The vast majority of churches grow by layers not by leaps. Step by step, family by family, person by person rather than jumping by hundreds at a time. Because this is true, momentum is strengthened significantly by the longevity of the pastor.
A longer pastoral tenure doesn’t guarantee greater spiritual results (growth and life change), but it sets the stage for it.
There is, however, a strong correlation between pastoral longevity at a church, and the potential for that church to experience healthy stability and growth.
Longevity is not easy to come by. Church leadership is exhausting, and it’s normal to experience seasons of doubt, fear or insecurity.
The truth is that you have to dig deeper to lead longer in a local church. Once you’ve taught all you know and led as far as you can, you must keep growing if you want to continue leading.
Pastors often try, sometimes unknowingly, to “catch their breath” by making a change to another church. I’ve acknowledged that there are times when making a change is the right thing to do, but many times staying the course provides the breakthrough needed for you and the church to grow to the next level.
And remember, the grass is never greener when you change churches. Its true that some churches are horribly toxic and unhealthy, but those are rare in comparison to the majority of churches that are good, but each having their own problems to solve. Changing churches is just a matter of trading one set of problems for another.
Sustained longevity is enhanced by:
1) Your pastoral presence
It’s difficult to overestimate the power of presence when it comes to pastoral ministry.
Showing up and time with people matters.
And yet that can be a great challenge because you don’t have time to meet personally with everyone. It comes down to knowing who to be with at the right times and how to engage at a heart level.
Pastoral presence is about being with and among the people, sharing their joys and successes, along with their hurts and failures.
Pastoral presence is also about being emotionally present in the moment when you are with people. When they have your full heart and attention, trust is increased and connection to you and the vision is enhanced.
When your presence is connected to longevity there is a cumulative effect that increases trust which results in greater influence.
Your pastoral presence further demonstrates commitment which enhances momentum within the vision.
2) Your love for the people
It’s simply not possible to fake loving the people you serve over a long course of time.
It’s easy to love people at an isolated event; it’s more challenging to do so consistently over time, week after week as years go by. Especially as you encounter the natural ups and downs of ministry, along with the normal problems and conflicts to solve.
Love for the people you lead comes from God and is connected to your calling.
I can distinctly remember a little over 23 years ago God giving me a love for the people at 12Stone Church. It was a few weeks before I started, and I sensed it first for the staff and soon after for the congregation. It has not left me since that moment.
This kind of God-designed care and devotion to the congregation cultivates a heart level connection that can be achieved by no other way than the expanse of time.
Love develops deep and meaningful relationships that enable the pastor and people to work through conflict, solve problems and stay the course in the lean times.
This authentic love is best measured by seeing your personal sacrifice for others result in genuine joy.
3) Your vision for the church
Vision is the lifeblood of the church. Without clear vision the mission of the church is in jeopardy.
If you don’t have a clear vision for your church:
- Don’t panic. This is not uncommon and with diligent prayer it is temporary.
- Follow the Great Commission in Matthew 28 until God makes the vision clear.
Without a vision for your church, it’s difficult to remain for a sustained length of time. Ministry is challenging enough and without direction or progress, the grind can take you out.
A new pastor can arrive and be busy with the necessary work of day-to-day ministry for nearly a year before the absence of a clear vision becomes an evident problem. If in the second year a clear vision is not crafted and communicated frustration begins to creep in, eventually resulting in a lack of forward momentum and progress.
Eventually, the lack of growth causes a decline in revenue and the pastor considers seeking another church.
This can all be changed by a clear vision of where you believe God wants to take the church. Then connecting the vision to strong leadership execution begins to dramatically enhance longevity.
Vision gives the pastor and the people a God-ordained purpose to stay together!
Sustained longevity is made possible by:
1) Continued personal growth
Sustained longevity at your church is very difficult if you as the leader do not continue to make progress in your personal growth.
None of us can lead people further than we ourselves have personally traveled. This is true both in the spiritual realm as well as in your professional leadership.
Great books, roundtable gatherings, conferences, podcasts and webinars etc., all add great value to your personal growth. But few outweigh the value of a mentor or two who can offer personal coaching two or three times a year.
In addition, I highly encourage you to seek out and find a good leadership coach with more experience and has led farther than you, to help you keep growing through regular and consistent conversations.
2) Staying healthy and fit
Here’s some encouragement for you. Most of us know what we should do. Eat smart and exercise, right? Right.
So no preachy sermons for you here.
Just this…
You don’t have to join an intense program and flip huge tires at 5:00AM to get in shape.
Start small.
For example, if you are not currently exercising, a brisk thirty-minute walk three – four days a week can change your life.
About diet – moderation is the key idea. Hard core diets don’t last. Think about simple things that you can do the rest of your life such as: drink more water, consume less sugar, and trade out red meat for veggies a couple times a week. Little things can make a big difference.
3) Chasing God
Nothing trumps prayer. Chase God with all your heart, mind, and soul!
Prayer is where the power is, and it’s the source for all lasting life change.
Without prayer, ministry becomes mechanical and longevity is nearly impossible. Pray and stay!
We all know a few pastors who have been in their church for many years and it’s not growing or healthy.
That does not invalidate the principles I’ve written. There are other things in play that substantiate why those churches are not growing. The point I want to encourage you with is that tenure strengthens your ministry, so when in doubt, stick it out!
