Practical Advice for Young Pastors. Part I

Practical Advice for Young Pastors.

 

1.      Slow Down

Remember, even the Lord took six days to create our universe. One of the first mistakes a young pastors makes is trying to do things too quickly. Just take a look at the wall of pastor photos and you will quickly realize a lot of good men have been there before you, and more than likely there will be many after you. Churches don’t like to have someone come into their house and start rearranging things, especially when they don’t know you and they see you as a guest. Big changes need to take place over time if they are to last.

2.      Take time to get a lay of the land.

If you think you know what to do when you get there, let someone who has been there tell you kindly, you are wrong. Every church is different. Until you have been there for a while you have no idea what to do and know what works in one church could utterly fail in another. Take the time to get a lay of the land. Watch and observe for the first year instead of barking out orders and driving the sheep towards the change you believe is necessary. I read somewhere, “You’re not the leader if you turn around and no one’s behind you!”

3.      Address fiscal matters immediately.

One thing you can do which will get almost everyone’s support from the start, is save the church money. From day one begin reviewing church expenditures and save money anywhere you can. Oftentimes, churches are the worst stewards of their resources. Review contracts, rebid insurance policies, consolidate everything that can be consolidated. Operate your church budget as though you might be facing bankruptcy. People that give want the resources used wisely, but all too often they trust the staff or committees that are given that responsibilities. Although a pastor should never touch a penny of the money that comes into the church, he should approve the stewardship of every dime the church spends.

4.      Spend more time building unity than isolating your detractors.

You won’t be there long before you know who your detractors are! They will find you and make their presence known. They will also be quick to point out the error of your ways. One thing that can become very discouraging for young pastors is coming to grips with the fact they have enemies in their congregation. The tendency is to just marginalize or ignore them but wisdom has another more powerful approach, make them your friends. There is nothing more powerful in your church than a strong supporter that comes from the old guard. Seek to seek out their wisdom, gain their help in implementing your ideas and show them you appreciate the years of service they have given pro and con over the years. Your job is to bring the fellowship together to carry out the great commission and it will take a concerted effort to see that accomplished.

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

3/4/2015