In today’s fluid culture, many churches are adrift—longing to reach spiritually thirsty people, but failing to […]
Few things stretch an Executive Pastor like a building project—it’s exciting, exhausting, and full of surprises. ChurchWay Advisors founder Mike Kern will walk through the six phases of solving a space constraint […]
This article tests the common belief that the Ministerial Housing Allowance is a major tax windfall for pastors. The process ran dozens of 2017 and 2025 tax scenarios, comparing pastors with similarly paid regular employees. […]
An excellent Compensation Study needs methodology. I developed the XPastor Compensation Pyramid to provide rock solid methodology.
Just as I use the pyramid in XPastor Compensation Studies I perform for various congregations, churches around the country […]
You face issues, complications and problems all the time in your church. It’s not a question of whether they will be solved; you have to solve them for ministry to go forward. It’s a question […]
I often get emails that say: I’m in a high cost of living area. Should I be earning more because it costs more to live here? The question is a good one so let’s see […]
Each year, I see hundreds of positions with titles of Pastor/Director, such as Operations Pastor/Director or Student Ministry Pastor/Director. While it may be counterintuitive, whether the person has the title of Pastor or Director, the […]
Being a grandparent is an ideal place in life. […]
These before and after shots tell the story. Churches with adequate facilities become beautiful and functional places for ministry.
XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and policies. Below is the Job Descriptions from Southside Nazarene Church of Chesterfield, […]
The following Business Administrator job descriptions have been collected by XPastor over the years. Learn from these examples and incorporate elements as they fit your church style and polity. All have been used by permission. […]
The following Executive Director of Ministries job descriptions have been collected by XPastor over the years. Learn from these examples and incorporate elements as they fit your church style and polity. All have been used […]
The following Elder job descriptions have been collected by XPastor over the years. Learn from these examples and incorporate elements as they fit your church style and polity. All have been used by permission. […]
The following Executive Pastor job descriptions have been collected by XPastor over the years. Learn from these examples and incorporate elements as they fit your church style and polity. All have been used by permission.
The following Communication Director job descriptions have been collected by XPastor over the years. Learn from these examples and incorporate elements as they fit your church style and polity. All have been used by permission.
The following Senior Pastor and Lead Pastor job descriptions have been collected by XPastor over the years. Learn from these examples and incorporate elements as they fit your church style and polity. All have been […]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a helpful tool for churches. Many are using AI to ethically research sermon ideas. Others use it to redact a 45 minute message into a 1,000 word article for their […]
William Vanderbloemen’s latest book, Be the Unicorn: Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest, is a goldmine of information. He gets right at what the best leaders do and how they think. […]
My title may seem a little off-putting, perhaps even negative. Why do I need a guardrail? Or better, what is a guardrail for a pastor? This brings another question, If our church incorporated guardrails, what […]
The main segment in most worship services is the sermon. It receives the most time and is pivotal for teaching biblical truth. Yet, almost everyone listening to the sermon forgets it by Wednesday. Church leaders […]
Pastors and church leaders are biblically aware that predators will prey on their church. One of the biblical roles for the pastor is to be a shepherd and guard the lambs. What pastors generally miss […]
Enjoy this sample role description for a Finance Director. Note that it has percentages of time for each area. Always include percentages so that everyone is aware of time expectations. When doing an annual review, […]
There is a bane in having a good church policy for your facilities. Here is what happens. A church leader plans an event on your church campus and turns in a facility request. The request […]
Vision is more than one short statement. Your church needs that short statement but it also needs much more. The vision statement is the tip of the iceberg. Vision statements set out far-reaching goals and values. […]
Fellowship Bible Church of Winchester, Virginia has developed a 12-step procedure for Care Response Volunteers. These volunteers delivery grocery and medicine to those who are unable to travel to a grocery store or pharmacy. Special […]
Churches used to be able to handle a crisis or major event on their own. The current scenario is complicated by publicity on social media, a tangle of laws and regulations and the prevalence of […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing in […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, he uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing […]
We have brought together material from Mike Batts and from Brother Mutual to see the scope of risk management. Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee. He has more than […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing in […]
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate […]
Depending on the nature of the crisis, there are various levels of communication necessary.
Dan Black, Executive Pastor of WheatFields Good News Church, thought on what had been said at the Risk Management Team meeting. “Maybe I need a better handle on what risk […]
One day, you may have the conversation. This is one of those ultimate conversations in your ministry life. It may come out of the blue. You may have some signs it is coming. You may […]
In his first book, Tim Beltz guides the church planter on a profound yet simple journey to establish a new church—both legally and above reproach. Charting the Course is a practical and relevant guide to […]
Fletch had the pleasure to be with multisite Chapelstreet Church of Geneva, Illinois. While there, he saw a 10-page magazine, Neighbor, summer 2018 edition. Fletch picked up a hard copy of the magazine and got […]
Establishing a fair and legally compliant compensation structure for your church is critical—and it won’t happen by accident! The new, one-day XPastor Compensation Workshop […]
Churches have asked for sample Employment Applications. Use this as a basis for your own application form. XPastor supplies this information for education purposes only. Consult an attorney or labor specialist to determine the needs […]
Speed Racers are just getting started at 60 mph. Racers are built for speed, topping out at over 200 mpg. While you can go fast, it’s easy to run out of gas—or worse, crash!
At the 2018 […]
The monthly board meeting is coming up on Tuesday night. The agenda is packed and you have key items to bring before the board. Your items could take thirty minutes to two hours to discuss! […]
Trucks are built solid. On a dirt road, you can easily drive from 30 to 60 miles per hour. On a paved road, a truck could top out at 100 mph. Trucks are built to […]
Driving 80 miles per hour in a Soapbox Racer is absurd. You will quickly crash. Accelerate your Soapbox Racer from 10 mph up to 30 mph. You will rejoice at going 30 mph. But your main […]
The hiring process of a new pastor or ministry director is like going to a school dance. When you know the candidate, the process is like a high school dance; if you don’t, then the […]
You spend a great deal of money on team meetings. Add the salaries and benefits of everyone invited to a meeting. Divide that total by 2,080, the number of work hours in a year. You […]
The Center For Audit Quality, a non-profit group based out of Washington D.C., has published a great guide on Internal Controls. While the term “Internal Control” can seem imposing to a church, the concepts in […]
Consider if your church or business had 29,151,900 pages of documents. For ease of discussion, let’s round that down to a 29 million. According to some folks in New Zealand who had plenty of time […]
Do you believe in slavery? Because we believe in the dignity of all people, we have enacted various laws to protect our workers. Whether you want to read this article or not, you need to! […]
To get to the in-person stage of the interview process, the candidate has successfully gone through one or two phone interviews. Below are some ideas for how the in-person interviews should proceed. Included are some […]
When I accepted the role of Executive Pastor at EvFree Fullerton two months ago, everybody forgot to tell me that I would be the staff contact on the Worship Center remodeling project. I started getting […]
Who will be your next XP? What is the rise and function of the Executive Pastor? Whether you call the position Executive Pastor or Senior Associate Pastor or Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, there are many […]
In my career, I have hired dozens and dozens of pastors, ministry directors and church workers. There are huge differences between hiring people in each one of these categories. To name just a few, there […]
In most churches, the ministry year begins September 1. Kids get promoted to new classrooms, youth programs have new plans and preachers begin a new series. Many people decide to find a church in September. […]
Summers are pretty busy for XPs. Beyond the normal budget preparation that keeps me busy, we also launched a major publicity venture for our 9/11 sermon series. This was a three-week series talking about the implications […]
Every XP deals with church policy. Some of you love them, others tolerate it, while others avoid it like a plague. But every church needs them. When writing policies for your church, keep in mind […]
One of the vital elements of the XP role is that of communication between the Executive Pastor and the Senior Pastor. The core of the XP-SP relationship is one of trust. Many new XPs are hired […]
As an experienced executive pastor, and as the founder of XPastor, I often have people contact me with questions about ministry. One of the most frequent issues that church leaders bring to me is about […]
Let me give you four steps to prepare for the summer drain in finances. For many churches, perhaps even yours, there is a lull in giving during the summer. The drill runs something like this. […]
I think David worked WAY too long, looking at WAY too many line items on WAY too many departmental budgets. Don’t understand what I mean? Just read on, and be aware that his tongue was […]
Your ministry plans for the fall are either in full “implementation mode” or you are up to your upper thighs in alligators! As I write, our church is in the midst of two weeks of […]
At least once a year, you have the wonderful and terrible role of determining raises. Certainly it is wonderful. You have the opportunity to reward people for their hard work and great performance. I love […]
Over my years in ministry, I have come to enjoy the relationships that I have had with the various CPAs that have helped me. Let me define what my relationship with each CPA has not […]
XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and policies. Below is the Church Constitution of Grace Covenant Church of Austin, […]
All websites need an occasional dusting off … or even rebranded and restyled. How is your church’s website? Does it look like it did ten years ago? Perhaps it’s time to improve your online image. […]
David Fletcher developed this PDF for several workshops on Building the New Building. See also his article on The Spiritual DNA of Grace Covenant Church […]
The extant literature presents material on how to discover when an Executive Pastor is needed in a local congregation. Wes Kiel, in his unpublished article that was used in three Leadership Network forums in the […]
XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and church policies. Below is the 2006 Sabbatical Policy of Grace Covenant Church […]
The following is a dissertation written in 2004 by David Fletcher about the Executive Pastor position. The footnotes have been removed to simplify reading on the web. Unfortunately, the images (and there are many) do […]
With the acceptance of the operating principle of the historic importance of preaching, it will do well to briefly address other pressures on the preacher. In a chapter entitled, A Pastor’s Job Description, counselors Frank […]
A discussion of the role and function of the Executive Pastor would be incomplete without mentioning associated perils. This section will be especially helpful for any Senior Pastor, governing board or search committee seeking an […]
There are at least three significant biblical pericope that demonstrate roles parallel to the Executive Pastor. Two individuals, and one group, were in the place of implementing the policy and vision of others. The position that […]
Before one can discuss models of management in the church, it is necessary to discuss the role of management. This will help in evaluating the role and scope of the church leadership. In other words, […]
Another solution, often in conjunction with the Associate Pastor role, is for the church to hire a Business Administrator. Minirth and others succinctly discuss this area, in the context of different hats that the pastor […]
As the church added a second pastor, that person often received the title Associate or Assistant Pastor. In 2000, Martin Hawkins, Assistant Pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, completed a doctoral study […]
An examination of hundreds of responses to the Executive Pastor Indicator (which has become the People Patterns Indicator) documented some of the differences between Executive Pastors and Church Administrators. Many churches have both of these […]
Below are definitions of the Five Functions of an Executive Pastor—Administrator, Catalyst, Mentor, Relational, and Overseer—complete with biblical examples of each one. The Five Functions were originally established through the XP-Indicator which is now called […]
There are 5 Functions in church leadership. A variety of church staff use these roles, from senior pastor to executive pastor to others in leadership positions.
Over 4,600 people have discovered their 5 Functions in XPastor’s […]
I walked in the darkened auditorium and saw Toby Slough pacing a sixteen-foot path on the stage. On two side screens, I saw close-ups of Toby. There was a blink and Toby disappeared from center stage—then I […]
One of the greatest challenges in the business world is the exit of the founder of a corporation. Consider the words of Professor Noam Wasserman of the Harvard Business School: “My research focuses on founder frustrations in […]
In the year 1990, when Nicholas Smith was 8 years old, Bethany Baptist Church of Lindenwold, New Jersey had 29 active members. In the year 2003, Bethany Baptist had 16,500 members, Nicholas was 23 years old and […]
Liberty Church is a dynamic, progressive church of 550 adults and 300 children in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Unusual for a Southern Baptist Church, it is governed by a Board of Elders—and the ministry is carried out through teams. […]
In 2000, and after only a few months without a Senior Pastor, Woodinville Alliance Church made a “coup” in the pastor-hiring category. In 2004, Mary Jammerman began as Executive Pastor at Woodinville … in October of that year, Senior Pastor […]
When was the last time that the President of the United States attended the dedication of your Youth Education Center? When was the last time that the President quoted your Senior Pastor or called for advice? Dr. […]
In the Stonebriar Community Church Case Study, the decision of Dr. Charles Swindoll to add a third service at 8:00 on Sunday morning was introduced. Chuck, as he likes to be called, had informed his Executive Pastor, […]
In January 2004, Dr. Charles Swindoll, Senior Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, announced his decision to David Chavanne, the church’s Senior Executive Pastor. The internationally known radio preacher, who likes to be called “Chuck,” had decided that Stonebriar […]
Steve Roese is a Catalyst. Shakes up categories … no policy manuals or time cards—anywhere … visionary with an outreach heart … doesn’t allow second best … lightning rod for criticism … explains explosive issues […]
XPastor recommends readers take special note of the resources provided by Watermark about the issue of Care and Correction. These resources are found in Appendix V and Appendix VI at the end of this case study and in the […]
XPastor recommends readers take special note of the resources provided by Watermark about the issue of Care and Correction. These resources are found in Appendix V and Appendix VI at the end of this case study and […]
In Christianity Today, Associate Editor Edward Gilbreath presents a thesis which could serve as a cogent rationale for the selection of case study churches. In the cover story, Gilbreath writes on “The New Capital of […]
With the acceptance of the operating principle of the historic importance of preaching, it will do well to briefly address other pressures on the preacher. In a chapter entitled, A Pastor’s Job Description, counselors Frank Minirth and […]
Today I received an email from a Lead Pastor asking a question about a different operating structure in a church: “I wanted to get your thoughts on a new structure that I have heard a little […]
With anguish in his voice, Bill said, “It’s budget time again at our church. I get so tired of working through these numbers. The pile of papers seems endless. How do I get off of […]
When it comes to operating a church, a foundational document is the Finance Policy. If a poorly written Finance Policy is executed well, then the Policy can strike fear into any staff person. If a […]
Everybody struggles with it. Everybody seemingly wants more of it. So how much should we pay our church leaders? This article is drawn from the responses of 135 Executive Pastors about their base salary. Consider the following […]
David Fletcher gave this PowerPoint presentation at Dallas Seminary in 2002. There was a “snappy” discussion on the topic that was highly animated at times. This 28-slide PDF begins to explore some of the issues of getting […]
