Pastor: Is
a long term (10-14-20 or more years),
tied at the hip to the community, shepherd of church members. He is a communicator, a teacher, preacher, sermon
preparer, mentor, lesson preparer, conference planner, writer, wedding and
funeral officiate, trainer, job-placement resource, care-giver, husband,
father, son, brother, grandfather (maybe), Christian example, public relations
expert, encourager, consoler, planner, IT expert, counselor, theologian, gatherer
of socio-economic statistics, peacekeeper, vision caster, janitor/maintenance
man, strategist, figure-head in the community, marketer, and administrator of
the day to day business of the church, among many other things. For many pastors they do all that on top of another full time job so they can afford insurance and a few of the nicer things in life. StrategiChurch knows pastors. We know what they have to deal with on a day
to day basis. We know what it takes
trying to be all things to all people and maintaining some degree of sanity at
the same time. We also know what it
feels like to never have enough time to really prepare yourself well for what
we call the never-ending pursuit of
Sunday. We understand what it feels like to be
appreciated and not appreciated. We
know how hard it is to make ends meet on ever-tightening budgets. We also know that most pastors are very well
trained in communication techniques. Some pastors can read and write in Greek and a few select others can do the same in Hebrew. Some pastors are incredible deep theological thinkers. Some have special training in counseling or have come by other unique specialties
along the way. We also know that for
most pastors where they are least trained and prepared is in strategic planning. By that we mean that most pastors have never
been taught how to see all that they have as resources and use them in methods
and strategies in order to reach their communities. We know the frustration that comes from the deep
burning desire to reach those outside the church with the Gospel that saves,
yet not feeling adequate or having the time to develop the strategy or creating the team and doing the
training needed to reach them. Sadly we all know
sitting there at night thinking I just don’t have the time, money or energy
to do all what God has called me to do.
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StrategiChurch are
pastors with the heart of a missionary or missionaries with the heart of a
pastor who have been trained in prayerfully appraising all that a church has as
its resources, and evaluating the community and its needs. StrategiChurch will walk alongside the
pastor as they plan and develop a “strategy” that fits their unique situation. We will also walk alongside the pastor as
the church and its members are prepared for what must be done. We will also stay alongside you as a
resource and maybe even march with you as the church attacks the “Gates of
Hell.”
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StrategiChurch can
help churches without pastors as a pastoral headhunter by learning the church
and its unique characteristics and then searching for just the right person to
fit the job.
Interim Pastor: Is
a short term position that is filled with someone substituting for an unoccupied ministerial position while the church seeks its long term Pastor. He may be called upon to do light
administrative duties. He is available for weddings and funerals and hospital visitation, and maybe even some counseling with families in their time of need. It might be
his privilege to sit in on various team or committee meetings. He might even be tasked with helping to
train a “pastoral search committee. As this relationship develops over the course of time, often this person may be called upon to remain as the long term pastor.
- As you might imagine Strategichurch does get around and maintains an ever growing contact list and we may be able to help your church find this person in your time of need. Give us a call let's see if we can find you some help.
Transitional Pastor:
Is a pastor serving in the position of senior pastor for a definite amount
of time and for a specific reason.
Generally this reason is to help a church through a particular problem. And the problems can be varied, such as: a
moral failure from the former pastor or maybe even a staff member. Or it could be the sudden unexpected death of
a well-loved pastor, and the church needs a special type of help as they go
through this process of grief. It
might be that the church is on the decline and they can no longer pay the bills,
and for those who are willing to see the truth perhaps they may be able to see
the church’s potential death. A church
that has recently gone through a “split” needs this type of pastor for three
reasons: 1) to heal; 2) to understand what and why it all happened, and 3) what
to do to try and ensure that it won’t happen again. It could be that the church just feels that something
is not quite right. Maybe they do not
understand why they can’t seem to keep a pastor. A transitional pastor is called specifically
to help the church do what is necessary to get back on track, serving Christ
and watching the Kingdom grow. A
transitional pastor prepares the way for a successful permanent pastor, and as a word of warning occasionally this
is a long hard road. The
transitional pastor is never
a candidate for the long term. The
temptation is often there, because deep relationships are always made by pastor
and congregations, but if he was that candidate for the permanent pastorate
then he is limited in doing, teaching and saying what needs to be said, because his focus and vision changes. Here is the honest truth that few want to
admit – almost every church that has a pulpit to be filled really needs this
type of pastor. There is another
article that talks about this, but there are always reasons a pastor
leaves. Most pastors rarely ever tell the complete
truth about why they feel “called” to leave.
Few leave simply to retire, and there are a few scoundrels out there that
are just looking for the next big thing. Sometimes there are family reasons, but although those type situations do exist, they
are rare.
- StrategiChurch trains and mentors transitional pastors.
- Sometimes strategiChurch can provide this type of pastor in your time of need.
Strategic Pastor: Is
a pastor who carefully guides his faithful with a well thought-out plan to grow
the Kingdom of God. Few pastors though
have had the training to do this or the necessary time to accomplish the
appraisal, creating a strategy, preparing for, or implementing this plan if they have had this training. In a
perfect world this pastor is a staff member working alongside the pastor. A missions pastor or missional community pastor would be their title. But there are few “perfect worlds.” When a pastor feels insufficient in this
area he can use the services of a trained experienced strategy consultant, but
most consultants cost big money – a resource that is rarely overflowing and
abundant.
- StategiChurch ministries provides this service by walking the pastor and leadership team through a process of prayerful discovery, planning, preparation and action. StrategiChurch is a ministry called by God to walk beside the pastor and church serving them by wlaking them through this type of appraisal, planning and preparation as they do what God has called them to do. If this is you and your church, then give us a call. We will never ask of you resources that you do not have. Let us see what we can do together for the Kingdom of God.
Strategic Transitional Pastor: Is a pastor called for the specific reason to
lead a church through the change necessary to reach and be relevant in the
community that has changed around them.
This type of pastor will do the work of a pastor. He serves the church much longer than an
interim, and probably just a bit longer than a transitional pastor, because
there is more work to be done. This
type of pastor is much more like a missionary.
He will give it his all, and then he will have the courage when the task
is done to walk on. Of course during
this time he will get very close to the congregation and the community, but he
always knows that he is called to others, and can only stay for a while. StrategiChurch ministries prepares these types of
missionaries that will serve churches that are willing to be revitalized.
- StrategiChurch often can find your church this type of pastor.
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