Two In-Depth Examples of the XP-I
Many Executive Pastors have several individuals in their churches take the XP-I. The comparison of results can be quite beneficial for discussion.
Comparison Charts for Rodney Schell
The following charts show four charts for Rodney Schell at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas (thanks to Rodney Schell, Executive Pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church, for giving permission to publish this data).
Rodney Schell, XP on himself
Senior Pastor on Rodney
Minister of Education on Rodney
Business Administrator on Rodney
Based on the charts, let us examine each of the Five Functions for Rodney Schell.
All four respondents see Rodney at as a very strong to extremely strong Administrator (scoring between 7 and 10). The responses are very tight and all are quite aware that Rodney is the CEO of the church and has a firm grasp on finances
There is some disparity with the Catalyst function. Three of the four respondents score moderate (scoring between 2 and 4). Yet, the Senior Pastor scores Rodney as extremely strong (scoring over an 8). Many Senior Pastors see their Executive Pastors as stronger Catalysts than the Executive Pastor sees himself or herself. This is often due to the Senior Pastor wanting the XP to "shake things up" and "bring change." In Rodney's case, the difference with the Senior Pastor is worthy of discussion. All in all, the respondents see Rodney as empowering members and challenging people to improve ministry-and the Senior Pastor sees or desires this the most.
Three of the four respondents unanimously score Rodney as an extremely strong Mentor (scoring a ten), while the Minister of Education sees a very strong Mentor. This would be a topic for a brief discussion. All see Rodney as the Chief of Staff and developing the staff (and possibly volunteers) to be their best.
All four respondents consistently agree on Rodney's Minister function as moderate, being below the baseline (scoring -2 to -4). One would hazard to guess that Rodney does occasional weddings and funerals (perhaps two to five times a year) and teaches one class or small group each week.
The Minister of Education and Business Administrator see Rodney as a very strong Overseer (scoring 6 to 7). The Executive Pastor and Senior Pastor see an extremely strong Overseer (scoring 9 to 10). Often this is due to the perspective of the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor-as Overseers of the entire church, they often talk of church-wide issues and so see each other more easily in the Overseer role. The difference is worthy of a brief discussion. All see Rodney as advising the Senior Pastor and governing board on church-wide issues, being the second in command, as approving procedures for running the church and implementing policy and vision.
The four respondents show a strong unity of response. There are minor differences between the way that Rodney views himself and the way that the other three view his role as Executive Pastor. What Rodney thinks of his role is essentially the same as how other staff view it. Several discussions that may clarify working relationships, but no discussions are needed to establish (or re-establish) the role.
Comparison Charts for Tim Cornwell
Some Executive Pastors have an extended number of individuals from their church take the XP-I. Tim Cornwell, XP of Cornwall Church, had a total of eleven people complete the Indicator (thanks to Tim Cornwell, Executive Pastor of Cornwall Church, for giving permission to publish this data). These responses can be averaged together and grouped into four classes:
Tim Cornwell on himself
Senior Pastor on Tim
Average XP-I of 5 Elders on Tim
Average XP-I of 4 Pastoral Staff on Tim
These series are charts are good examples that not every Executive Pastor has to approximate the "average XP." Based on the charts of these classes of respondents, let us examine the Five Functions of Tim Cornwell.
The Elders and Staff report a slight Administrator function (scoring a 1), while the XP and Senior Pastor present a moderate to strong reading (scoring a 3 to 5). From the church's web site one can see that the church has a Pastor of Administration. It is possible that the Pastor of Administration, because of giftedness or longevity, handles a large amount of compensation, budgets, and executive function. Since the XP and Senior Pastor have a different view from the others, it would do well to talk through this area with the Elders and staff, especially the Elders. It may be that the Elders have a different set of stated or unstated expectations. As the Elders see Tim as a moderate Overseer, they see him as leading the church-but perhaps not managing quite as much.
Three of the groups see the Catalyst function as slight, at or below the baseline (0 to -1), while the Senior Pastor reports a strong Catalyst (scoring a 6). As with Rodney Schell, the Senior Pastor reports a stronger Catalyst than others. With Tim, the amount of difference merits a discussion between the XP and Senior Pastor. The Senior Pastor may be seeing more Catalyst activity than others or have the desire for more to happen-an important topic to examine! It would be important to determine who is the Catalyst in the church. Perhaps the Senior Pastor or another key leader is highly gifted in this area. One might wonder if the Indicator was accurate for this church, except that the Senior Pastor understood the questions (there is no claim that the XP-I is perfect-it will not work for everyone in every church).
The staff see a moderate Mentor (scoring almost a 4), the Elders see a very strong Mentor (scoring a 6), while the XP and Senior Pastor report an extremely strong Mentor (scoring an 8). Thus, everyone sees Tim as a Mentor. They see him as the Chief of Staff, developing and encouraging paid staff (and possibly volunteers). This, coupled with the strong Overseer function, may mean that Tim is seen as a shepherd to the staff and entire congregation. Tim's job description reflects this where it says about the staff: "Staff Director-Supervisor-Coach-Leader-Lead staff to work together as a team; Unify team on mission, purpose and vision."
All see the XP as below the baseline on the Minister function (scoring -2 to -4), and this is typical for most XPs. Tim's time is not being consumed with direct ministry, such as weddings, funerals, counseling and teaching. He has delegated that to other staff so that he is able to focus on his role.
The staff report a moderate Overseer (scoring a 2), the Elders and Senior Pastor see a moderate Overseer (scoring a 4), and the XP a very strong Overseer (scoring over a 6). The leaders of the church see Tim as an advisor to the Senior Pastor, being the second in command and aligning ministry with the church vision. This is reflected in Tim's job description where it states: "Liaison with the Board-Communicate progress church is making toward goals: Seek discernment on key issues."
Having eleven people complete the XP-I provides a comprehensive view of the Executive Pastor. The people of Cornwall Church are to be commended for investing so much time in helping their XP learn more about the perceptions of his role and position. Some important discussion need to occur to ensure that expectations are in line with performance. Further, it should be clarified in those discussions who is doing the work of the Catalyst and Administrator. What a great opportunity to clarify roles and responsibilities with an objective means of beginning the discussion.
