Meeting the Unique Needs of Your Executive Pastor

By Ken Godevenos, MBA, CCP, CHRP

One of the newest positions in the prevailing “church scene” is that of executive pastor, or EP. This month, we investigate the unique needs an EP most likely has in serving God as part of your pastoral team.

What Makes Them Tick

I have met and talked with three executive pastors, observed others over the years, and I currently work closely with our own church’s EP. While every executive pastor is a unique individual, they all seem to have been formed — at least in part — from the same generic EP mold. By this I mean:

Most, but not all, successful EPs “cut their teeth” in the business environment. As such, they not only are used to getting things done, they know how to make things happen using other people.

EPs desperately believe in growth. If something is not growing, most EPs will want to review it and see what can be done as a kick-start for new inertia.

A good EP continuously strives to help his or her church focus on the identified strategy and honestly examine the value of anything that isn’t clearly aligned with that strategy.

Most EPs like to play key parts in designing and implementing new programs and initiatives.

They gather their energy by solving or identifying problems, or both. Once such issues are remedied, they frequently turn over the ongoing maintenance of those programs or initiatives to others.

They like to think outside of the box and sometimes make deals no one else on the team has the insight to make.

The best EPs realize the only meaningful way to live their lives is to do all of the above for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom.

The secret for lay leaders and senior pastors, then, is to harness all these attributes and use them for the good of the Kingdom.

Seven Unique Needs

Lay leaders and senior pastors frustrate EPs when they take a lackadaisical approach to church business.

He or she should then be responsible for attracting, retaining and motivating his peers. Of course, all key personnel activities (hiring, firing, disciplining, promoting, demoting and transferring) that relate to direct reports must be approved by the EP’s supervisor. Church leaders and congregants must help communicate this arrangement to everyone involved, including some staff members who might be reluctant to accept it.

He or she must be able to make operational and implementation decisions, as required, for appropriately approved initiatives or matters within his or her authority. An EP shouldn’t need to keep checking minor deviations from the plan with his or her supervisor, lay leaders must understand, and even encourage, this fact.

Most good EPs operate on the same mindset: It’s easier to say you’re sorry than ask permission. If yours shares this view, you know that this is the only way an EP can truly be effective in getting things done and keeping both staff and volunteers motivated in their service.

An EP takes risks to achieve objectives in the most expedient, economical manner and recommends cutting traditional programs that no longer are effective or in keeping with the church’s mandate.

Finally, it is executive pastors who most painstakingly communicate and promote drastic change in their churches on an ongoing basis. In the long-term, all these duties require supportive senior pastors and understanding boards.

As such, lay leaders and senior pastors must fully cooperate with their EPs’ requests for support in communicating volunteer opportunities, providing training, and recognizing and rewarding their efforts.

When appropriate, the pastoral staff directly responsible for the program being benchmarked should accompany the EP on such visits.

Now add love, respect, friendship, and the occasional pat on the back to the aforementioned EP needs. These individuals are most instrumental in making things happen, but often they are regarded as managers, plain and simple.

In my experience, however, an executive pastor’s expertise in handling difficult situations, and in bringing about change in both programs and individuals, rarely is appreciated until something happens — something that makes the rest of us say, “Thank you for how you handled that situation.”

Ken Godevenos has served on and/or chaired several church boards. He is a human resources and church consultant, trained mediator and executive director of Shantymen International. Call 905.853.6228 or visit www.accordconsulting.com for more information.

Dear Reader,
Your question addresses several issues: lack of a policy, questions regarding the types and purposes of the events you host, who your intended audiences are, and the questions of affordability and actual cost.

Developing a policy in these regards would certainly be an asset. The issue becomes how detailed such a policy will be, and whether or not it will be sufficient to cover every situation.

The type of event you plan to host makes a difference. For events of an evangelistic/outreach nature, those you’re attempting to reach should not be expected to pay. Instead, those who invite them should pay for themselves and for their guests. “Invite and invest” is a phrase that has started to emerge in many churches — it’s time Christians time-wise and financially prioritized introducing unsaved friends and relatives to the message of Christ.

On the other hand, it’s perfectly acceptable to charge admission to Christian arts events or fund-raising dinners in which obvious expenses are involved, including meals, hiring entertainment and so on.

The cost of any event should be adjusted to its intended audience’s ability to pay. For example, do not charge the same admission price for youth events as adult activities. Likewise, children’s events should not cost as much as youth events.

Sensitivity also must be practiced with respect to the average economic means of the community in which your church operates. It’s never OK for someone in the congregation to say, “That event is only for the well-off members.” One good example of this is hosting a youth retreat one or more young people can’t attend because their families can’t afford to send them. In such cases, leaders should ask church members to sponsor those young people, and then the youth can be approached and invited. (Be aware, however, that anonymity on the part of the donors protects these children’s self-esteem.) Most potential attendees understand there are costs involved in hosting any event. The more difficult questions you’ll have to answer are, “Shouldn’t the church budget cover this?” and “Why do we have to have such expensive events at all? Why can’t we just [insert suggested alternative]?” The fact is, sometimes they’re right to ask. However, if you have prayerfully considered such issues and still believe — not for your own interests, but for the Kingdom — that the event is the right way to go, you must forge ahead as the Lord leads while remaining open to more affordable alternatives.