Pastor Steve* entered his second year as Senior Pastor discouraged, but hopeful. The non-stop drip, drip of small problems and complaints surrounding the central ministries of the church finally started making sense once he realized he and his leaders were experiencing misalignment. Quite simply, his vision for the congregation wasn’t being communicated in a way that allowed for feedback or earned buy-in from those who would carry the vision forward. So, like a car with wheels and axles out of alignment, the whole ministry vehicle was slowly but surely swerving out of control—and undergoing a tremendous amount of wear and tear in the process.
In other words, there was a gap between Pastor Steve and his staff, and this gap created tension that trickled down to ministry leaders, volunteers, and even the congregants themselves.
Once he realized this, Steve felt hopeful for the first time. As they say, understanding your problem is the first step to finding a solution. Now that he knew the tension wasn’t simply in his imagination—and could be confident his staff wasn’t simply unreasonable—he was eager to learn more and make changes to get his ministry back on track. Pastor Steve had watched too many of his friends and colleagues hide from these sorts of problems, too afraid to learn information that might spotlight their own weaknesses or mistakes. He knew the irony of this fearful strategy: the information they dread actually points the way forward to solving problems. If they could face the difficult data they would have a chance to turn the corner towards a more successful and collaborative ministry future.
Ever a scholar, Steve turned to his bookshelves, even making a few new purchases based on recommendations from friends and blog reviews. He listened to podcasts and attended a conference for pastors and Christian leaders desiring to be better equipped for leadership and organizational development. In the process, Steve learned best practices and became a healthier leader with better collaboration skills and stronger self-awareness. He learned to listen and delegate, run meetings effectively, and celebrate team wins.
But the one thing books and podcasts couldn’t teach him was the one thing Pastor Steve needed most: data about his specific situation. Like a blindfolded man standing with a handful of darts before a dartboard, he was armed with potential solutions without fully understanding what specific problems he faced. Without information about his church, his staff, and his leadership gaps, all these best practices were just valuable, well-polished darts sailing through the dark. Without a better understanding of what was off-kilter in his ministries, he couldn't focus his newly acquired skills on the problem.
This is when Steve turned to Best Christian Workplaces. At BCW, we have decades of verified, scientific research that equips us to measure the health of churches and organizations like Steve’s. Once you have the data in hand, we stay by your side, helping you build a road map to a healthier future, and walking forward with you as you grow.
What we’ve found is that most leaders believe they have a stronger organization than they have—and believe they understand the problems better than they do. Pastors and leaders often imagine the healthy, functioning, flourishing teams they long for, but simply don’t know what steps could help them get there. After all, pastors are trained in hermeneutics and homiletics, exhortation, and exegesis. Few have received the organizational development training necessary to bring a suffering workplace to health and wholeness.
That’s where a partnership with Best Christian Workplaces can make a difference.
The first step is collecting good data about the problem you have…and the potential solutions you are already equipped to bring. I invite you to click the link below and download our free e-book that will lead you on the path to discovery so that you can better understand the factors that lead to misalignment and how to address them.
*Not his real name. This story has been fictionalized from a compilation of real pastors’ stories.
Reach out to Robert Wachter, global marketing director with Best Christian Workplaces, for more information about our employee engagement survey. Schedule a meeting today.