TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PASTORAL LEADERSHIP Paul D. Borden

TWENTY-FIRST TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PASTORAL CENTURY PASTORAL LEADERSHIPLEADERSHIP

Paul D. BordenPaul D. Borden

NORTH AMERICA NORTH AMERICA

1.80% to 85% of congregations are on a plateau or in decline2.The average congregation ranges between 75-1243. Church attendance is on a decline

4. The Number of Protestants is in decline

5. The net loss of congregations weekly is almost 40

6. North America has the third largest secular population in the world

7. More and more people are attending fewer congregations


SOME REASONS FOR SOME REASONS FOR THE CURRENT STATE OF THE CURRENT STATE OF THE CHURCHTHE CHURCH

NORTH AMERICANORTH AMERICA

1. A consumer oriented culture that says the church is primarily for believers

2. This consumer mentality affects the Church’s:

Purpose (Mission)VisionMoraleFaith


A Theology of Smallness that:Validates our current

situation

Makes us feel better about ourselves and our ministries


A Therapeutic Culture that:

Preaches Sentimentality

Honors the dysfunctional over the healthy


An unbiblical devaluation of leadership that results in:

Congregations designed to be

smallCall trumping giftingFear of leadershipLeaders replaced by care

givers

SOME assumptionsSOME assumptions


1. God expects His Church to grow.

2. Congregations not growing through evangelism are disobedient.

3. Healthy congregations will be growing ones.


4. Pastors who are unwilling to lead

need to re-consider their calling.

5. Leadership is earned, not given

automatically.

6. Leadership can be learned.


7. Developing as a leader, for those

without the gift, does not happen

without the help of other leaders

(mentors, coaches, etc).

A Theology of MissionA Theology of Mission


1. God is a missionary God.

2. He picked Israel to bless so they

would bless the nations.

3. Israel failed in its mission.

4. Jesus came to build His church to

continue the mission.


5. The purpose of the Church is to

frustrate the Evil One.

6. The Church is to build from all nations a people for God.

7. God’s goal: one day people from

all over the world will stand before Him.


8. The implications of this theology:

(1) The primary role of the Church is

missional.

(2) Pastors are constantly working cross-culturally and are therefore missionaries.

Requirements for Requirements for leadershipleadership

I am taking Leith Anderson’s concept of leadership as the working definition for this presentation. Leadership is seeing a need and working to get that need met.

Requirements for leadershipRequirements for leadership

1. I believe the number one requirement for leadership in the Church today is passion. The pastor:

• has a passion for Jesus Christ, the

Gospel, and reaching lost people.

• works with a continual sense ofurgency


2. The second requirement is courage.

• leading a consumer oriented congregation

to become missional does not comewithout deep pain.

• In fact if the leader is not willing to lose

his/her position for the mission, themission will probably not be implemented.

Passion begins with a prophetic Passion begins with a prophetic sense of “burden” that creates a sense of “burden” that creates a

fire in the belly that cannot be fire in the belly that cannot be quenched.quenched.



3. The third requirement is wisdom.

Wisdom means • I know myself• I will become a continual learner• I know what I cannot do & will

marshalthe resources get it

accomplished. • I understand the role & job that

needs tobe done.

There’s no one more dangerous than a passionate courageous fool.


4. The fourth requirement is that I am positive.

• I believe that we are going to winbecause we work for the right person.

• I understand that in today’s environment people are motivated toserve and work on the basis ofcompassion not compulsion.


5. Finally … I am willing to take responsibility for what happens and not blame others if it fails.

If a ministry fails it is because of:The environment – This is a missionary issue

Lack of commitment – This is a vision issue

Spiritual one – This is a denial issueHowever, these are all leadership issues!!!

The Pastor Leader’s The Pastor Leader’s New Job DescriptionNew Job Description


1. The pastor is the spiritual leader of the congregation, which means:

• Communicating the Word of God well

• Calling the congregation to spiritualdisciplines, individually &

collectively

• Protecting God’s reputation in theconduct of

congregational ministry


2. The pastor is to minister cross-culturally as a missionary, which means:

• Focusing the congregation on the Mission

• Leading the congregation to focuson others

• Helping the congregation target thecommunity


2. The pastor is to minister cross-culturally as a missionary, which means:

• Creating urgency and casting vision continually• Letting people feel the need• Focusing on a changed community• Telling stories, stories, stories• Speaking positively• Addressing what the group can do


3. The pastor develops leaders which, means developing leaders in the:

• Staff to help them develop leaders• Board to help them develop

leaders• Congregation who will develop

leaders


4. While the pastor is creating this new job description the pastor must:

make sure that the normal roles and expectations are met until the congregation has learned new

expectations for the pastor’s role.

Lessons from Lessons from Peter DruckerPeter Drucker

Lessons From Peter DruckerLessons From Peter Drucker

1. The mission comes first and for the church the mission is changed lives.

2. The function of management is to make the church more church-like, not more business-like.


3. An organization begins to die the day it begins to be run for the benefit of the insiders not for the outsiders.

4. Focus on opportunities not problems and as a result fail in accomplishing their mission.


5. People decisions are the ultimate control mechanism of an organization

• how those decisions are madetell the rest of the people whatyour real values are.


6. The 3 most important questions

for any organization are:

• What is our business?

• Who is our customer?

• What does our customer

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TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PASTORAL LEADERSHIP Paul D. Borden