1. Clear Expectations – Most staff members want to do a great job. Be very clear about what you want them to do. Don’t expect them to read your mind! If you are not clear with what you expect, then they have to guess. One exercise that has helped us in a number of ways @biltmore is the discipline of establishing a strategic plan. I have the responsibility to put together a somewhat macro-plan for the next calendar year. This includes specific church goals, philosophies, emphasis, etc within our established church vision parameters. Ministerial staff members then develop specific divisional plans particular to their areas of ministries under the general guidelines of the macro-plan. If a good job is done here, there is not a lot of guessing on what is expected throughout the year-it has been clearly communicated. The specific Direct Report and I can check throughout the year on how the plans are going and how we can best assist them in their ministry.
2. Have a God-sized Vision – Most every called staff member longs to be a part of something bigger than himself or herself. More than just “doing church good.” The pastor needs to be able to communicate a vision (preferable future) worth following. One that obviously centers on the glory of God and emphasizes reaching out to people without Jesus.
3. Celebrate the Victories – Recognize a job well done. When a staff member has had a big win (ex. VBS, Christmas program, student camp, etc.), publicly recognize him. Give him a financial thank you if possible (if not, give him some extra time off, he has probably busted his tail to get this done). Recognize him/her in staff meeting. We often start off our staff meetings by sharing specific examples of how God is changing lives in different ministries. We know that God is the one that does this, but He uses leaders!
4. Be a Model Worth Following – Staff members are not looking for a perfect pastor, but they are looking for and deserve a pastor with personal and professional integrity. That means having an authentic and growing walk with Jesus, not exaggerating stats, having a backbone with difficult people, expecting loyalty but also giving it, tithing your income, sharing Christ with people, etc…
5. Be Prepared to Preach! – I know there are a lot of other things that claw at a pastor’s time, but you have to be ready to preach on the weekend! They can work hard all week (following up, calls, events, recruiting, etc.), and if you go up and lay an egg of a message because you didn’t prepare properly, everybody loses! We are all going to preach an occasional bomb, but do all you can to be absolutely as prepared as possible when you step up to speak (1 Timothy 4:13,16). Usually, that means keeping your butt in the chair until you have done the necessary work to have a Biblical, relevant, and fresh message from the Lord (not a Saturday night special).
