Most pastors I know have great hearts for ministry, but don’t always have the tools to move the organization of the church forward. Unfortunately, some of what we experience in the real church world is not taught extensively, if any, in most seminaries.
Things such as:
- How to handle difficult people
- Basic business practices and how to keep the church legal
- Leadership principles (especially as the church gets larger)
- How to handle conflict
- Advertising and marketing
- Event Planning
- Construction and building project management
- Human resources, to include benefits, salary management, employee training, motivation and conduct performance evaluations
- How to set goals and objectives
- How to protect your own marriage while you are trying to protect everyone else’s marriage
- How to be a great dad when your time is sometimes stretched with other people’s kids.
Pastors, what other issues you have faced have left you feeling unprepared?
The best advice I know for pastors when you feel overwhelmed in these areas is to:
- Read business and trade manuals
- Learn from and rely on the wisdom of others, including business leaders
- Attend conferences
- Network with other pastors and leaders, including social networking
- Delegate to other people you trust in the church
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if you need counseling.
- And, of course, trust the Holy Spirit to guide you
Pastors, what other advice can you share here with other pastors?
One of the values in my ministry has been the twenty plus years of business experience I had prior to my seminary education and vocational ministry (and I’m still overwhelmed at times with these issues). If I can help, please let me know.
I think one key component needed in the pastoral aspects of leading people is the component of a prayer life. If a pastor does not set aside time of devotion and prayer on a daily basis, he will hit burn out very quickly. As a bi-vocational pastor, I have come to learn this.
2ndly, in trusting the Holy Spirit especially in dealing with conflict and counseling, a great guide is James 1:19 … "be quick to listen and slow to speak". I feel sometimes as pastors, we spend too much time trying to BE the Holy Spirit, as opposed to trusting Him with His flock.
This is a great reminder
Add some IT skill. It's a great advantage for pastors to keep updated what's happening around them and get more productivity
Absolutely
Honestly, the most valuable stuff I learned in seminary I learned outside the classroom. Most of what I learned in the classroom revolved around, ultimately, sermon preparation. And I would still choose my seminary if I had to do it all over again, because, unfortunately, I think it's the best one out there. But the practical things that you mentioned, Ron, were really nowhere to be found in my curriculum. I also wished I had learned about generational differences and how they shape how I pastor, team-building, communicating a vision, and discerning your gifts and passions so that you can find the best church fit. Probably 3/4 of my friends that I graduated with had a first call that lasted under two years (myself included), and were unhappy the majority of that time. I really hope that seminaries catch up soon!
Thanks for the practical example.
I guess I should have shared that they do teach a lot in seminary. Understand church and Bible history and how to teach it is of course important for a pastor to know. There are great classes for people-helping, culture awareness and even church administration, but ultimately, as in many parts of life, some of the best training is on-the-job training.
Sorry I have to say this… but do they teach anything in Seminary?… cos that’s a reasonably extensive list and all are very important to a Leadership role.
Thanks for the advice Ron.
Why is it that this stuff isn’t taught at seminary/bible college? I get the distinct impression taht it’s not seen as “spiritual” to learn about this side of running a church…why? <>
Before starting my church plant, I worked as Church Business Administrator. I went through a major building project.
A great source of help is the “National Association of Church Business Administration” Most major cities even have local chapters that hold weekly meetings.
http://www.nacba.net/
I highly encourage that you have at least one person on staff become a member. They have lot of HR, tax, payroll help etc.
I haven’t had the chance to go to seminary, only Bible College; but I can tell you that we only just started to touch on some of this stuff in a 400 level pastoral course that was optional in my program.