Sustaining Pastoral Excellence

Religion in the News

A new report on the U.S. religious landscape from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life made headlines across the country. Below are two links for a series of demographic studies.

http://www.divinity.duke.edu/programs/spe/articles/200803/5.html

The Pew Forum: http://religions.pewforum.org/

The Pew Forum has some very valuable studies. There are good demographic breakdowns on a variety of topics of interest to pastoral leaders.

During 2006 and 2007 the Department of the Ordered Ministry undertook an extensive set of trips to listen to Covenant ministers from all over North America. The purpose of these trips was to tap into the wisdom embedded in our ministerial community. The hope was to discern the formation and developmental needs of clergy as we continue the journey of excellence into the future. Hundreds of conversations later we discovered a clear clustering around 6 major themes. (more…)

Below is a short listing of books that are excellent resources for anyone desiring to take a look at congregational systems.

  “Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading”, by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

 “Leading Change in the Congregation: Spiritual and Organizational Tools for Leaders”, by Gil Rendle. An Alban Institute Publication, 1998.

 “Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous no Matter What”, by Peter L. Steinke. An Alban Institute Publication, 2006.

 This is a good”package” of books to read together.

The internet has produced a resource explosion.  It seems like the challenge is finding the time to sift and sort through a mountain of material for what might be most useful for a given focus.  When it comes to the emotional health and vitality of pastors and clergy couples Peter Scazzero, author of “The Emotionally Healthy Church” provides a web site with useful and user-friendly resources.  Below is the link.

http://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/about/articles.asp

Peter was a well received Midwinter Conference workshop presenter a few years ago.

There are a growing number of books being written about “invisible” leadership - some backed by research. I have not yet worked may way through enough of these materials to have created a firm personal opinion. But I was intrigued that Duke University’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence newsletter included an article on this topic for church leaders. Although there is much to challenge in this article, there is also much to consider. So the link is below if you would like to take a look!

http://www.divinity.duke.edu/programs/spe/articles/200802/1.html

Reflections On Excellence In Ministry

Faithful To The Call

A report on consultations by the Fund for Theological Education named 10 attributes of an excellent minister. These attributes highlight what was heard from ministers participating in the FTE consultations on Excellence in Ministry. The list is not intended to be exhaustive nor exclusive, but it does highlight attributes of excellence worth reflecting on.

1. Excellence ministers believe what they are proclaiming. Excellent ministers remain captivated by the story of the Gospel and cannot leave it alone.
2. Excellent ministers love their communities.
3. Excellent ministers display agility, flexibility and grace under pressure.
4. Excellent ministers know how to ask the right questions.
5. Excellent ministers are courageous.
6. Excellent ministers lead with strength and humility. Excellent ministers . . . are compelling people with a remarkabl capacity to turn attention away from themselves and lift up the work of Christ.
7. Excellent ministers know their limits. To be persuasive in their Christian witness, ministers must cultivate a strong sense of self-awareness.
8. Excellent ministers have thriving imagination.
9. Excellent ministers embrace lifelong learning.
10. Excellent ministers mentor.

This list did not provide precise definition for each of these attributes. However, the list does add to the dialog of excellence.

Sermons Most
Likely to Succeed
Do sermons actually change beliefs
and behavior? An ongoing study
reveals hard facts.
BY LORI CARRELL
New research is discovering the characteristics of sermons that
create lasting impact. The investigation began with surveys and
interviews contrasting listener and pastor perspectives in 102
churches across the country.
A central finding of the research to date is that listeners
value preaching, asserting that the sermon is the component of
the church service most likely to impact their spiritual growth.
In fact, listeners love their preachers (more…)

Choosing Where to be Present: A Sign of Excellence

By Kenneth L. Carder

“What advice do you have?,” I asked a veteran bishop as I prepared to assume that same office after my election in 1992.

“Choose carefully where to be present, especially your first Sunday,” he replied. “Where you decide to be will be remembered longer than what you say or do when you get there. And, where and with whom you spend your time will shape your view of the church and your role in it.”

Though not at all what I had expected to hear, these words of guidance from a long-time bishop proved to be some of the most important advice I have ever received. More than a practical scheduling suggestion, it was a profound theological affirmation and insightful missional strategy that had significant implications for my own formation as a person and a bishop.

Presence is an essential aspect of both leadership and ministry. Where leaders choose to be is the initial act of leadership and a determining factor in the formation of both the leader and the institution that he or she leads. Whether we are pastors, teachers, administrators, judicatory officials, or managers, where we choose to be present is a sign and instrument of our own formation and the direction of the community in which we serve. (Read more)

Excellence is a word that generates an easy discussion. Giving definition to the word, Biblically and theologically, has been a challenge which seems to ignite pastor’s passions. It is the word in the “Sustaining Pastoral Excellence” moniker which reeks with multiple meanings. Whereas the other words in the moniker may conjure up a yawn, this word – excellence – conjures up strong feelings. Some of these feelings are the result of personal history and the association of excellence with perfection, some believe it somehow undermines grace, others opt for something less weighty such as “effectiveness”.

I believe that the Lilly Endowment hung the word “excellence” from the right tower. I Corinthians 12:31 is a dramatic pivot point in a Biblical book filled with emotional swing points as Paul contends for a way of life that is marked with a different pattern. When he pens the words, “And now I will show you a more excellent way”, he pulls the Corinthians towards a way of life. Paul is literally calling the Corinthians into excellence (uperboln - beyond measure, extraordinary quality, surpassing, Abbot-Smith, p.458). This way of life (literally – a way beyond comparison) is highly relational, drilling to the core of our motivations, mindsets, manner of action, and methods. It links our relationship with God and others, becoming the pathway out of which our Christ journey is to be lived. Biblically and theologically this segment of Scripture suggests that,

1. Excellence is measured by who we are and who we are becoming. It is an issue of character. This is the heart of the Christian journey.

2. Excellence is not common, it is extraordinary. As a result it calls for the recognition that there is always room for growth.

3. Excellence is a way of life. We choose to live within patterns that produce uncommon characteristics.

4. Excellence is a relational journey. It is not accidental that Paul chooses to enter his magnificent chapter on love by referring to a more excellent “way” and concludes the chapter by calling the Corinthians to follow the “way” of love (I Corinthians 14:1). More than an endpoint, excellence is a journey – a relational journey. Paul shows us how to enter the journey (I Corinthians 12:31). The movement towards excellence is what matters.

5. Excellence is a grace-filled journey. God’s love, the pattern for our love, (I Corinthians 13:4- forms the net beneath our journey.

Pastoral excellence is a grace-filled relational journey shaping growth and character through a commitment to an uncommon Christ defined life. Pastors are not called to a common life, but an uncommon life skillfully lived. This life is defined by God’s grace and shaped by character, relationship, and commitment – empowering all other aspects of a pastor’s ministry.

The Sacred Responsibility:

Supporting the Pastor We Have Called to Serve Us

Bradley N. Hill

Responsibility for congregational health lies with both congregation and pastor, but many congregations fail to recognize the sacred responsibility they have to the pastor called to shepherd them. Evidence of this failure can be seen in the alarming number of pastoral resignations that occur each year, creating a rolling brown-out in church leadership.

According to Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries, approximately 1,500 U.S. pastors depart their pulpits each month.¹ Approximately 23 percent of these pastors are fired or forced out, and in most cases the church never knows why. Similarly, in a Christianity Today International article, John LaRue reports that 34 percent of all pastors serve congregations that had either fired or otherwise forced out the previous pastor.²

The Nature of Nurture

Congregations, of course, rightly expect their pastors to nurture them. However, they also have a sacred responsibility to nurture their pastors (1 Tim. 5:17-19). There is a correlation between the health and well-being of the pastor and the long-term productivity of the church. Longer-term pastorates are well-correlated with effective evangelism and sustained church growth and health.³ The losses to a church from rapid pastor turnover are incalculable.

However, the pastoral relations committee (PRC) can play a key role in fulfillment of the congregation’s sacred responsibility to nurture their pastor. The PRC is where the agendas of church and pastor meet. When functioning well, the PRC finds ways and means to sustain the excellence of the pastoral staff. (more…)