15 Tips for Pastors
15 Tips for Pastors
I have a heart for leaders, especially pastors and other church leaders. I love sharing things that I’ve learned over the past 30+ years of business and ministry with leaders, things that can help make you a better and more effective leader.
Leading a ministry and pastoring a congregation can be very demanding. When you develop the ability to lead effectively it will make your experience in ministry more satisfying and fulfilling. With that goal in mind here are 15 helpful hints for pastors:
1. Never lose the smell of sheep. No matter how large your church may grow as a shepherd it is crucial to continue to stay in touch with your people. Even though you can touch every one of them you need to work hard to know and touch as many as you can.
2. Continue to grow closer to Jesus. If your leadership isn’t fueled by closeness to Jesus, you have nothing to say and nowhere to go. Don’t exchange your relationship with Jesus for leading others into relationship with Jesus.
3. Watch out for power. The three things that seem to get people in ministry in trouble – power, money, and women. I’ll cover the other two next. Power and fame can be intoxicating. As a leader and pastor people look to you and often put you on a pedestal. While it’s appropriate to honor those serving in an office of ministry remember the honor is for the office and not the person. The seduction of power and fame can cause a person to lose sight of their humble position as a servant. Stay small in your own eyes and give all the glory to God.
4. Watch our for money. Two applications to this one. First don’t let the love of money overtake you. Refrain from handling money in your church and avoid a personal lifestyle that appears to be above your means. Set an example for your congregation; don’t follow theirs. Second, know where the money is going. One of the mistakes pastors make is not knowing how money works and ignoring the financial responsibility of leadership.
5. Watch out for women. Never trust the flesh. This is true for women in the ministry as well- watch out for men. Never council the opposite sex alone – never. Don’t allow yourself in a potentially compromising position. The destructive power of seduction can lead you down a dangerous path where you lose every good thing – family, ministry, etc.
6. Remember you don’t know it all. It is better to let those who are the best do their thing. Your ministry will be stronger with the singers singing, the writers writing, the carpenters building, the teachers teaching, the accountant doing the books, the pilot doing the flying, etc. Let others do what they are better at than you are. The CEO of Southwest doesn’t fly the planes he lets the pilots do that. He doesn’t fix the engines he lets the mechanics do that.
7. Choose your battles. Make sure the win is worth the investment. Determine what is really important. Stay focused on principles and not preferences. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Just because your the leader doesn’t mean you always have to be right. I’ve watched many leaders waste a lot of energy and resources to just win a battle that had no real significance.
8. Stop trying to control everything. Being in control does not mean you have to control everything that happens in the church or ministry. You’ll seldom be able to anyway. When you try to, people will either rebel or never live up to their potential. Control the vision, but with everything else release it to the people around you. (see delegation below)
9. Delegate. “I don’t delegate because it takes longer to delegate the task than just do it myself.” Sound familiar? We’ve all used that excuse, but it is wrong thinking. While delegation initially takes longer the first time after that it will save you hours, days, and weeks. Effective leaders use delegation to balance workloads and provide team member opportunities to grow. Good delegation creates a positive, motivating environment. Delegating frees you up to tackle the truly important aspects of your ministry.
10. Be real/authentic. People will trust you more if you are who you claim to be. Don’t try to make yourself bigger than you are. People can easily spot the difference between who you try to act like and the real you. This doesn’t mean to always be sharing all your weakness, misses, and problems. That is going over board. At the same time don’t always talk about how you do everything right. Just be who you are.
11. Learn to deal with criticism . Your reaction to criticism can make you or break you. Don’t get defensive, don’t get angry, and don’t get offended. Expect criticism it comes with the territory. It is an opportunity to grow and improve. My advice is most of the time just ignore it. Always be willing to listen to someone who loves you and loves the Lord, but unsigned lettters, emails, or posted comments only rob you of time and energy. The quickest way to forget what God thinks about you is to get obsessed with what others think about you. Receive constructive critisism, stay humble, be compassionate, and move on down the road.
12. Pay attention to organization. One of the greatest reasons ministries don’t grow is lack of organization. It’s not because they can’t preach or they don’t have vision or they lack zeal and passion – they just are disorganized. No focus or scope and sequence. An army can have great generals and a great strategy, but if it lacks the necessary organization that can facility getting supplies to the front lines and coordination of the proper timing of each attack the mission will fail.
13. Maintain your character. The Biblical qualifications for ministry mostly relate to character. (1Timothy 3:2-7) Character is viewed as vital, central, necessary, and indispensable for a leader. Character is tied to words like integrity, honesty, ethical, truthful, and morale. So, be honest working diligently to serve. Just because you are the pastor of a church doesn’t mean you are entitled to special treatment. Don’t ask for discounts and don’t expect people to favor you just because your the pastor at ABC church. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. (Matthew 20:28)
14. Keep what you do focused on people. Too often our focus gets divert to peripheral things. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing and the main thing in ministry is the people God has assigned us. Don’t get lured into the comparison game and focused on having the latest, coolest, biggest, etc. Doing ministry with excellence is important, but the focus and motivation must be the people. Jesus said, “Feed my sheep”. (John 21:15-17)
15. Always keep the focus on Jesus. Jesus is the one who called you. (Ephesians 4:11). Jesus is the one who got you started in this life of faith, He is the one who will see you through (Hebrews 12:2) Whatever we do we should do as unto Jesus. (Col. 3:17)
BONUS TIP – Keep a balanced life – prioritize your life properly – God – Family – then ministry. Get proper rest,healthy diet, and exercise. Follow the wisdom of this axiom – “divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually.”
I appreciate every Pastor and all that you do for your people and the kingdom of God. You are well able, go in and possess the land. It is not by might nor by power, but by the spirit. (Zech. 4:6)
Lead with excellence and by the grace of God. Be blessed!
