Abstract: The Senior Pastor/Executive Pastor Team:
A Contemporary Paradigm for the Larger Church Staff
by John T. Hawco
The emergence of the executive pastor (EP) as an accepted member of the pastoral staff in larger churches has only recently been the subject of limited formal study. Deployed for over 20 years, many EPs forge their own job-descriptions and their titles and tasks vary. The EP serves with the senior pastor (SP) as a co-pastoral, administrative leader . Recent studies have explored the utilization of EPs to implement the church's vision, as well as competencies needed. Contributing to the limited extant EP literature, this exploratory study focuses on the contextual and relational factors affecting the senior pastor/executive pastor (SPEP) team paradigm.
Findings are presented from four EP focus group interviews conducted in four cities in the United States involving churches of just below a thousand in attendance, to around five thousand. Supplemental interviews with their senior pastors were conducted, as well as interviews with several high-profile executive pastors from around the country.
Findings include the contexts and reasons for creating the SPEP team, theological legitimacy, necessary gifts and EP backgrounds, as well as viability regarding ministry effectiveness and leadership of the church staff. The relational factors crucial for the successful creation and on-going maintenance of the SPEP team yielded vital guiding principles for satisfaction among the SP, the EP, and the extended staff. Preferred analogies and biblical parallels for the SPEP team were identified and discussed. Suggestions for further research include exploring the effectiveness of differing categories of SPEP teams, the effect of EP tenure, the "stewarding" the EP, and the effect of gender mix on the SPEP team.Dissertation in Adobe Reader format 248 pages
