the lead pastor approach on paper. My question would be, even in my most intimate relationships: my marriage and with my best friend/spiritual brother; our closeness wavers. I have to work at being intimate and honest during the times I don’t “feel close”. Is that same discipline necessary now necessary in the pastoral office at your church? Because if the lead pastors start growing apart, isn’t the whole church at risk?