Author / Dan Reiland

Pastors have been on the scene for a couple of thousand years. Executive Pastors, by many different definitions, have been around for about thirty years. We obviously know more about how to be the former than the latter.

Understanding the role and whether you need an executive pastor, begins with clarity of definition. Let’s start by separating what is often combined – that is, the church business administrator and the executive pastor (hereafter as XP).

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You do your best to hire well, but life is complicated, and it doesn’t always work out as you hoped. Right?

In many cases it becomes obvious when it’s time to make a change with a staff member, but what about the situations where it’s not evident and clear. You’re just not sure what to do.

How do you think through the issues? How do you separate out truth from emotion, reality from perception, and fact from opinions?

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Lakeside Wesleyan Church, in Lakeside, California was the first church I served as a staff member. It was a small church with a big heart, and I learned much from Rich Lauby who was the pastor.

In my eyes, Pastor Rich was a “big leader, ” and his early investment in me made a life changing difference. Under his coaching, I preached my first sermon, did my first hospital visit and led the student ministry.

The significance of a leader and especially the pastor in a small church cannot be overestimated.

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The size of the church never limits the scope of God’s power. God does big things in small churches!

It’s not the size of your church as much as what God wants to do through your church.

4 important questions:

• Is your church culture healthy?
• Is the gospel being taught?
• Is there a vision for reaching people?
• Are lives being changed?

If yes, then keep doing what you are doing! We all want our churches to grow larger, but I believe that ultimately the size of your church is up to God. Your job is to serve and lead well with all your heart and leave the rest to Him.

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