One of the most important things pastors must bring to their churches is clarity. From the pulpit, in everyday conversations, and in every leadership meeting pastors must present a clear and consistent message. Confusion in messaging — too many messages or conflicting messages — frustrates congregations. Frustrated congregations don’t go anywhere. Or worse, frustrated congregations get angry and that doesn’t work for anyone.
This clarity must begin with the pastors themselves. Pastors must do the hard soul work to understand themselves — their story, their wiring, and giftedness — they have to spend the time and fully explore their identity in Christ in order to be the most effective leaders. They must explore their gifting. Because no one has all the gifts, it’s vital for the pastor to understand their gifts and how best the pastor can serve the church. Once this is known, the staff and congregation can best align their own gifts in a way that best allows the church to accomplish their mission.
We know every believer is called. We also believe that certain men and women are uniquely called to serve the body and mission of Christ. Like everything else God does, each person’s call will be unique given their life story, gifts, and the contexts they serve. While every gift should be focused on proclaiming the gospel, how each pastor does that will be unique to them. For instance, some will write, and others will preach. Still others will teach, and others will counsel and coach. Each is valid, but each is also different. Each requires a different preparation and presentation. Nothing is worse than trying to fit your gift set into a non-supporting structure.
Context also matters. Will the pastor’s gifting be expressed in a classroom or a sanctuary? Will the pastor lead a mission center or train pastors in an unreached area? What most pastors find out is their calling doesn’t change, but the context often does. For instance, my own calling to serve the local church hasn’t changed. How I serve local churches has changed. I’m no longer a pastor. I coach and train pastors now. During a pastor’s career, their calling may be expressed in any number of ways. They can (and probably will be) a student pastor, an associate pastor, and a lead pastor. It’s the same calling, but it’s expressed in different contexts.
Successful ministry doesn’t begin in the local church but in the depths of pastors themselves. From a solid understanding of their own identity in Christ to knowing how Christ has called and equipped them to serve His kingdom to the context in which they are sent to serve, pastors must know themselves, their purpose, and their place. Without this clarity, the church will never quite be able to follow their pastor the way they want to. The church won’t ever be clear about mission and direction until the pastor is.
