Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
By
OWEN L. TARANTINO
2009
2
3
By
OWEN L. TARANTINO
A PROJECT/DISSERTATION SUBMITTED
TO THE FACULTY OF
COVENANT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to discover how pastors lead their paid staff toward
mission. Staff teams of churches are larger and lead pastors of churches need to learn how to
more effectively lead their teams if the church is going to accomplish its mission.
This study utilized a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with four pastors
in the Presbyterian Church in America and two pastors from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
The review of literature examined scripture, Christian literature and secular literature, regarding
how leaders lead staff teams. The interviews and analysis of seven lead pastors focused on three
areas: how to build trust, what understanding of relational systems would be helpful in leading a
team and finally, how personal spiritual growth impacts the way lead pastors effectively lead a
Regarding how to build trust, the findings of this study revealed that trust is established
as a leader practices five areas of leadership. These areas are consistency of character,
motivating the team toward a clear vision, developing good communication, mutual accountability
and building an atmosphere of authentic joy. Additionally, during the interviews it was uncovered
that it was often through difficult situations that church staff teams were strengthened and trust
was built.
Regarding the importance of understanding of relational systems, the findings reveal that
this is vital for effective leaders to understand relational systems. The literature and the research
showed how complex associations and connections need to be taken into account by leaders if
This study concluded that the spiritual health and vitality are essential for lead pastors to
be effective. The literature and the interviews demonstrated that leaders who are effective at
leading staff teams have consistent and vital times in bible study and prayer. The leaders
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... x
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my family for helping me through this course of study.
My wife, Melissa has encouraged me every step of the way. My children, Laura,
Alysse and Trent have been patient and loving in this pursuit. Their love, grace
Presbyterian Church and the other staff have provided for me this great opportunity to learn and
grow. I am thankful for the time of study that was granted to me and the help along the way.
Bob Burns, my advisor has also been a great encourager to me during this dissertation
writing. I could not have done this project without you, Bob. Thank you!
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973,
In his book Real Leadership, Dean Williams states, “All groups must
maintain their sense of mission and core values if they are to survive.”1 The
ability to keep any organization consistent in carrying out its mission and faithful
organization. This study seeks to understand the important role a leader can play
in keeping paid staff teams focused on their mission within a church team
context.
Paid church staff teams are difficult to lead for a variety of reasons. There
are spiritual, relational, strategic, and cultural challenges that church staff team
and Barry Posner highlight the challenges faced by leaders as they lead people
the mission as they seek to understand what their community needs within their
1
Dean Williams, Real Leadership : Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest
Challenges (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2005),150.
2
The Bible makes it clear that God blesses and values good leadership. In
1 Timothy 5:17, the Apostle Paul says, “The elders who direct the affairs of the
church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is
verse, it honors God and grows His Kingdom. Effective leadership is essential if
Don MacNair states this truth in his book on leadership, “For a church to
only a few keys to being a church that God blesses.”4 However, what does it
mean to have “healthy leadership?” What definition of the term “healthy” needs to
example, Acts 6 shows the development of the leadership team in the New
leadership, and the leaders restructured their focus so that they would maximize
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be
right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on
tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be
full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’
2
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge, 3rd ed. (San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2002), 33.
3
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV).
4
Donald J. MacNair and Esther L. Meek, The Practices of a Healthy Church : Biblical Strategies
for Vibrant Church Life and Ministry (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P&R Pub., 1999), 107.
3
crisis in the church and moved the ministry forward. This example of leadership
in the church reminds all leaders of the important responsibilities they carry.
Williams compares and contrasts what he calls “real” and “counterfeit” leadership
in this way:
identify and face the challenges of their organization. These leadership strategies
The church also needs “real” leaders who are able to lead staff teams
striking news:
5
Williams, Real Leadership, ix
4
This study is a response to the need for leaders to be gripped with the
calling to lead their church from a place of decline to a place of growth and
mission. If church leaders can understand how to build trust, gain better insight
into their own church team system, and continue to grow spiritually, they will be
able to lead more effectively in the mission to which God has called them.
How can pastors lead paid staff church teams toward their calling and
mission? How do lead pastor develop trust in teams, understand the systemic
dynamics that impact teams, and implement spiritual growth principles that focus
teams toward their mission? Pastors need to develop the ability to lead teams so
All pastors who lead paid staff teams need to learn how to more effectively
lead their teams.7 Therefore, the purpose of this study was to research how
experienced and effective church team leaders motivate their paid staff teams
toward mission. In order to address the purpose of this study, the following
1. What are best practices for team leaders to build trust within a church staff
team?
3. What personal spiritual growth principles enable team leaders to lead from
a foundation of grace?
6
Christine Wicker, “The Great Evangelical Decline” June 3, 2008
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-wicker [author of The Fall of the Evangelical Nation: The
Surprising Crisis Inside the Church].
7
Alan J. Roxburgh, Fred Romanuk, and Leadership Network (Dallas Tex.), The Missional
Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass,
2006), 10.
5
a leader of a staff team. The way that I lead and seek to build trust within my
team has directly impacted the team’s effectiveness in accomplishing its mission.
The more I have understood the dynamics of our team unit – with all of its
spoken and unspoken influences – the better I have been able to steer my team
toward action. I have also observed that the more I grow spiritually and help
others to grow, the more we are able to accomplish what God calls us to do.
ministry context, there are staff members not in tune with the mission of the
church. There is also a growing personal frustration and a host of challenges that
I face as I try to navigate my team toward our mission. This study has been a
There are three broad areas of significance that this study sought to
address for lead pastors as they seek to become more effective leaders of their
paid staff team. The leadership challenges addressed for lead pastors are: the
responsibilities that they face; the frustration that is often found in leadership
roles; and finally, the difficulty leaders face to effectively lead their paid staff team
toward a specific mission. In addition to the significant that this study has for lead
pastors, it is also has significance for those who are members of staff teams. The
importance for staff team members was also discussed in this study.
6
challenges. He says:
team leaders. Many pastors find themselves in difficult church settings where
they are leading and developing a large staff. It is common for pastors to be
courage.”10 John Kotter says, “Leadership is a hot topic today because people in
corporations, institutions, and congregations are trying to figure out what their
organizations need from them.”11 Pastors who lead paid staff teams face these
types of challenges. These lead pastors need to learn and grow in effective team
8
Ronald W. Richardson, Becoming a Healthier Pastor: Family Systems Theory and the Pastor’s
Own Family, Pastoral Care and Counseling Series (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 1-2.
9
Out of the many examples drawn from the literature on this topic two resources are noted for
further study. They are: The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero and Warren Bird and
The Missional Leader by Alan J. Roxburgh and Gred Romanuk
10
Ronald A. Heifetz and Martin Linsky, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the
Dangers of Leading (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002), 10.
11
John P. Kotter, Leading Change (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996), 17.
7
The authors of The Leader’s Journey say, “The first step toward mature
system affect each other.”12 Leadership skills and insights are crucial to team
dynamics and cohesiveness. Without these skills, leaders will face a life of
frustrations and setbacks. Leadership frustration robs the team of its ability to
function well, and the team is often unable to accomplish its goals. It is crucial
In the preface of one work on the challenges faced by pastors, the authors
state,
One work on leadership compares the challenges faced by Sir Ernest Shackleton
on his 1914 voyage to the Antarctic with modern day leadership issues. The
author speaks about how difficult it is for leaders to remain optimistic when faced
with difficult changes. He says, “Many people may have a difficult time identifying
with Shackleton’s boundless optimism, and his enthusiastic belief that things
12
Jim Herrington, R. Robert Creech, and Trish Taylor, The Leader's Journey : Accepting the Call
to Personal and Congregational Transformation (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003), 49.
8
would somehow work out in the end…(but) before you can instill optimism in
Pastors are often depressed and hopeless about the course of their
ministries. What often results is unwillingness for pastors to effectively lead their
paid staff teams and even their volunteer teams. In recent years it has become
this subject, one author says, “The clergy today faces mounting challenges in an
attract the best and the brightest young Americans to the ministry.”16 He then
quotes the pollster George Barna, who calls ministry “one of the most frustrated
recruit and maintain paid and volunteer teams. Within the church setting, an
underdeveloped paid staff team means an inability for the church to reach its
calling or mission.
Significance for Lead Pastors: Those Facing Difficulty in Leading Paid Staff
Teams Toward Mission
Pastors must develop their ability to lead their teams toward mission if
13
Richard Stoll Armstrong and Kirk W. Morledge, Help! I'm a Pastor! : A Guide to Parish Ministry
(Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), ix.
14
Dennis N. T. Perkins, Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of
Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition (New York: Amacom, 2000), 42.
15 nd
Harry Westing, Church Staff Handbook: How to Build an Effective Ministry Team, 2 ed.
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1997), 70.
16
Larry Witham, Who Shall Lead Them?: The Future of Ministry in America (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2005), 2.
17
Ibid.
18
Kenneth H. Blanchard, W. Alan Randolph, and Peter Grazier, Go Team!: Take Your Team to
the Next Level (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler), 5-11.
9
difficult to effectively lead paid staff teams toward mission. The authors of The
An effective leader – one who can galvanize individuals and groups, and
who has the potential to help transform society – is a person who has the
capacity to know and do the right things. Easy to say, perhaps, but not so
easy to do. For most of us, effective leadership is a learned skill.19
As pointed out above, the task of leading any team toward specific mission is a
leadership development and to be aware how to best find, train, and develop
formation.21
ways, but leading nonetheless.”22 This study will help team members become
more unified, effective, and focused on mission. The study will identify behaviors
19
Herrington, The Leader's Journey, xv.
20
Chuck Miller, The Spiritual Formation of Leaders: Integrating Spirituality and Leadership
Development (Xulon Press, 2007), 5.
21
Ibid.
10
and practices that often are missing from the team. Team members will
understand that their spiritual growth will allow them to more effectively impact
This is highlighted in the introduction of a book on how to take your team to the
There is significance for team members to understand how they best can
team members need to learn behaviors and practices that promote unity and
effectiveness.
Summary: Significance
The significance of this study has been to help pastors as they lead paid
staff teams toward mission. It has been stated above that leaders face many
effectively lead their teams toward mission. This study has set out to address
these concerns for lead pastors. In order to address these concerns, pastors who
lead paid staff teams must understand how to build trust among members of their
team, how the team operates systemically, and how they as lead pastors, need
22
Chris Lowney, Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That
Changed the World (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2003), 17.
23
Blanchard, Go Team!, 1.
11
Some pastors excel at leading paid staff teams and developing ministries
within a team context. They easily develop trust and have keen insight into their
staff team dynamics. Some pastors may also focus on personal growth and
development of their inner spiritual life. This study has investigated those who
succeed in these areas, and it has identified some of the practices that build
effective teams.
Churches, like any organization needs teams that function well – as they
address the complex challenges of the world. Unified church teams honor God
evangelism. It is anticipated that this study is not only significant for lead pastors
but also for team members. As mentioned above, team members need to learn
Definition of Terms
Lead Pastor – a pastor serving a local church with responsibilities of leading and
developing a paid staff team
24
Roxburgh, The Misional Leader, xv.
12
Paid Staff Team – key ministry leaders within a church responsible for particular
ministry area(s) and who are compensated by the church for their
work.
Biblical Christianity – those who follow the belief that the bible is inerrant and
true. Those who follow this view teach in the actual life (including
the true virgin birth and the miracles of Christ), death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
25
Heifetz, Leadership on the Line, 14-15.
26
Ibid.
13
The purpose of this study was to research how experienced and effective
team leaders motivate their paid staff teams toward mission. To that end,
examination was done on selected available literature, both biblical and secular,
on the issue of leadership, with the intent of discovering how the principles and
literature review emphasis was placed on the overlapping ideas brought out in
the books and how these ideas are reflected in actual practice in different
leadership situations.
“The best leaders get to live on,” claims the opening line in a recent book
Think for a moment about the leaders you respect – whether they lead
countries, organizations, communities, or families – who continue to live
on because of the way they have shaped your thoughts and beliefs. Even
though you may not notice it in the moment, the most effective leaders
forever alter the course of your life.28
There are many books, tapes, articles, and blogs available that attempt to
shape the view of effective leadership. Selection of the literature in this review
was made to locate sources that seek to instruct readers on how to lead
effectively and have a lasting impact on those they lead. In particular, literature
was selected that connect with leadership situations within a church setting.
27
Tom Rath, Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow (New
York: Gallup Press, 2009), 1.
28
Ibid.
14
leadership in his book How to Break Growth Barriers. In this work, published in
1993, the author says, “An effective leader accomplishes the work through
others. The task is too great for one person. It is more important for the leader of
The literature review that follows shows that the mission of a church will only be
Overview
The literature indicates that if church staff teams are going to accomplish
their mission, leaders need to grow in three main areas.30 First, staff team
leaders need to understand how to motivate their team by building trust. This
literature review demonstrates how important it is for a leader to have the trust of
the team in order to be effective. One author says, “Trust plays an important part
interested in influence for your personal benefit rather than for organizational
the currency used to effectively lead according to Allan Cohen and David
Bradford. The literature shows that this is true for the corporate world as well as
29
Carl F. George and Warren Bird, How to Break Growth Barriers: Capturing Overlooked
Opportunities for Church Growth (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993), 23.
30
This is seen in many books on leadership. For example, in the introduction of The Leader’s
Journey by Jim Herrington, Robert Creech and Trisha Taylor, the authors say that we need to
look at leadership in a different way. They point to at least three distinct sections of study for
effective leaders – the first section speaks of the problems leaders face, the second section
speaks of the call to personal transformation and the third section they examine the “inside-out
process” at work in leadership situations (pages xvi & xvii).
15
In this book, you learn about living systems: a different way of thinking
about leadership that each of us encountered in recent years, and that
changed how we see our role as leaders…Leadership recognizing that a
group of people is actually a living system requires a different way of
thinking.32
Leaders need a new “way of thinking” that will help them understand their
leaders. This literature review will show evidence that a good understanding of
team dynamics is central to the way a leader leads and ultimately to the impact a
Third, the literature says that leaders need to understand and implement
spiritual growth principles for themselves and for their team members if they are
going to be effective in leading their paid staff teams. One author describes the
31
Allan R. Cohen and David L. Bradford, Influence without Authority (New York: J. Wiley, 1990),
23.
32
Herrington, The Leaders’ Journey, xvi.
33
See Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church; Heifetz and Linsky, Leadership on the Line;
Herrington, Creech and Taylor, The Leader’s Journey; Richardson, Creating a Healthier Church;
Gilbert, Extraordinary Leadership.
34
Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church, 20.
16
The literature will show that a leader who is spiritually healthy and growing in a
dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ will lead their team better.35
be present in order for leaders to develop trust in their staff team. First, the
Second, leaders must understand clearly their mission. Third, in order for the
team to develop trust between the team members and the leader, there must be
leader and the team members. Finally, for teams to experience trust, the
literature shows how authentic joy needs to be fostered and promoted by the key
leader.37 The following pages will discuss some of the places in the literature
Those who study and write about leadership claim that, at a foundational
level, leading effectively involves building trust. For example, Patrick Lencioni
says, “Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. Without it,
ingredient to build an effective, growing team that is striving toward their mission.
35
See Miller, The Spiritual Formation of Leaders; Kahl, Leading from the Heart; Peterson, The
Contemplative Pastor; Blanchard, The Heart of a Leader.
36
see Lee Iococca’s, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
37
Many of these principles can be seen in James Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge and Dean
Williams, Real Leadership.
38
Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2002), 195.
17
In a study of more than fifty thousand churches, Thom S. Rainer also cites
that effective leaders are those able to build trust within their team. Rainer
reports that only a few of the churches could be considered growing and
impactful. He identified several factors for growth, including the role of the senior
authors of the book Strengths Based Leadership say, “It seems that followers
have a very clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential
leaders in their lives: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.”40 Trust is the first
and Conchie.41
The following review show that in the literature on leadership at least five
The five areas that are mentioned above as vital for building trust begin
with consistency of character. In the literature we see how people want to follow
authors report: “In almost every survey we’ve conducted, honesty has been
39
Thom S. Rainer, Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2005), 30.
40
Rath, Strengths Based Leadership, 82.
41
Ibid, 82-85.
18
selected more often than any other leadership characteristic; overall, it emerges
character. The opening of the book The Ascent of a Leader says: “Character –
the inner world of motives and values that shapes our actions – is the ultimate
leadership is not just about what we do, but about why we do it.44 Leaders’
motives and inner life are important and will ultimately shape the way they lead
and how we are perceived by others. The authors of The Ascent of a Leader call
trust the “The first rung” of being an effective leader.45 They say that team
members are willing to follow because they believe that the leaders’ inner
motives are for their good and for the good of the others.46
remarks, “Before a great team is built, however, the trust of the people who
would join it must be earned. Of course, trust is the bedrock of any interpersonal
between leaders and their teams?”47 Kahl describes the way that leaders need to
examine many areas of their inner life – or character – if they are going to build
42
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 32.
43
Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrath, The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary
Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence (San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass
Publishers, 1999), 1.
44
Ibid.
45
Ibid, 61-74.
46
Ibid, 63-64.
47
Jack Kahl and Tom Donelan, Leading from the Heart: Choosing to Be a Servant Leader
(Westlake, OH: Jack Kahl and Associates, 2004), 13.
19
Leadership on the Line by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. They discuss the
difficulties that leaders face in making change in a community, saying that such
courage.”48 To face the issues and challenges that exist within an organization,
Heifetz and Linsky emphasize that lasting change can only be accomplished by
leaders who are strong and effective, dealing courageously with the difficult
qualities is that more than anything, people want to follow leaders who are
say, “An effective leader—one who can galvanize individuals and groups, and
who has the potential to help transform society—is a person who has the
48
Heifetz, Leadership on the Line, 10.
49
Ibid, 13.
50
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 37.
20
clearly the mission of their organization. For example, one author affirms this by
stating, “All groups must maintain their sense of mission and core values if they
are to survive.”53 Authors use different words to describe the concept of mission.
Bill Hybels says, “These days so much is being written about the technical
distinctions between vision, mission, and purpose that some leaders feel
To avoid this kind of mess, leaders should remember this simple rule.
When a leader is casting vision publicly, the goal is to help people know,
understand, and remember the ‘main thing.’ Call it vision, purpose,
mission, or whatever. But people better be able to walk away saying, ‘I
know the main thing.’55
The responsibility for a team to know the “main thing” or the mission is the
trust are noted in other works. For example, according to Kouzes and Posner:
51
Herrington, The Leader’s Journey, xv.
52
Ibid, 6-8.
53
Williams, Real Leadership, 150.
54
Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 44.
55
Ibid, 45.
21
As this statement shows, if trust is going to be built, leaders need the ability to
“Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we
devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and
service is not only for an individual but for the growth and impact of the Kingdom
of God. He claims that “The call of Jesus runs counter to all these modern trends
Guinness, in order to develop trust on a team, lead pastors need to know how to
Other literature studied also indicates that in order to build trust, church
leaders need to relate their mission to the call of following Christ. According to
Chuck Miller, as lead pastors understand and articulate a clear vision rooted in
56
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 33.
57
Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Nashville,
Tenn.: Word, 1998), 29.
58
Ibid, 96.
59
Ibid.
22
When we come and follow Jesus in response to His invitation, we are not
following after a goal, an enterprise, a vision, a mission, or a job
description. We are following a Person, the Person Jesus, and our
following is all about a developing, ongoing, lifelong relationship with Him.
Passion and vision are of value, but their value is secondary to our focus
on Christ.60
church – not in a dogmatic way, but in a way that flows out of a relationship with
Christ. According to Miller, Lead pastors who lead from these principles are able
to develop trust on their teams by guiding others in the mission of the church.61
Dan Allender also speaks of the importance for leaders to understand the
The purpose of all life is to present every person mature in Christ. Each
human being is meant to become like Jesus – and to mark others’ lives
with a beauty that draws them to Jesus. The scope of that calling is so
enormous as to be beyond comprehension. It means subsuming every
dimension of life from how I eat and drink to how I vote under that one
goal.62
Allender claims that every leader needs to be able to lead from this
foundation and calling of helping others grow in Christ. He says that clearly the
stakes are high, if leaders do not clearly understand their mission, there will be a
This is also reflected in a work by George Morrow. He says, “If men don’t
have a vision of what God is doing in a church, they will not invest themselves.
60
Miller, The Spiritual Formation of Leaders, 67.
61
Ibid.
62
Dan B. Allender, Leading with a Limp: Turning Your Struggles into Strengths, (Colorado
Springs: Waterbrook Press, 2006), 144.
63
Ibid.
23
They will see it as a club, not a cause.”64 The above literature shows us the
According to the literature, leaders need to clearly articulate and lead their
environment. The literature points out that if organizations are to move forward,
they need leaders who clearly have their mission in mind and who call others
toward action and change. Kouzes and Posner assert in The Leadership
Challenge:
Call it what you want – vision, purpose, mission, legacy, dream, aspiration,
calling, or personal agenda – the point is the same. If we are going to be
catalytic leaders in life, we have to be able to imagine a positive future.
When we envision the future we want for ourselves and others, and when
we feel passionate about the legacy we want to leave, then we are much
more likely to take that first step forward.65
This work states that leaders build trust by growing in their ability to understand
One of the primary responsibilities of the senior pastor is to see that the
mission is being accomplished. I believe that this is an aspect of what Paul
meant in 1 Timothy 5:17 when he described elders as those ‘who direct
the affairs of the church,’ which involves recruiting and training the best
staff possible along with adopting the best methods to see that the church
realizes its mission (ministry means). The board must see that the senior
pastor accomplishes this.66
64
David Murrow, Why Men Hate Going to Church (Nashville: Nelson, 2005) 159.
65
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 105.
66
Aubrey Malphurs, Leading Leaders: Empowering Church Boards for Ministry Excellence
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005), 41.
24
According to Maphurs, in order to develop trust, lead pastors must ensure that
their church is accomplishing the mission before them.67 This is done, through
The literature has shown that trust is built as leaders clearly understand
their mission. Furthermore, the literature has shown that understanding the
communication if they are going to build trust on their team. For example, one
communication during meetings. Patrick Lencioni wrote an entire book about how
says,
within both their group and individual meetings, directly relates to the leaders
67
Ibid, 40.
68
Patrick Lencioni, Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable-- About Solving the Most Painful
Problem in Business (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004), 253.
25
The way leaders regulate and communicate about their own emotions and the
Research in the field of emotion has yielded keen insights into not only
how to measure the impact of a leader’s emotions but also how the best
leaders have found effective ways to understand and improve the way
they handle their own and other people’s emotions. Understanding the
powerful role of emotions in the workplace sets the best leaders apart
from the rest.71
effective communication creates empathy. In their book First Break All the Rules,
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman have a pertinent discussion about “What
Great Managers Do.” They say that managers are able to ask and understand
69
Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, Primal Leadership : Realizing the
Power of Emotional Intelligence (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002), 3.
70
Ibid, 162.
26
indication of how effectively the team will meet the challenges it faces. According
to the authors, this will promote the growth of trust with those in authority over the
team.73
emotions.75
71
Ibid, 4-5.
72
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest
Managers Do Differently (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), 59.
73
Ibid, 59-61.
74
David Caruso and Peter Salovey, The Emotionally Intelligent Manager: How to Develop and
Use the Four Key Emotional Skills of Leadership (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004), 40.
75
Ibid.
27
every day. Get to know your people…Great leaders don’t wait for people to come
to them. They go to them.”76 Good leaders, according to Behar are proactive and
find ways to communicate with their teams. This personal commitment to the
trust within a team. In his book about how to build team leadership he states:
In order for leadership to build trust, the literature claims that there must
76
Howard Behar and Janet Goldstein, It's Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life
at Starbucks (New York: Portfolio, 2007), 151.
77
Ibid.
78
Blanchard, Go Team!, 27.
28
Lencioni goes on to describe the type of accountably that is helpful for a team.
He says, “A good way to make it easier for team members to hold one another
accountable is to clarify publicly exactly what the team needs to achieve, who
needs to deliver what, and how everyone must behave in order to succeed. The
For many leaders [there] is a deep sense of isolation and loneliness that
comes with realizing that others will never understand them or richly enjoy
them…All leaders are lonely, but few are lonely for good reasons. The
phrase ‘It is lonely at the top’ is true, but it doesn’t distinguish legitimate
loneliness from self-inflicted isolations. There is a fine line between the
two.82
leaders because they are often in situations where there is great isolation and no
especially in church situations and work against isolation if they are going to be
trustworthy.
79
Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, 212.
80
Ibid, 214.
81
Ibid, 215.
82
Allender, Leading with a Limp, 111.
29
S. Rainer, “The leaders of the breakout churches don’t mind accountability. But
micromanaged. And they don’t micromanage the people who work with them.”83
goals and vision. The process of developing mutual accountability and oversight
and yet too few churches and individuals have accountability structures in place
that are capable of producing fruit that lasts”85 In his section on administration
and accountability, he reports that most church leaders are not part of a structure
evaluation” and says, “The assessment and evaluation process begins with your
own personal disciplines, similar to what I have shared above. But it does not
end there. Leaders need others in their sphere of influence to offer them honest
input into their lives.”86 He goes on to describe three different forms of evaluation
“the assessment and evaluation of the senior pastor and any staff
members employed by the church is a must. If you do not have a structure
in place to do so, I urge you to act swiftly to correct this situation.
Everyone benefits from meaningful assessment and evaluation.”87
According to the Macchia, the benefits from mutual this type of mutual
83
Rainer, Breakout Churches, 102.
84
Ibid.
85
Stephen A. Macchia, Becoming a Healthy Church: 10 Characteristics (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1999), 170.
86
Ibid, 173.
87
Ibid, 174-175.
30
The above literature reviewed underscores the reality that teams need
important that team leaders do not isolate themselves from accountability. The
team will trust the team leader more if there is mutual accountability.
The literature reviewed for this study show how team members who
experience authentic joy trust their leaders more. For example, one author
claims, “Employees who are having fun at work might well be exhibiting the
single most important trait of highly effective and successful organizations.”88 The
Pastor Bill Hybels. Pastor Hybels states that he only hires people whom he
likes.89 He describes the way he builds his team: “[I was counseled] never to
invite a person onto my team who doesn’t have a positive emotional effect on me
building a team where there is authentic joy present. He further claims that too
often, church-based teams do not hire those who fit best relationally within the
disconnected from their team and trust is lost.91 Conversely, those teams who
enjoy being together, according to Hybels, have a high level of joy and trust.92
88
Anne Bruce and James S. Pepitone, Motivating Employees A Briefcase Book (New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1999), 89.
89
Bill Hybels, “Church Leadership Conference.” Lecture, Willowcreek Church, South Barrington,
IL, April 4, 1999
90
Hybels, Courageous Leadership, 84.
91
Ibid.
92
Ibid, 84-90.
31
This book highlights the need for those serving in leadership positions to trust
God to bring about great things in the church – including joy. Rainer helps
leaders understand that part of the role of leadership is direct their team to
encouraging passages like Hebrews 11. As team leaders remind their team of
those who had great faith, Rainer says confidence and joy will be produced
within a team. This joy will promote a level of trust on the team.
Rainer continues the discussion about joy and fun on a team later in his
book. He says, “Leaders were passionately serious about the work to which God
has called them. But they did not believer that serious ministry and fun were
joy…Purpose in their lives and ministries engendered joy, fun, and laughter.”94
Rainer also points to Jim Collins work titled Good to Great where Jim states, “it
was striking to hear [the good-to-great leaders] talk about the transition era, for
no matter how dark the days or how big the tasks, these people had fun!”95
Rainer noted that this same observation was confirmed in his research as he
talked with key leaders of church ministries – that joy was an essential ingredient
93
Rainer, Breakout Churches, 85.
94
Ibid, 108.
95
Ibid, 107.
32
The literature showed that joy is an important part of team dynamics. With
joy, the literature says, there will be trust and effectiveness on teams.
Conversely, a lack of joy produces distrust and disunity among team members.
were several elements identified in building trust. First, the literature said that the
understand clearly their mission. Third, in order for the team to develop trust
between the team members and the leader, there must be effective
and the team members. Finally, for teams to experience trust, the literature
showed how authentic joy needs to be fostered and promoted by the key leader.
The review demonstrated that pastors who lead paid staff teams must
develop trust in order to be effective in their leadership role. This study of the
pertinent literature showed us the five areas of trust and how leaders who grow in
these five areas build trust within their teams. The materials also showed that
leaders who are able to build trust are considered to be effective in their
leadership.
understanding of relational systems of their teams. Pastors who direct paid staff
will be more effective in their leadership as they understand the systems that
The literature claims that those who are effective in leading teams have a
great sense of understanding relational systems that exist within their team.
Edwin Friedman claims that system theory, or what is sometimes called “family
theory,” has great significance for the leadership of the church. He says, “Family
theory can be applied to all work systems, depending primarily on two factors:
(1) the degree of emotional interdependency in that relationship system and (2)
the extent to which its business is ‘life’”96 Friedman directly applies this to a
church setting and says, “Of all work systems, however, the one that functions
most like a family is the church or synagogue.”97 The author writes how church
systems parallels family systems and he impresses the importance for leaders to
understand the dynamics of family systems and to apply this to the church.
The literature indicates two ways leaders need to understand how their
In his book How Your Church Family Works, Peter Steinke explains the
says:
96
Edwin H. Friedman, Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue (New
York: Guilford Press, 1985), 197.
97
Ibid.
34
The literature above shows the importance of lead pastors understanding the
relational system that they engage in if lead pastors are going to effectively lead
Other literature reviewed claimed that within every community and team,
there are “invisible and unconscious” processes that work to promote or hinder
the group’s goals.99 Author Aubrey Malphurs says that staff team leaders must
lead his staff team. Since the church is an “emotional unit,”100 it is important to
perspective. He says,
98
Peter L. Steinke, How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional
Systems (Herndon, Va.: Alban Institute, 2006), xiv.
99
Ibid.
100
Malphurs, Leading Leaders, xvi.
101
Peter Scazzero and Warren Bird, The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship
That Actually Changes Lives (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 37.
35
Scazzero emphasizes that if Pastors are not leading with an understanding of the
“relational system” that is around them; they will face many dangers and thus
Part of that courage, Malphurs points out, is the ability to see your church and
your staff team for who they are and how they function. As lead pastors do this
In the book How Your Church Family Works, Peter L. Steinke addresses
how leaders are to think of their church as a “system.” He says, “The concepts
portrayed in system thinking offer us means through which to make visible and
specific what is unseen and confusing.”103 He goes on to point out that leaders
need to think about “human interactions” in a new way to build their “awareness”
of what is healthy and what is not healthy within our church system.104 Steninke
emphasizes the need for lead pastors to understand the dynamics of their teams
But if you want to harness the power inherent in a living system, if you
desire to grow in the capacity to lead without compromising your
102
Malphurs, Leading Leaders, 57.
103
Steinke How Your Church Family Works, xv. [Comments from author of paper: This is an
awkward sentence – but a direct quote from the book.]
104
Ibid.
36
According to Herrington, leaders are to see the world anew. They are to see what
says,
the cultural, the structural (who has what offices and performs what jobs),
Richardson points out that “it is the emotional system that is the most difficult to
detect and to understand, let alone to try to change.”108 The author also says that
of their team and know the difficulties that exist within their team.
105
Herrington, The Leader’s Journey, 47.
106
Ronald W. Richardson, Creating a Healthier Church: Family Systems Theory, Leadership, and
Congregational Life Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling Series (Minneapolis: Fortress Press,
1996), 26.
107
Ibid, 29.
108
Ibid.
37
systems that exist within the church and their part in influencing these systems.
He says, “It is essential that leaders in a church be aware of how the emotional
system operates in their own congregation. They need to be aware of the part
they play in the emotional system and how they can become a more constructive
The literature studied offered insights into the understanding of how the
church works together as a system that is filled with anxiety. Steinke comments
about how leaders can help understand and stabilize an anxious system, Steinke
says:
understanding and stabilizing their system so that the community is able to move
109
Ibid.
110
Peter L. Steinke, Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous
No Matter What (Herndon, Va.: Alban Institute, 2006), 34.
38
between leadership effectiveness and the ability for leaders to understand and
A key part of leadership, according to Friedman, is the ability leaders have to see
their system and not respond with anxiety when faced with the need for change.
questions as why the church family resists change and how a church staff team
Malphurs also says that leaders should understand their role in bringing change
Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky reference the role of anxiety and change
when they speak of change as loss. They say, “people don’t resist change, per
understand that team members resist adaptive change because it confronts them
with loss. Most teams, according to this work, will welcome technical changes,
but resist leaders who bring about new solutions to problems organizations
111
Friedman, Generation to Generation, 2-3.
112
Malphurs, Leading Leaders, 62-64.
113
Ibid, 65-66;122.
114
Heifetz, Leadership on the Line, 11.
39
face.115 Effective leaders, according to these authors, are those who are able to
The literature has shown that leaders must overcome anxiety and be able
to bring about change within their team. The books cited have shown us that this
leaders.
understand how systems work within a church culture. In specific, the literature
directed toward business leaders and lead pastors reflects the need for all who
their team. According to the literature, leaders need to gain greater understand of
how their teams work relationally and emotionally. Leaders also need to address
how anxiety and change work within a team setting if they are going to be
effective leaders.
Next, the literature selected for this study demonstrated that personal
spiritual growth is important for effective leadership. The following discussion will
accompanied by personal spiritual growth. In specific there were two areas that
were uncovered in the literature which produce spiritual growth. These areas are:
115
Ibid, 11-15.
40
the practice of prayer and reflection and the development true humility as leaders
face struggles and difficulties. These areas of spiritual growth were studied in this
review.
can be deadly---to yourself, your relationship with God, and the people around
you.”116 This author writes that emotionally healthy leadership practices are vital,
not only for the continued growth of the team, but also for the ongoing spiritual
health of the leader. Scazzero claims that it is both vital and difficult for a leader
developing their spiritual walk with Christ. However, these authors claim that
says,
116
Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash a Revolution in Your Life in Christ
(Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2006), 7.
117
Herrington, The Leaders Journey, 5.
41
The central question is, Are the leaders of the future truly men and women
of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God’s presence, to listen
to God’s voice, to look at God’s beauty, to touch God’s incarnate Word
and to taste fully God’s infinite goodness?118
spirituality. Throughout his many writings, he claims that to lead any spiritual
The literature says that leaders need to exercise leadership in the church
Chuck Miller says that true biblical leadership comes only within a framework of a
vital walk with Christ and that spiritual growth is vital for every leader. He states,
Miller’s work helps leaders see the invitation to a deeper spiritual life, if
they are going to lead effectively. The process of maturing in Christ directly
118
Henri J. M. Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (New York:
Crossroad, 1989), 29-30.
119
Ibid, 45-51.
120
Ibid, 31.
121
Miller, The Spiritual Formation of Leaders, 36.
42
impacts the ability to lead, according to Miller. He says effective Christian leaders
According to these authors, discovering how leaders can develop the inside
spiritual life is essential to their walk with Christ and effectiveness as a leader of
ministry teams.
Richard Lovelace places great importance on prayer for leaders who need
In Lovelace’s work, we see that prayer and spiritual growth are an essential part
The literature also points out that true spiritual health requires some
122
Ibid, 63-70.
123
See Larry Crabb, Inside Out and Gordon MacDonald, Ordering Your Private World.
124
Herrington, The Leaders Journey, 12-13.
125
Richard F. Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal
(Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1979), 146.
43
“The good news is that everyone has the capacity to cultivate these leadership
them.”126 True spiritual health will require self-reflection and time needed for
personal understanding.
with Christ.
The literature has shown that personal spiritual growth comes about
The need for a leader to take these steps points to another important
quality that a leader must possess – humility. This quality has been discussed in
Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, where he speaks of a “level five leadership
Leading from good to great does not mean coming up with the answers
and then motivating everyone to follow your messianic vision. It means
having the humility to grasp the fact that you do not yet understand
126
Lowney, Heroic Leadership, 96.
127
Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, 31.
44
enough to have the answers and then to ask the questions that will lead to
the best possible insights.128
leaderships. You can avoid pride only if you recognize that you’re human and the
The literature studied claims that effective leaders are maturing in their
spiritual health through the myriad of struggles that are before them. Lead
pastors integrate their knowledge and practice of Christian principles with their
“To lead is to struggle”130, says the author if the insightful work titled
change, moving people from one point to another, from the old way of doing
things to new, from the security in the past to the insecurity in the future.”131 He
disciples.”132 To learn from conflict as we lead, takes great humility and security
leadership, asking leaders to consider the following; “we can seek and learn from
him [Jesus] [to find] answers to such questions as these: Is my inner security firm
128
James C. Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap-- and Others Don't
(New York: HarperBusiness, 2001), 75.
129
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 347.
130
Leighton Ford, Transforming Leadership: Jesus’ Way of Creating Vision, Shaping Values &
Empowering Change (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1991), 251.
131
Ibid.
45
in Christ, so that my own inner conflicts are being resolved?”133 Ford points out
that the spiritually growing leader is secure enough to find his security and hope
in Christ as he humbly leads through conflict – as God changes him and grows
him as a leader.
This literature identifies both the practices and the benefits that come to
leaders as they develop spiritual health and growth. It has shown that leaders
grow spiritually through the practice of prayer and reflection, living a life of true
humility and in the midst of struggles and difficulties. According to the literature
The purpose of this chapter was to review literature to discover how the
principles and practices of effective leaders can be applied to the church setting.
The review of selected resources has provided insight into the importance of
effective leadership and has shown how vital effective leadership is for the
growth of any team. If leaders are going to accomplish the mission before them,
the literature has shown that leaders will need to build trust, understand the
dynamics of their team from a systems perspective, and become leaders who are
growing spiritually.
The next chapter will provide a description of the study that was
conducted with lead pastors to uncover best practices in leading staff team
toward mission. The next chapter will also provide a description of the design and
132
Ibid, 268.
133
Ibid, 271.
46
implementation of the interviews that were conducted with those who lead paid
staff teams.
47
The purpose of this study was to research how experienced and effective
church team leaders motivate their paid staff teams toward mission. In order to
address the purpose of this study, the following research questions were
explored:
1. What are best practices for team leaders to build trust within a church staff
team?
3. What personal spiritual growth principles enable team leaders to lead from
a foundation of grace?
This chapter outlines the method that was used to examine these questions.
describing the world of human experience.”134 Data was gathered through the
participants’ words and interactions. The researcher then analyzed the interview
data received from the participants’ points of view. Qualitative research assumes
that time will be spent with experts in a particular area of study who can share
covering several forms of inquiry that help us understand and explain the
134
Sharan B. Merriam, Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009), 1.
48
possible.”135 This type of study employs methods that are used to study cultures
seeks to uncover the essence of that experience, and takes into account
discussed openly.
information gleaned from the research interviews was evaluated, the researcher
The qualitative approach was selected for this study because it allowed
framework of transferable principles to guide other pastors who lead teams. The
dynamics and see relational systems at work. The researcher gained insight into
the experiences of others and applied those insights to situations that others
face.
Sample Selection
Participants were selected from a pool of church staff team leaders who
have been effective in one or more of the areas of church staff team leadership.
135
Ibid, 5.
49
Through the use of published statistical data from the Presbyterian Church in
conversations with respected leaders in the PCA, participants from both the PCA
America and two lead pastors selected from the Evangelical Presbyterian
participants were seminary professors and other PCA church leaders who are
churches of this size typically have more paid staff. These pastors lead a paid
staff team of at least three full-time staff pastoral staff involved in leading ministry
All participants selected have served in their ministry position for at least
three years. This criteria was used because leaders needed to be established in
Participants selected for this study came from different areas of the
country and represent differing styles of worship. All of the pastors interviewed
This study examined best practices for staff leadership. Some staff teams
are led by a Senior Pastor, while other staff teams are led by non-Senior Pastors,
such as an Associate Pastor. Most multiple staff teams have reporting structures
impossible for an outsider to fully understand the exact reporting structure, all of
phone call was made to confirm the receipt of the email. After the participant
agreed to participate in this study a meeting place and time was established.
Data in this study was collected through the recording of the interviews
with the participants. Participants were interviewed one-on-one and were invited
to share their experiences and thoughts openly. While it was preferred that the
interviews be conducted face-to-face, the logistics and travel costs required that
most of the interviews be conducted over the telephone. Each interview was
themes and practices. Descriptions and anecdotal stories from the participant
process was employed. Questions from each area of the study were asked, as
Data Analysis
analysis. The researcher looked for statements and signs of behavior that
occurred or were repeated during the study. The process of constant comparison
Each interview was evaluated and compared with others. Common themes,
thoughts and reasoning were noted and codified. Conclusions were drawn as the
the data and the way that the participant’s experience was evaluated and
understood. The main purpose of the study was to understand the practices of
participants within the context of the study. The interviews provided a set of
process. The interview questions provided a framework for interaction with the
the participants.
136
Janesick, V. J. (1994). The dance of qualitative research design: Metaphor, methodology, and
meaning. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), 341.
52
of the staff team, as well as the specific role of the staff team leader.
Introductory Questions:
1. Describe your staff team. How many staff members do you lead and what
is the overall reporting structure?
2. What is your specific role in leading your staff team?
3. Describe the mission of your church and how you articulate this mission to
your
team and your congregation.
4. How often does your team meet? Describe a typical week for your team
members.
Discussion Questions:
1. Describe a situation where you noticed that your team really trusted you
as a leader. What happened? Why?
2. Describe a situation where you noticed that your team did not trust you
completely as a leader. What happened? Why?
3. Describe a time when you started a new initiative to build trust within your
team. What did you do and how did it work?
4. What has changed about your leadership style in the last five years? What
have you learned about how you can build a more cohesive team? How
did you learn these lessons?
Discussion Questions:
1. Describe an example of how your team functions as a unit. Who are the
players and how do they contribute and connect within your team?
2. Describe a time when anxiety “came over” your team. What did you do?
What do you wish you had done? Why?
53
3. Tell me about a time when you were blinded by some “unseen forces” that
shaped your team’s actions or feelings. How did you respond to this
specific situation?
participant was directed to speak about how they are growing as a follower of
Discussion Questions:
Many of the pastors interviewed had great demands on their time. Care
was taken to respect their time by communicating to them beforehand the time
included the assurance that any specific information about the subject’s staff or
interviewed knew that care would be taken to respect their privacy. To that end,
the researcher also used pseudonyms for the pastors and their staff. Through
this process, confidentiality was maintained, and those interviewed were able to
In addition, in order to preserve confidentiality care has been taken to delete the
interview files – both audio and electronic files. Any identifiable factors were
137
Herrington, The Leaders Journey, 142.
54
those interviewed.
The results of this study were not provided to those interviewed but is
Since the researcher has never served as a senior pastor, he was limited
leading churches. The researcher’s interpretation was biased upon his own
Participants were only selected from large churches. The results of this
study would likely have been different if had it included participants from smaller
church settings.
Lastly, since participants were paid church staff leaders, the research did
not include interviews with volunteer leaders. This study could be repeated in a
similar way with volunteer helpers. If volunteers were interviewed and their
Study Limitations
This study was limited to lead pastors who were considered “successful”
to those who have a growing church, with a defined mission and healthy staff
team leadership could certainly come from pastors who were not part of the
selection criteria.
This study focused on questions regarding the way the participants build
trust within their teams, the way they see and interact with their teams as
systems, and the way they keep their spiritual vitality active and growing. There
were areas identified in the literature. A limitation of this research is that there
many other areas dealing with the leadership of teams that go beyond the scope
of this study.
The conclusions of this study were limited to the ways in which the
subjects led their teams toward the specific calling of their local church. The
research did not address the manner in which this calling or mission was defined.
the broader population. The conclusions were dependent upon the experiences
The researcher interviewed pastors who lead staff teams of at least three
members. Some of the results may not be immediately transferable to those lead
pastors who lead fewer than three or many more than three.
All of the subjects interviewed were lead pastors of the PCA. Therefore,
denominations. The focus of the study on people from the PCA narrowed the
This chapter described the methodology was used in the qualitative study
of how to effectively lead staff teams toward mission. The design of the study and
the interview questions have been outlined, along with a description of the criteria
used in the selection of those interviewed. The researcher bias and assumptions
along with the limitations of the study have also been described. The next
Overview
The purpose of this study was to understand best practices for leading
teams are effectively led, interviews of seven pastors who fit the aforementioned
criteria were selected. All those selected were lead pastors who lead paid staff
came from different areas of the country and from differing styles of worship. All
All of the participants were extremely willing to talk about their ministries.
As mentioned above, contact with these leaders was first made via email and
then followed with a phone call. Most of the pastors contacted had been involved
in doctoral work and understood the process and need for this type of research.
explanation of the project was discussed at the start of the interview as well as a
discussion of why they were selected. Permission was also gained to record the
conversation and the length of time needed for the interview was discussed.
All of the interviewees expressed surprise that they had been chosen to
feel adequate to answer questions about the best way to lead a team. At some
have been selected for this project. Many of them asked for the interviewer to
describe again by what criteria they were selected for this interview.
All of those interviewed cared a great deal about the purity, peace, and
progress of the church. It was evident during the interview process that the
interviewees and their churches had a great desire to build staff teams that
honored Christ and carried out His cause more effectively. In addition, all the
leaders interviewed shared a sense that leading a team was difficult and that it
was a learning process. These leaders all knew that there was no “formula” for
leading a team and communicated this during the interview many times.
Participant Descriptions
Introduction: Findings
The purpose of this study was to research how experienced and effective
church team leaders motivate their paid staff teams toward mission. In order to
address the purpose of this study, the following research questions were
explored:
60
1. What are best practices for team leaders to build trust within a paid church
staff team?
In order to investigate best practices for the above questions, lead pastors
questions were asked about their church and their leadership responsibilities.
Questions were also asked about how these leaders develop trust within their
staff team. In addition, those interviewed were asked to reflect on their team
dynamics and how their team functions as a system. Lastly, the participants were
asked to reflect on their own spiritual disciplines and how these practices
Introductory Questions
the start of each interview. These initial questions were focused on the
responsibility that leaders have as they lead their paid staff team. First, questions
were focused on how they structured their staff team oversight. The results of the
All of those interviewed were asked about the structure of their staff team.
The oversight structure that was described by these lead pastors involved both
formal and informal connections. Five of the pastors interviewed described a very
61
leadership.
Lead Pastor Stephen spoke in a similar way about the formal structure of
Stephen spoke about the specific meetings and meeting times in a well defined
way.
Pastor Daniel described the reporting structure of his church this way,
Daniel continued to talk about the informal structure and meeting times he has
with those he leads. He said that the church has never been a place of “strict
environment.”
62
The other lead pastor who described a more informal approach toward
We have nine-teen staff members. And I meet with the key leaders of
each of the main areas of the ministry. I try to get with them at least once
a week, but certainly two times a month. My role is not so much to cover
their goals, but to relate to my staff.
He continued the discussion by describing how the culture of his church was
informal because it was called to reach out to the “unchurched.” This informal
structure, according to Ryan, influenced the way he led his paid staff team –
even to the point that he did not have a set weekly schedule to meet with his
team.
Other initial questions were focused on how the lead pastors interviewed
understand and articulate the mission of the church. Six of the participants
interviewed were asked about the specific mission of the church. These six lead
pastors responded with similar responses. They all described a very clear
mission and articulated the vision of the church with great clarity and skill.
Pastor Bill also indicated that the mission of his church was well
documented. He said,
63
These two examples above are good representative examples of how the
documentation.
questions were also asked about how leaders built trust in their organization. The
following section provides the some of the responses by the lead pastors in
building trust.
Building Trust
The purpose of this study was to understand how lead pastors can
motivate their staff team toward mission. The literature review showed that
effective leaders were those who were able to build trust on their teams. In this
section, effective lead pastors were interviewed about how they built trust on their
team, how they understand the relational systems of their team and how these
lead pastors remain spiritually vital in their walk with Christ. This section provides
Questions were asked about how trust was built on the team to every
situations that provide insight into the way their paid staff team learned to trust
them.
64
The findings showed that pastors related to how trust was build in several
different ways. Trust was built, according to those interviewed, in the midst of
One of the common themes from the interviews was that trust was built on
their staff team through struggles. Numerous stories and comments were
provided on this topic. Without exception, the pastors all expressed that trust was
For example, George shared about how he has lost a close friend. Several
months after he experienced this significant loss, he said, “I felt free to share [my
grief] with the younger guys. I think they came out of that feeling very affirmed
and feeling like I trusted them in a new way particularly because I had lost my
closest friend [and I was able to talk with them about this.]” He explained that in
the midst of this trial, his team was brought closer to him and to each other.
Other pastors shared about difficult decisions that had to be made, and
they noted that those struggles created trust. The process of working through
difficulties that teams faced, like what should be done about an outdated and
unusable building and staff conflicts, were spoken about in the interviews as
People [in the congregation] weren’t sure what our future was because
there was no place in [the city] for us to meet…but the staff trusted us to
get through it and trusted God to raise the desire on the part of our
congregation to sacrifice for it. It was one of those things that seemed
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Lead Pastor Ryan said that in the midst of this trial trust was built on his team.
His story showed us that his team knew that they could rely on each other more
Lead Pastor Daniel also related a story of conflict and trust in a difficult
ministry situation. He said, “We had a new guy come in, and I’ve had to sit him
down and say ‘You’re doing your job just fine, but you’re not becoming part of the
team. You’re not sacrificing with us. You’re not showing up at things that aren’t
necessarily your job. You’re not literally rolling up your sleeves and pitching in
was a bit of a personality issue,” as he spoke about this conflict with the team
member. “As a result of this conflict and confrontation from the pastor,” Daniel
said, “he actually received it really well and has made a lot of significant changes,
and I think he would say those are position changes for him and his ministry.”
Other pastors interviewed shared similar stories of how trust was built
through not only experiencing difficult situations, but also lead pastors need to do
Other “hard things” that pastors related were situations with ministry
disappointments and when anxiety came over a team. For example, Nelson
shared how anxiety came over his team during a building expansion project. He
said
[As a ] Session and as a staff team, we had gotten to the point where we
really believed we needed to go into a huge building program – twelve-
million-dollar building program. We suddenly found out that the
congregation wasn’t ready. So that was highly unexpected. And so the
staff really had to deal with that…We had to talk through how are we going
to lead the sheep forward…So this team just sort of pulls together and
does it.
failures as a key part of building trust in their teams. The pastors interviewed
For example, Lead Pastor Bill said, “The toughest moments are letting
people go…do it properly [and] people really believe that you’re there for their
best.” However, at times, Bill said he had made mistakes about how he handled
mistake, the team trusted him more.” And another result was that the team was
Trust built in the midst of personal failure was also commented on by Lead
Handling failure is one of the best ways that you develop trust. And it’s
odd, but it’s really what Jesus said when He was asked,”Who’s the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”…How I handle my failure and critique
from them when I mess up…If they [the staff] have to walk on eggshells
around me…If they can’t walk up to me and say, “That was not wise. I
really disagree with that.” Then there’s not trust [in the relationship].
Trust, according to Nelson, comes about in the context of “failure and critique”.
part of building trust in their teams. Another example came from Pastor Stephen.
He said,
I had a staff person tell me they couldn’t work with me any longer and took
another position at another church and left and it caused a real difficult
time with my session. Thankfully, not with any other staff [left] but it did
cause a real difficulty with me…that was the biggest gut check that I’ve
had certainly in ministry in evaluating my own heart and my own
leadership style and whether or not this particular place was the best
place for me. It was deeply painful for [me]…yet it was a great bonding
time for us [as a team].
Stephen went on to explain how he knew that he had made some mistakes and
admitted to the team about these mistakes, trust was built with the staff team
failure. This was also highlighted by Lead Pastor Daniel. He related a situation
about one of his staff workers that is relevant here. He said there was a person
who had made some mistakes about they way they had handled a particular
volunteer on a team. He said, “The staff person had to humble their pride and the
staff person had to lose some face and go to their team of volunteers and ask for
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forgiveness.” This was a difficult process for the staff member, yet Daniel said it
important part of building trust on a team. The findings show that as staff
members are able to admit their mistakes – especially a lead staff, trust will be
The lead pastors interviewed offered personal examples of how those they
This practice of shared leadership was a common theme from all of the
All of those interviewed shared similar insight. They said that as they
encouraged their staff to take leadership and ownership of the ministry, there
was great impact in the way their team trusted them. In fact, when presented with
the question “When you lead, how is trust developed on your team?” six of the
believe the elders run the church. So one of our decentralizing ideas was ‘how do
we get it out of the omni-competent pastor?’” He discussed how to involve all the
church leadership in the ministry, observing that, “It kind of forces everybody [the
elders and staff] to grow up and come to meetings if you’re the one who’s making
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the call.” In this process, Nelson said, the leaders you lead will become more
Pastor Nelson also related that he felt the PCA needed to re-examine its
believe in Presbyterian government by elders but form hierarchical staff. And it’s
asserted that we should not follow a business hierarchical model for staff teams.
He felt that the church staff should be working together and “all coming to the
Session with our burdens and ideas and [it will be]…pretty exciting.” When this
happens, according to Nelson, those you lead trust you more and are willing to
Pastor Daniel also shared about the way trust was built on his team
through shared ministry experiences. He said, “The staff here are used to a
culture of multiple leaders, and it’s just sort of the culture we have here. We do a
seemed to permeate his leadership style and practice and fostered, according to
leadership and how this built trust on their team. Lead Pastor Stephen said, “The
the staff team, to help them execute the vision. I don’t see myself primarily in an
Here again, trust is built, according to Stephen through a shared ministry model,
The lead pastors interviewed described how trust was built in times of
ministries that have a shared ministry model. Pastors related their own
The next section will look at the findings from those interviewed about the
importance of understanding the relational system within their paid staff team.
These findings will provide a backdrop of understanding for how pastor relate to
and understand their team from a systems perspective and relate it to the
The literature review showed that effective leaders were those who had a
clear understanding of systems within their team. All seven lead pastors in this
study were asked about their understanding of relational systems on their team.
They were also asked to connect how their understanding of systems would
enable them to be more effective as a lead pastor. The following findings show
how these lead pastors interviewed understood the relational systems on their
Lead Pastor Daniel said that, “One of the phrases we use around here is
‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’ So, we all do well together. We all rise. If we don’t do
well, we all sink. So he’s [staff person] just gonna have to develop the mindset
that he’s in this with all of us now, and we’re all in this with him.” Daniel claimed
that as his team understood these team dynamics, the team was more effective
in reaching the goals of the team. He also claimed that as he promoted the team
relational systems in their team. For example, Stephen said, “When we’ve had
some [anxiety] this year or heading into October…when the economy started
tanking. It could get a little tense, but even then we just sort of talked it through
around the table.” Here, Stephen said that he tried to show not only sensitivity,
but also that his team needed to process together the unspoken feelings and
dynamics that existed on the team. Stephen Alsom claimed that his
Lead Pastor Ryan provided a similar example about anxiety within his
team. He said that in staff meetings, he encourages his team to be honest and to
share how they are feeling so that he can understand the dynamics his team. He
said:
There was a “great sense that I had that the team was anxious about something.”
He then related that he “took the time to speak with each team member to find
out what was going on and I made sure I knew the source of the anxiety [so] I
can address it.” In this process of seeking to understand the relational system
dynamics, Ryan said the team “coalesced” closer together and he implied that he
Others interviewed shared how they felt that their staff members, at times,
find it difficult to understand their own feelings. For example, Lead Pastor Daniel
spoke about a team member who disrupted a staff meeting with concerns and
I think part of it was him [the staff member] trying to figure out why he was
so angry. I mean, he said to me right after it happened, he said to me
within the hour…”I’m not really sure where all that anger came from.” And
he’s not an angry guy. He’s really a sweet guy. So my initial response was
“I don’t know either, Brother, but we’ve got to get to the bottom of that.”
Daniel spoke about how he helped this staff member analyze and deal with his
anger, as well as helping him to reconnect with the team. What resulted,
according to Daniel, was a team member who was helped to understand the
unseen forces at work in his life and the team seeing that the lead pastor was
able to help sort out difficult relational dynamics that exist on the team.
systems on his team in a different way. He felt that teams should be able to
honestly evaluate how they follow leaders. He went on to explain that the team
leader should not communicate to his team a set vision for the church and say
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“here’s the vision.” Instead, the leadership needs to “get on our knees all together
and look at the body and look at the bible and come with recommendations that
He said, “That would be more effective as we lead our team and more ‘honest’ as
we deal with the many challenges within our team system.” In this way, Nelson
pointed out, the team would be able to be together in understanding the relational
dynamics that exist within the team and his leadership of the team would be
more effective.
One pastor related in the interview how he tries to address bad ministry
dynamics within his paid staff team system. Lead Pastor George said,
We had a ministry that was not functioning well. It was losing money and,
more significantly, there was conflict in the ministry – among team
members – and it was having its impact on the rest of our staff. It took a
long time for that ministry to end but our staff knew that I was committed to
making a wise decision and hung in there with me while this ministry
continued, until it finally ended appropriately. We tried to end it in a way
that caused as little pain to people as possible. That was a hard
situation….Issues were not being handled well relationally and that was
driving people down and was not honoring to Christ. So, as I picked up on
things that I was not experiencing personally…I realize that this was the
cause of a measure of grief [in our system].
George says that he had to have a greater understanding of things he was not
the midst of this difficult situation, the staff team knew that he was effective as a
leader to know and address needs within the church – even if these needs were
difficult.
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said,
Recently I had to let our [paid staff worker] go…He had been with us
forever. I had to work with him for a year on issues that were hurting the
staff. And so we worked for a year on it…I thought he was getting better.
Behind my back, he was not. They [the team] didn’t tell me because they
thought I was on his side, which I was. I was trying to save him. He’s a
dear friend. We’d been here [many] years together…they saw that loyalty
to him and read that as ‘You’d rather have him hurting us than to have us
just alone without him.’ I wasn’t there, but that’s what it was perceived as
because I just allowed it [to] go on. And nobody talked to me about it. So I
came back from a sabbatical and asked everybody, ‘why is there a weird
spirit on the floor? You can discern that in a heartbeat. So everyone kind
of turned their back turned their head. They wouldn’t talk.
Bill summed up his account of this situation by stating that in the end the team
learned to communicate better and believe that he would do the right things – no
matter who was involved in hurting the team. In addition, Bill said that in light of
this situation, he was more committed than ever to address the “unseen forces”
understanding the relational systems within their church and staff teams, related
to their effectiveness as a lead pastor. The pastors interviewed shared their own
experiences of relational systems and how they believe these have helped them
Next we will examine how these lead pastors shared about their own
spiritual growth. This next section will show how spiritual growth in Christ has
Overview
The third section of interview questions dealt with the personal spiritual
growth practices of the pastors. Questions were asked to theses lead pastors
about how they remained spiritually vital, in spite of their busy schedules and the
All of those interviewed were asked specifically about how they felt their
addition, all of the lead pastors interviewed made a direct connection with how
spiritual growth from a team perspective – that the entire team was responsible
for growing together spiritually. Two of the lead pastors interviewed shared that
they felt the staff they lead were ultimately responsible for their own spiritual
growth.
This concept was articulated by Lead Pastor Daniel. He said: “On the top
of everybody’s job description, the first thing we have at the top of the list – that
you’re responsible to shepherd your own soul, [and] your own heart. We want to
be a resource but we’re not responsible for your spiritual growth.” He went on to
say that this also applies to him, and that he needs to be involved in “growing
One lead pastor said that the team needs to be like a “brotherhood”. Lead
I couldn’t work with colleagues. I want to work with what the Bible says –
brothers. I want Peter in me to be rebuked by the Paul of [my co-
workers]…and what I’m afraid, like Peter was, I want them to walk in my
office and say, [Bill], you’re leading barnabas astray…Everybody ought to
have the right to do that with the Senior Pastor. But listen, in the PCA
Church, if your numbers are up, if attendance is up and giving is up,
nobody is going to ruffle your feathers. What’s wrong with that picture?
Bill referred to mutual accountably and partnership as vital to his own leadership
effectiveness. He continued, “You see the Bible show[s] you the weakness of
men and we have arguments over whether or not we should share our
struggles…Are you kidding me?” According to Bill, those who lead must be open
with their struggles and have a team who can help them grow in Christ.
The participants were also invited to share their own personal spiritual
growth practices. Each pastor had an opportunity to detail their own spiritual
practices and how often they followed this plan. All seven of the interviewees had
quick and ready answers to the question about their own spiritual disciplines.
The lead pastors interviewed all seven said that they followed a specific
structural approach in their spiritual growth plan. Most described a daily practice
that they use to help them walk with Christ. They all talked about how they follow
a very clear pattern and set plan for their own spiritual growth. One referred to
these practices as “feed[ing] my soul from the Word and prayer.” Another
referred to their life as structured but not filled with “pietism and legalism.”
in their spiritual lives. Lead Pastor Bill said, “Worship is my main thing. It always
has been. I have a deep love for worship, and so, for me, my personal spiritual
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life – the lens through which I think about it – is worship…I use…my own little
devotional.”
psalm, praying the Lord’s Prayer, daily devotionals, prayer books, journals,
sermon series, key theological books, and other formal guides to enhance
devotional life. Five of the seven of those interviewed shared that consistent
study of the Bible was essential to their spiritual growth as well. Two of the
pastors also shared that listening to other pastors preach was very helpful for
their personal spiritual growth. And finally, one shared that their daily devotional
In another type of personal spiritual growth, Lead Pastor Bill said that
“personal therapeutic counseling was very helpful in my spiritual walk with Christ.
When I was on sabbatical, my wife and I saw a counselor…” Bill claimed that this
opportunity helped him a great deal in his spiritual life and as a leader of his staff
team. In fact, Bill said that he continues to routinely seek counseling with a
Spiritual growth was also connected toward staff team fellowship and
learning the occurred within the staff team. Staff team worship was mentioned by
three of the seven pastors interviewed. For example, Lead Pastor Daniel said:
Daniel claimed that his staff team provided encouragement and help in his
surrounds himself with men to help him in this process. “I’ve got a half-dozen
elders who walk with me all the time and we meet weekly. They oversee my
spiritual life. If I’m screwing up, if I’m drinking…they bust my chops.” Spiritual
connections and accountability from Ryan’s team were very important to his own
The need for close accountability relationships was echoed by others. For
example, one pastor shared how he felt that he could approach the guys he
leads with his own struggles: “I have [accountability] with [staff member] and
[other staff member]. We’ve been through a lot together and so we have a real, I
When asked about how their spiritual lives impacted their leadership,
some pastors said that as they walk with Christ, they are able to be more open
You see the Bible showing you the weaknesses of the men, and we have
arguments over whether or not we should share our struggles. Are you
kidding me?...The goal is that you are to be a band of brothers, not a
bunch of bosses…So we cry over each other’s needs and failures and
pray.
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Others shared that they felt their walk with Christ had great impact on how
they lead. Daniel said, “I think, for the pastor, you just have to love Jesus.
There’s no substitute for that, because you wouldn’t pastor if you didn’t, and you
wouldn’t love people if you didn’t…and you don’t know that if you don’t spend
time in the Word.” Daniel went on to share more personally, “So if I’m not
attentive to the sin patterns of my life…if I’m not attentive to how I’m loving my
wife or not loving my wife or being a Dad or not being a Dad…all the stuff that
everybody else has to deal with. If I’m not looking at that through the paradigm of
All seven of the pastors in this study claimed that they had a vital and growing
walk with Christ. They also said that they followed specific personal and staff
team spiritual growth practices. In addition, they all claimed that their walk with
Christ impacts they way they lead their paid staff team.
Summary: Findings
The purpose of this study was to research how experienced and effective
church team leaders motivate their paid staff teams toward mission. In order to
address the purpose of this study, seven lead pastors were interviewed and
asked about their practices as leaders of paid staff teams. To investigate best
interview process.
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The findings above have shown the pertinent information gathered from
questions asked about best practices for building trust, understanding relational
systems and growing in spiritual vitality. These findings were presented from
transcripts of seven interviews with five lead pastors from the PCA churches and
The next chapter discusses the results and recommendations from both
the literature review and the findings of this chapter. The next section will also
Overview
The purpose of this study was to understand best practices for leading
staff teams toward mission. In chapter two, the literature review showed how a
broad range of writings discussed best ways to lead a staff team. The literature
revealed a variety of opinions in the study of team development and staff team
leadership. Chapter three described the way effective lead pastors were selected
and interviewed for this study. Chapter four reported the significant findings from
the interviews as it related to lead pastors building trust on their paid staff teams,
understanding relational systems and growing in spiritual vitality. This chapter will
focus on the findings and recommendations from the study and literature review.
This study is a response to the need for more leaders to be gripped with
the calling to lead their church out of decline toward a place of growth and
what God is doing in, through, and among all the movements of change in which
needs effective leadership and team development. If pastors are well equipped to
lead their staff teams, the church will have a greater impact on the world and a
Introduction
Churches have different foci. Some churches are focused on reaching the
missions. Still others feel called to reach local college students. While different
churches share common elements, an effective leader will need to discern and
This study has been about how lead pastors can effectively lead their
churches toward the goals that God has set before them. The mission of a
church will be greatly influenced by the senior pastor. Carl George says,
As deep and wide as the senior pastor’s vision is, so goes the
organization. If the senior pastor, like Moses, spends time with God on the
mountain, the plans that come to the church board will be durable. Mission
comes from prayer, from the written Word of God, and from discussion
with God’s people.139
This illustrates the fact that a pastor needs to take time to discover the mission of
the church. However, lead pastors also need to lead with excellence and with
great insight into the best practices for leading staff toward mission.
interviewed seven pastors who lead staff teams. A set number of questions were
asked in three main areas. These questions were asked in the context of an
interview where the lead pastor’s experience and practices were discussed. The
138
Roxburgh, The Missional Leader, 24.
139
George, How to Break Growth Barriers, 152-153.
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directly from me. All seven interviewed knew that I was interviewing them for a
The study also included a review of relevant literature. I sought books that
spoke directly to pastors who lead paid staff teams. While there are many books
on this topic that are written from a Christian perspective, I found that some of
the most helpful books were written for secular business leaders. It was
especially helpful to find books that spoke about team dynamics. I also looked for
books that identified how spiritual growth impacts the effectiveness of leaders.
relevant for those who lead in the church and what is relevant for those who lead
secular organizations. In fact, many secular books embrace biblical values like
My focus for this study was on the practices and the skills that pastors
need to develop in order to lead the church. Specifically, I looked at what insight
can be gleaned from the interviews and from the literature review to help lead
pastors become better leaders of their paid staff team – to enable their team to
Overview
The following main areas were discussed during the interview: First, the
interviewees talked about how trust was built in their team. Secondly, they
addressed the relational dynamics of their team. Thirdly, they revealed how their
own spiritual growth practices impacted the way they led their team. All of these
140
See Kahl, Leading from the Heart (Choosing to be a Servant Leader) and Collins, Good to
Great.
84
questions were discussed in a confidential and friendly manner, and other sub-
Building Trust
This study provided insight into the importance of building trust within a
staff team. Trust is a foundational currency which teams need in order to operate.
The literature showed that building trust involved several aspects. It also
Through this study, I have concluded that several areas that are essential
if trust will be fostered on teams. Trust was built through struggles, lead pastors
lead pastors asking good questions to those they lead. All of these topics are
discussed below.
the Apostle Paul led the Ephesian elders in the first century. Scripture tells us
that Paul developed a ministry in the city of Ephesus. The church’s impact for the
cause of the gospel – its mission – was greatly influential in bringing the gospel
to Asia. In fact, the Ephesian church is one of seven that is mentioned in the
book of Revelation. This indicates how important this church had become during
The relationships that Paul developed with these church leaders were
deep and significant. To gain insight into how effective Paul was as a lead pastor,
When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time
I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served
the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested
by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach
anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and
from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they
must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”141
Scripture tells us that upon Paul’s departure, those he led broke down in
tears and sorrow. Paul’s deep connection as a lead pastor among those in the
church of Ephesus is a model to all of us who lead. Paul shows humility, love,
deep commitment, and connection, along with being a great motivator of his
It is clear that Paul was blessed by God to build trust with those leaders.
This, simply stated, is the goal of leadership – to be able to have people trust you
enough that they will follow you and be able to accomplish the mission of the
leadership that keeps our world from falling apart and improves the human
condition”.142 This is the kind of leadership we see in Paul and is the type of
The following outlines some other ways I concluded that trust was built
and leadership developed on paid staff team. The results that follow below come
141
Acts 20:18-21.
142
Williams, Real Leadership, 3.
86
from both the literature reviewed and from the interviews I conducted for this
study.
lead pastors, I continue to be encouraged by the impact a pastor can have on his
pastor described how his church has planted several daughter churches. He told
me about some of the mistakes he and his elders made during this process.
However, despite all of these mistakes, God kept the team together in the midst
of great trials and difficulties. As the lead pastor, this man continued to humbly
lead his team toward the mission God had for them, in the midst of significant
struggles.
This is an important reminder for all who lead church staff teams. We will
face trials and difficulties, yet these can be some of the best teambuilding times
increase in trust between team members as they faced difficulties together. One
pastor said that during great challenges they faced over the church’s facilities,
there was great potential for discouragement and disillusionment on his team. He
said that his team “trusted me [the lead pastor] to get through it and [they] trusted
God.” What resulted from times of difficulty was a team that depended on the
Lord and trusted each other more. These difficulties shaped the team to be more
prepared for other difficulties and more open to see God work in their midst.
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Other pastors explained that their staff had challenges with specific team
entire team looks at the actions of the lead pastor. The team needs to know that
even through this type of difficulty, the problem with one staff member will not
compromise the mission of the team. And, the lead pastor can be trusted to act in
an appropriate way.
One pastor noted that healthy staff teams address their problems. Lead
member and either let him go or help them to develop into an effective team
member. The team will notice what happens and there will be great opportunities
for trust to be built during this process. If a staff team sees that the leader will
confront team members with their issues – in love and patience – but with clarity
In a book by George Barna, one leader states, “An effective ministry team
teams realize that failure may be a step toward success.”143 I believe the lead
pastors I interviewed helped to verify these statements. The staff teams of those I
interviewed were disciplined, and many understood at a deep level that failure
and difficulties could help them grow. This reality is one of the most important
elements of building trust within a team. A lead pastor needs to take this into
143
George Barna, Leaders on Leadership: Wisdom, Advice, and Encouragement on the Art of
Leading God's People The Leading Edge Series (Ventura, Calif., U.S.A.: Regal Books, 1997),
225.
88
account as he strives to lead his paid staff team toward its God-given mission in
significant part of the way they sought to build trust and lead their team. One
pastor referred to Matthew 18:4, where Jesus said that we are called to be
“humble as a child.” That pastor then said that his calling is to be the “chief
repenter” within his staff team. In other words, he was called to lead the way in
This attitude captured the essence of how the character of a leader fosters
the building of trust. The literature speaks to the importance of humility and
consistency of character. One author reminds us, “Humility is the only way to
resolve the conflicts and contradictions of leadership. You can avoid excessive
pride only if you recognize that you’re human and need the help of others.”144
The interview data agreed with the above quote, revealing that an
substitute for godly, consistent character. This vital aspect of trust comes not
from programs or structures that leaders put in place, but from their reliability and
their humility. Effective lead pastors have the respect of those they lead. Their
teams seem to know that their leader is an individual who loves the Lord and
144
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 347.
89
personal ministry experiences. I have very little personal connection with most of
the pastors interviewed, so it could have been difficult for them to discuss their
staff teams and their own personal practices. The level of humility that many of
The literature shows that many pastors are overworked and relationally
undernourished. Nearly every pastor interviewed for this study was friendly,
open, honest, and forthright. They all showed great humility about both their
The pastors were told that their names and specific situations would not
be disclosed in this paper, and that I would not compromise their leadership
position in any way. Not one pastor shared with me any concern about
and confidentiality. Some were candidly humbled and surprised that they were
selected. Nelson said, “I’m just wondering how did I get the privilege of even
being interviewed? I can think of a whole lot of people you would get a lot more
practitioners of ministry leadership they did not even realize the skill that they
had.
congregations represented had more than five hundred members, and the
attendance. Part of the selection criteria was that the interviewees must lead at
least three staff members. Many pastors interviewed led more staff members
than the minimum criteria specified. Yet all seven of these pastors were able to
remember times when their ministry was not going well. They shared
experiences with me about the great work of God in their churches and
demonstrated humility as they talked about their setbacks. Many also were
Jack Kahl states, “The leader must always be searching, probing, and
hunting for ways to innovate and bring value to customers.”145 While this is
written from a secular viewpoint, what he communicates is true for every leader.
Lead pastors are not an exception to this. They, too, need to continue to learn
and grow as they lead their team. This takes a tremendous amount of humility,
I saw this attitude clearly in some of the men I interviewed. They each
growing as a leader. For example, Nelson said, “I have the holy, holy privilege of
similar humility and appreciation of the task before them. For example Lead
Pastor Ryan said, “You’re going to have to love the church the way Christ loved
the church, and you’re going to have to take the hit a lot, and you’re going to
have to sacrifice a lot.” Many of them pointed to the difficulties in ministry as they
spoke about their team. I interviewed men who have a level of maturity and
145
Kahl, Leading from the Heart, 42.
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experience commensurate with their position. I saw this as vital for directing a
The task of leading a church staff team is extremely difficult. There are no
instructions or well-defined steps to take that will make a person into an effective
leader. Lead pastors need to be humble, teachable, and flexible as they learn
While the literature highlights this reality, there is no substitute for the first-
heard of the struggles and successes that the subjects experienced in their
“successful,” all seven of them shared numerous difficulties they faced in their
leadership positions.
The experience and wisdom of these pastors was evident from the start of
the interview process. For example, Bill has been serving as the lead pastor of
I can’t talk about any of these practical things [as a leader] without talking
about theology. I think theology drives life. I think the Gospel drives life.
And so, in my mind, if you don’t have a Gospel-driven church, you can try
all the principles in the world that you want, and I just don’t think it’s going
to work. So I think [it is important to have] a Gospel ethos, where the
church culture is relational, as opposed to programmatic, and where the
staff team is all on the same page as far as the understanding of grace.
I believe strongly in the principle behind what Bill communicates here. We must
Many times during the interviews, I saw how forgiveness and grace played
The only personality around which any church should turn is the Master’s. So it’s
my job to make sure that the church turns around one personality, and it ain’t
mine.” This response provides insight into the danger of serving as a lead pastor
calling, many of the pastors I interviewed sought ways to remain faithful to their
calling and to remain humble. The interviewees all had a sense that they needed
leader. This is important for any leader if they are going to build trust on their
team.
humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.”146
There is a clear connection between humility and building trust. The lead pastors
interviewed for this study revealed that ego was not a driving factor in their
their curtains of infallibility, power, and control, and let their ‘very good’ side –
146
Kenneth H. Blanchard, The Heart of a Leader (Tulsa, Okla: Honor Books, 1999), 46.
93
admit his or her vulnerability, ask for ideas and let others be in the spotlight.”147
The literature and the interviews showed that relationships were also an
important part of building trust on a paid staff team. Many of the research
perceive that he is strong on relationships, his staff may not agree. In fact, many
not understand what it means to truly have friendships that are mutual and
supportive.
relationships with staff. However, it did provide some insight into the need to
Every one of the pastors interviewed met with their staff in relational
settings. The lead pastors interviewed all understood that part of building trust
and being effective as a leader meant that they must take time to relate not only
One pastor said, “I should know his wife, his children, their pets, and
Another lead pastor said that the problems he experienced with a staff member
he had to release, were at least partly due to the fact that this staff member was
147
Ibid, 47.
94
not open to relational connections with him. What resulted, he said, was distance
in the relationship. This created dissatisfaction on both sides and eventually this
led to a lack of trust. Ultimately this led to this staff member’s dismissal. This
connection. Without good relational staff team dynamics, staff teams will drift
apart.
single relational ingredient stood out in the interviews or the literature. However,
both of these sources point to the fact that leaders need to invest a lot of effort in
relating to their team. This means that in order to be an effective staff leader in a
church setting, time will need to be budgeted for connections with staff.
enough to have a one-hour staff meeting with those you lead. Many of the
research subjects meet not only in staff meetings but also over a meal with their
staff members on a regular basis. This is vital if trust is going to be built within a
The interviews showed that these lead pastors spent time in various
relational settings with their team members and with those team members’
families. Staff teams need time together in different types of environments and
settings if they want to build trust and enjoy strong working relationships. Some
pastors said that they meet one-on-one with every staff person they lead. Others
said that they took time to meet with the entire family once a month. Whatever
95
the frequency or setting, there was a significant effort put into connecting with the
Lead pastors need to consider how they are pursing those they lead. Do
they know about their hobbies and interests? Do they know the family pressures
that their staff members face? Do they take time to understand the joys within the
ministry that their staff members experience? These are just some of the topics
that we need to address if we are going to lead teams effectively and have our
I believe that lead pastors need to find ways to build trust within their
teams. They need to be able to take the time and make the effort to relate to
those they lead in ongoing real relational connections if trust is going to be built.
The literature showed that some of the best leaders are able to ask good
Some of the pastors interviewed said that one of the best things they do to
promote trust with those they lead is to ask them how they can help. Asking good
questions is part of learning what your staff is feeling and what they need. It
takes effort to ask the right questions and to understand what is truly happening
96
within the lives of those you lead. One pastor emphasized this by saying, “[I’m
called as a leader] to invest in and get to know them [my staff]…I need to ask,
how are they growing in grace?” He went on to describe a ways that he invests in
his staff by asking them good questions over a broad range of topics.
I believe that those who lead staff teams need to be good students of
those they lead. As leaders ask good questions and seek to really understand
the heart of those they lead, trust will be developed. Signs of care and personal
connection will promote a healthy team dynamic and strengthen the commitment
We have seen that throughout this study trust was a vital ingredient of
effective leadership. Most of the lead pastors interviewed for this study had a
keen notion of how to build trust in their teams. The trust that they had
need to know that God can use struggles to build trust on their team. Trust will
with those they lead – especially their paid staff ministry team. In addition, we
saw that the ability to ask good questions will promote trust within a team. All of
148
Michael J. Marquardt, Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by
Knowing What to Ask, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005), 119-20.
97
The literature review and the interviews all established the need for lead
pastors to be able to understand the team dynamics of their staff team. I have
found it helpful to not only read about this importance but also interact with those
There were several areas that I felt correlated with the literature review
and with the interviews conducted. These are skills that I believe lead pastors
need to master in order to be effective. These skills are as follows: the ability to
and the skill to promote change within a staff team relational system. All of these
qualities were characteristics of the effective leaders interviewed for this project.
ability to accurately understand the system of their staff team. The complex
says,
149
Friedman, Generation to Generation, 1.
98
The pastors interviewed all seven had some ability to understand the “families”
that they are involved in. However, it seemed that continued work in this area
was a must for continued success as a leader of a staff team. I found that if a
lead pastor does not continue to understand the relational systems in which they
Pastors must improve their understanding of the forces that can “move”
each part of their team, as well as the way the team elements (members) will
move and react to each other. This skill is important for all leaders, and it is
connections that can exist within the context of a church staff team. Members of
a team can work together. They can have children who play together. They
worship together and study the bible together. They also may interact socially.
The leader needs to take into account all of these complex associations and
connections.
During the interview process, I found that most of the pastors interviewed
had a great sense of the relational systems within their teams. Most of them told
stories demonstrating that they had some sense of how their team dynamics
work. However, one pastor seemed to stand out in stark contrast. I sensed that
he had little interest or concern for the relational dynamics of his team. Perhaps
he felt too overwhelmed by other pressures in ministry, but it was clear to me that
he did not have the same level of sensitivity to his team dynamics.
99
This came out in my interview with him when he spoke about a document
that directs the mission of the church. He said, “The mission that the Lord has
called us to…is clear…so I hire the best staff team that I can to be able to do
that. That’s the goal anyway.” It seemed that there was a large emphasis –
concerned that he is unaware of the relational system around him. For example,
when I asked him to share about a time that his staff team did not trust him, he
was speechless. The notion that those who report to him did not fully trust him
seemed to catch him off guard. I am not sure whether this is just blindness to
staff team. However, what was clear to me was the difficulty that he had
Some of the pastors I interviewed had great insight into their team
dynamics. They seemed to provide insight into what their team members thought
and felt about their own leadership styles and limits. Others, like the pastor
mentioned above, had a more difficult time. I believe that the most effective
pastors will have an increasing awareness of their team dynamics. Lead pastors
need to listen to those they lead and hear what they are saying about their lives,
can I change my role?’ Thinking that the problem is out there somewhere
actually is the problem…The second step in being able to respond
differently is the ability to see what is happening with clarity. Objective
observation of the emotional processes at work in the system is a major
change in itself.150
The extent to which a leader is effective is, I believe, directly related to his
ability to see his staff team with objective clarity. Lead pastors need to take time
Some of the literature states that developing the ability to see systems
that many of the pastors I interviewed exhibited calmness in their style of relating.
In fact, almost every pastor seemed to be able to articulate very difficult and
For example, one pastor spoke about the death of his closest friend on his
staff team. He related this with emotion, but with great calmness. He discussed
how it negatively impacted his leadership and how his team dealt with these
deficits in his leadership. He said that it was very difficult for him and that many
Effective lead pastors know their systems well and can monitor their own
effective lead pastors have the ability to calmly discuss some of the most difficult
150
Herrington, The Leaders Journey, 50.
151
Ibid.
101
situations that leaders face. They show great leadership as they process how
The authors of the book The Leaders Journey provide insight into lowering
anxiety. After listing some of these ideas they say, “These are effective means
for lowering your own anxiety and allowing time to gain perspective to diffuse the
response that reflects the values and beliefs held by those in the system.”153 The
authors also compare these concepts to anxiety that occurs in the family setting.
The authors write, “Many of the problems and difficulties that a family
experiences are the result of chronic anxiety in the family system.”154 To help
functioning, [so that] we clear the way for our under functioning spouse and
our teams. We must be able to sense the anxiety within our system and address
use – indeed often uses – difficulties and struggles to build great trust on a team.
The leader needs to be aware that the team is examining their actions and
decisions during these times of crisis. The team needs to be able to trust the
leader to make the right decision in light of a difficult situation and to interact
152
Ibid, 67.
153
Ibid, 67-8.
154
Ibid, 110.
155
Ibid, 119.
102
Both the literature and the interviews addressed methods for leading and
between adaptive change and tactical change.156 This study has established not
only the need for change, but also the need for people who know how to lead a
addressing the underlying assumptions and practices of the church that are
impacting the situation. Daniel, one of the pastors interviewed, said that when he
wanted to change one of his church’s programs, he not only had to address the
specifics of that change (the tactical issues) but also the underlying assumptions
and principles that were in place. “That’s the way we do things here” was just one
of the many comments I received from him. In order for a leader to be effective
and to be able to develop the ministry goals and the mission, leaders need to be
aware of the need to bring about adaptive change. Most of the pastors I spoke
with either directly or indirectly described the ways that they bring about adaptive
change.157
For example, Nelson said that in a crisis that occurred during a church
plant, he had to address the leadership of the church in a new way. He had to
show that he was willing to change the way he approached challenges – with
adaptive solutions. What resulted was not only a course change in how the
ministry starts and supports new churches, but also a new model for his church
156
See Roxburgh, The Missional Leader, 98.
157
See Heifetz, Leadership on the Line.
103
leadership team. The leaders of the church developed a new approach to the
many of the challenges they faced. And, as Nelson reported to me, there was a
sense that the church would be able to address other challenges in adaptive
ways because the pastor led his staff team in a new direction, and it was
their congregations and staff teams in new ways, dealing with underlying
The literature and the interviews have shown how important it is for lead
pastors to understand relational systems within their team. I have concluded that
effective leaders are those who are able to carefully and accurately understand
of how anxiety works within a team was also identified as vital to leadership.
Lastly, the ability a leader has to promote, manage, and understand change
within his staff team system is directly correlated to the effectiveness of a team
leader.
Next we will examine the way a pastor needs to grow as a follow of Christ
self-development.”158 Books like this one point out the important truth that we
The pastors I interviewed shared their own practices for sustaining their spiritual
growth. They were all asked questions about their personal spiritual growth
practices and how these practices impact the way that they lead others.
The literature review and the lead pastor interviewed showed that
leaders were those who remained in a vital walk with the Lord. Also, this study
determined that leaders who were growing in their spiritual lives were those who
The pastor’s spiritual life impacts the way he leads. If he can lead from a
“full cup,” there will be great opportunity for trust to be built and teams to be
nurtured. This finding is significant because it shows that lead pastors need to
stay connected with the Lord. They need to remain humble and faithful in
we have in Christ.
and we find wholeness in the life of holiness…true piety leads to service, but
false piety leads to self-protection. True piety produces depth of soul; false piety
yields shallow hypocrisy.”159 As leaders, we need to long for true holiness and
158
Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge, 344.
159
Jim Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as If the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through
Community (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 161-162.
105
This truth was seen not only in the literature reviewed for this project, but
also in the interviews conducted. As pastors reflected on times when they felt
distant from the Lord they also related that their leadership effectiveness was not
as strong. For example, one pastor said that he was “caught up in feeling sorry
for himself…and this consumed me.” During this time, he said that he did not turn
to the Lord in prayer or point his team to the Lord. The leader reflected on the
fact that he needed to remain in a vital walk with the Lord if he is going to be able
It was fascinating to me that every pastor spoke about a very specific plan
they had in place to assist them in their spiritual formation. It may be that these
lead pastors have been asked this question before and were trained in answering
questions about their spiritual growth plans. However, I sensed more than rote
answers here.
One author describes spiritual growth in the preface of his book this way:
Most Christians are aware of their need to grow. Some come to this point
because they possess a hunger and desire to know God and his ways
better. Others are interested through a problem or crisis that has driven
them to seek his paths. We believe that getting to know God more deeply,
growing emotionally, and having better relationships are all matters of
spiritual growth.160
In this study, I sensed that the research subjects were aware of their need for
spiritual growth because they desired to know God in a deeper way. I also
sensed that they were aware of their need change the way they addressed their
spiritual issues.
106
input. Many of them have worked out a course of action for their growth over
years of experience. For example, one pastor said, “I’ve journaled for thirty years.
blank pages, then I know I’m really not spending good time with the Lord.”
Another added, “It’s been my practice to read through the Bible every year, and
interviewed communicated to me that they have daily prayer and bible study
times. These devotional times were all apart from their sermon preparation and
most often done alone. The practices that were communicated have helped them
to shape what I believe is an important pattern for spiritual growth – and for
Lead pastors, in order to be growing in their walk with Christ, must have a
workable plan of action to which they are daily committed. Leaders need to plan
time for prayer and bible study and have tools in place to accomplish this. The
pastors interviewed used a variety of methods and tools, but all seven of them
had a plan of action that seemed genuine, well planned, and effective to lead
It is clear that personal spiritual growth does not come in the package of a
160
Henry Cloud and John Sims Townsend, How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals About
Personal Growth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 9.
107
with their devotional lives. However, they also spoke of how this is a very high
priority for them. Many Christians have consistent devotional lives but do not
grow closer to God. One key ingredient that seemed present in almost everyone
the realization that they cannot do all that God requires of them and that they
One pastor shared a very personal story of how inadequate he felt in the
area of prayer. He said that his prayer life was dull and often nonexistent.
However, in the last few years, he has sought out an older man who has a vital
and active prayer life. He asked this man to mentor him in the area of prayer.
This lead pastor said that now he is starting to gain a greater appreciation for
prayer and is able to consistently go before the Lord in prayer. This type of
humility and honesty is a significant part of what God wants for us as we lead His
people. Lead pastors need to examine their shortcomings and seek help when
particular area of their spiritual life. I asked them how they sought help from the
Lord and from others to address this issue. Many had set plans in place to
I believe this pattern for growth has great impact and correlation to the
way:
108
The connection with spiritual growth and its impact on effective leadership
is evident in both the literature and the interviews. Some pastors reported that
they would be unable to effectively lead if they were not walking closely with the
Lord. One pastor said, “It seems to work really well for me [his spiritual
disciplines]. I feel fed, like I’m growing spiritually every year more and more. I feel
Spiritual growth is an essential part of the life of any effective leader. This
study has concluded that lead pastors need to not only understand this, but also
In this section, we have seen that effective pastors are those who build
trust, understand the relational system of their team and are growing in spiritual
vitality. The next section recommends some areas of further study that may be
considered.
161
Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Cincinnati, Ohio: New Growth
Press, 2006), 135.
109
This study examined how to best lead church staff teams toward mission.
There were many limitations to this study, and much more work could be done on
the topic of leadership. The following suggestions are made for possible areas of
This study was not about how to develop a clear mission statement or
focus for the church. This, perhaps, is one of the most vital components needed
to effectively lead a staff team. To lead a staff team, you must be able to lead
and articulate a mission for a church would be helpful for most church leaders.
This may include a study of staff members who are led by lead pastors. It would
be helpful to interview team members and gain their insight into how they are led.
with other team members. This would be of great help to those who lead paid
staff teams.
would be extremely helpful to study the events and dynamics that produce
110
anxiety in church staff teams. Perhaps a study could investigate how staff teams
Another focus for this study could be on how key leaders responded to these
situations.
would be helpful to investigate what types of meetings are utilized and how
have only two or three staff members, some of whom are part-time. A study
settings.
of leaders. It was fascinating to me that all seven of the pastors interviewed had
very specific plans for their devotional lives. Further investigation and research
on how lead pastors stay connected to the Lord would be helpful for all pastors. It
consistently they are followed, and how much they bring about true change and
Final Summary
The purpose of this study was to help identify best practices for leaders of
paid church staff teams toward mission. The following research questions were
explored:
111
1. What are best practices for team leaders to build trust within a church staff
team?
3. What personal spiritual growth principles enable team leaders to lead from
a foundation of grace?
The study has shown that indeed, in order for lead pastors to be effective
in the task of leading staff teams, they need to learn how to build trust within their
team. They also need to be good students of the relational system of their team.
And finally lead pastors need to be growing spiritually if they are going to be
effective as a leader.
Lead pastors face diverse challenges in their job. They are making
decisions as a teacher, preacher and as a leader. This study showed the need
for lead pastors to be engaged in learning ways to effectively lead and shepherd
their teams toward the mission of the church. In order for staff teams to be lead
studied and the interviews conducted. As lead pastors grow in insight and
It is Christ’s church and He calls leaders to lead with love and devotion to
1
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
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