Ministry Leads to Weight Gain
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Hey Fletch … This one is rather personal. Your column is a safe place for me to ask it. I have been gaining weight. Often I am at breakfast and lunch meetings, […]
Senior Pastor Constantly Bringing Change
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have a senior pastor who is constantly bringing change to the church. One week it is a new way to do small groups, and he did this by […]
Working 65 Hours and Not Getting It Done
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Hey Prof … I’m about maxed out in my job at church. I’m putting in 65 hours a week and still not getting it all done. My wife is fussing at me […]
Easy Onramps for Visitors
Monday, March 12, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have heard you talk about “easy onramps” in a church. What do you mean by that?
DRF—Every church needs places where newcomers can easily “get on board.” Existing attenders […]
Laugh Today Because It Is Today
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Laugh Today Because It Is Today
DRF—We all have plenty of reasons for angst in today’s society. The tension that we feel is like that of the early church … we live in […]
Visitors Find Our Church Chilly
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Hey Doc … I’m trying to gauge how warm our church is. I feel that it is a super encouraging place to be, but some visitors are telling me otherwise. Any thoughts?
DRF—Here […]
Soapbox Racers
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 […]
Live Translation, Part 2
Friday, March 9, 2018
Hey Fletch … In a February 6, 2018 “Hey Fletch” column I saw the question: Is anyone out there using a system that allows a church to broadcast a Spanish speaking translator […]
How Often People Attend Worship in a Month
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Hey Fletch … In Australia the trend is quickly moving away from every week attendance. People who almost never missed a Sunday, maybe missed once a month, now maybe only come once […]
Four-Wall Discussions
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’ve heard you use the term “four wall discussions.” Could you define that for me?
DRF—I call certain meetings “four-wall discussions” to signify that what is said should stay in […]
Ministry Leaders Need a Holistic Picture and Planning
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Hey Fletch— I so love the resources that you are providing on XPastor. I recently transitioned into the Operations Pastor role, which for us is similar to an XP in most churches. […]
Scaling Wages As the Church Grows
Monday, March 5, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’m in a small church with a few part-time paid staff. We are hoping to grow them into full-time positions over the next 2 years, plus expand the staff. […]
The Apple Watch Won’t Make You Exercise
Sunday, March 4, 2018
The Apple Watch Won’t Make You Exercise
DRF—There are two types of people in the world, those that love Apple products and those that hate them. A major news story criticized the Apple […]
Church Planting & Running a Business
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Hey Doc … Here in India I am pioneering a church planting ministry. We, are doing some income generating projects based on the people and the places. I would like to request […]
Church Without a Tax-Exempt Status
Friday, March 2, 2018
Hey Fletch … I just began as the pastor of a rural midwestern church with 150 in worship. We do not have a tax exempt status. We pay tax on what we […]
Passwords, Computers and Security
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … I can’t log into XPastor to get the stuff that I purchased. Can you help?
DRF—Many of us have several email addresses, such as church, personal and family. It looks […]
Executive Pastor as Dr. No
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Hey Fletch … one of the challenges that I face as Executive Pastor is that everyone is pitching things to me. I feel like I’m “Dr. No.” There are tons of good […]
Should the SP & XP Both Report to the Board
Monday, February 26, 2018
Hey Fletch … Have been an XP for nearly 20 years and I’m curious on your thoughts on organizational structure of the SP/XP positions. I’ve twice been in the “2nd chair” position, […]
We Failed with Excellence
Sunday, February 25, 2018
We failed with excellence
DRF—Many individuals and churches have the value of “excellence.” It seems that we often ‘fail with excellence.’ In Austin one year, I just didn’t fall off my bicycle, but […]
Evaluating Senior Pastor Salaries
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’m using the XPastor Compensation Survey. We are beginning the process of hiring a Senior Pastor and the Board is wanting to evaluate all salaries. We have some […]
SP is Ready for an XP
Friday, February 23, 2018
Hey Fletch … 21 years ago God gave me the privilege of leading a team to plant our church. Thank you for your ministry to XPs around the world. We are looking […]
Expediting an Unpaid to Paid Staff Role
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Hey David … I will become an Assistant Pastor within three months. Initially, this will be an unpaid position. It will become paid once the church can afford me. How do I […]
Some Want Others than the Senior Pastor to Create Vision
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Hey Fletch … I am a Senior Pastor here in Australia. We just formulated an Executive Pastor role description. I have operated as ‘leader of the leaders’ in terms of bringing values […]
HR Policy and Best Practices
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Hey Doc … Our church isn’t of a size to yet need an HR person on staff. Yet, I need help on HR policy and best practices. Our state has lots of […]
We Had a Narcissist on Staff
Monday, February 19, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’m on the other side of the international date line from you, but church issues are the same the world over. We had a Narcissist on our staff and […]
Criticizing Others is a Reflection of My Insecurities
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Criticizing others is a reflection of my insecurities
DRF—Nick Carraway, the narrator of ‘The Great Gatsby’ quoted his father: “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the […]
Church Grows from 300 to 2,000 in 5 Years
February 17, 2018
Hey David … We have grown from 300 to 2,000 in less than 5 years. Our original Executive Pastor job description was for a smaller church. What do you have as examples of […]
Lifetime Salary from a Church
February 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … A guy just told me that he has a lifetime salary from his church. What are your thoughts about that kind of retirement plan?
DRF—In a GuideStone presentation at the […]
Who Creates the Vision in a Church
February 15, 2018
Hey Fletch … I would love to know if you have any further comments on the Elder Job Description on XPastor. I’m interested your ideas on the role of discerning and setting […]
Cancel an Obligation for an Exciting Invitation?
February 14, 2018
Hey Doc … This is a big one. I have some obligations next week at church and they can’t be moved. But now I just received an exciting out-of-town invitation with an important […]
When You Leave, Don’t Burn Bridges
February 13, 2018
Hey David … When you recently moved on from your church, you sent out a “keeping you in the loop” email. It was short, factual, upbeat and didn’t throw anyone under the bus. […]
Growing a Small Church in Africa
February 12, 2018
Hey Doc … I have just been posted to a very small church in Africa, just 15 older people. What should I do to help grow the little church? What are some of […]
The Church Moves at Glacial Speed
Sunday, February 11
The church moves at glacial speed
DRF—This is so unfair to glaciers! Churches can move slower than sheets of ice. This is especially true when hiring staff or implementing changes. Weeks and months can […]
Defining Church Interns
February 10, 2018
Hey David … Do you have anything on internships. What to expect out of an intern and expectations of me as the Student Pastor?
DRF—We don’t have much in the way of job descriptions. […]
No Response to Emails
February 9, 2018
Hey Fletch … Some of our junior staff are terrible at responding to emails. They say, “our generation likes texts.” One staff member took a month to get me his annual review.
DRF—Well, you […]
You Are Not a Pastor
February 7, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’m a hurtin’ puppy in Oklahoma right now. Got my tail between my legs. A fellow pastor on staff came into my office and said, “You are not a Pastor. […]
New Donor Email is a Mess
February 4, 2018
Hey Doc … Our new giver email is a mess. I clicked on a link and got a 404—page not found. The fonts are all strange for people who get it. Help!
DRF—An email […]
Elder Role Descriptions
February 3, 2018
Hey Fletch … When we have our coaching call later today, can we talk about role descriptions for elders?
DRF—Few churches lay out a role description for their elders (or deacons, trustees or other […]
Finding Über-Techs
February 2, 2018
Hey Fletch … We need some über-techs for a short project. Are there super-users or trainers on the following platforms that we could pay to write a key stroke script? The platforms are […]
Recording Songs in the Worship Service
February 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … Someone suggested that we record some songs during our worship service and create a CD from them. Any thoughts on this?
DRF—Off the top of my head, I can think of […]
Just Got Dissed in an Email
January 31, 2018
Hey David … This one is personal and hard to write. I just got an email that seems to say that I wasn’t on a project any longer. I’m totally shocked. I thought […]
Criteria for a Usable Website
January 30, 2018
Hey Prof … I’m in XPastor’s class on Church Communication—Ops 102 and doing the assignment on church websites. Here are the criteria that I’m using to evaluate a usable website: Staff, Locations […]
Am I Underpaid?
January 29, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’m trying to get a handle on my compensation. Is it fair? Am I underpaid? Please give some advice on comparable salaries for my role.
DRF—There are some great online tools […]
Technical Director and Tech Engineer
January 28, 2018
Hey Dr. Fletcher … I’m a pastor in charge of media ministry in our church in Africa. Please, is there a job description for a technical team, video team and multimedia team?
DRF—I’m so […]
Creating a Ministry Description
January 27, 2018
Hey Doc … My Presiding Bishop is looking to create a role for someone to visit churches inside and outside our organization. This person would stand in for the Bishop when he is […]
Who Needs an XP?
January 26, 2018
Hey Fletch … What is the best way to convince a strong Senior Pastor of the necessity for creating an XP role at the church?
DRF—The answer is “complexity.” Strong Senior Pastors understand that! […]
Staff Culture
January 25, 2018
Hey David … We are wanting to get a feel for how our staff is doing. What can you suggest? We want to understand how our staff feel and get a handle on […]
Elder Decisions in a Church of 600
January 24, 2018
Hey Doc … We have grown to a church of 600. Lately some of our Elders are asking, “Why did you two (the SP and XP) make this or that decision? I thought […]
Job Description—Executive Pastor—Sample
XPastor has collected various job descriptions from churches, to aid you in preparing job descriptions for yourself or others on your staff. Below is a sample job description that David Fletcher put together, a compilation of […]
Salaries in the Pacific Northwest
January 22, 2018
Hey Prof … This is a hard question. Can you give me some guidance on what kind of salary I might expect as a Senior Pastor of a church in the Pacific Northwest? […]
Website Not Scaling Graphics
January 21, 2018
Hey Fletch … We are having some website trouble. It looks great on a desktop monitor but some of our pages are awful on a tablet or cell. Can you take a look […]
XP Ministry Description, Church of 750
January 20, 2018
Hey Doc … I’m reviewing my ministry description as an XP. I’m in a church of 750. Can you give any input on it. 25% is Finance & HR, 25% is Working with […]
Cell Phone Policy
January 19, 2018
Hey David … I’m working on our church’s cell phone policy and wondering if you have any resources that address that?
DRF—Here is some policy thoughts on that: “Cell phones are a part of […]
Board Member Not Giving to the Church
January 18, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have a board member who wants a new vision and direction for our church. Also, he told me that he hasn’t given to the church in nine months. Now […]
Stolen W2 Statements for All Staff
January 14, 2018
Hey David … A shipping firm claimed they left the W-2s for all of our employees at the church’s front door. No signature was required and they left the package at 9:00 pm. […]
Four Ways to Turn Off Pastoral Candidates
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 […]
7 Key Principles for Leading a Meeting
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 […]
Defining Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
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 […]
Going Paperless
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 […]
Every Single Problem is a Leadership Problem
Recently, I was talking to Kevin Peck, the Lead Pastor of Austin Stone Church. Back in 2005, they were a church of about 800 in worship. Now they have six campuses with about 6,000 or […]
Overtime and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
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! […]
The Interview Process and Sample Questions
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 […]
Newly in Charge of Unresolved Issues
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 […]
Three Kinds of Executive Pastors
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 […]
The Hidden Step in Hiring: Get to Know “X”
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 […]
The Cost of Hiring Mistakes
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. […]
Church Publicity Campaigns
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 […]
Suggestions for Writing Church Policies
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 […]
SP-XP Communication
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 […]
Strengthening Your Staff
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 […]
Drain the Swamp: Your Finances in the Summer Slump
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. […]
Zero-Zero Based Budgets
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 […]
Four Questions for the Fall
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 […]
Raises for Your Staff
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 […]
Change or Die
In America we have the popular maxim, Change or Die. Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, showing our popular American phrase has its roots in Greek antiquity. Heraclitus said, “Everything changes, πάντα χωρεῖ.” […]
XPastor Re-Branded
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. A […]
Spiritual DNA: Spiritual Leadership for a New Building
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 Spiritual DNA of a Church
David Fletcher wrote this when he was an Executive Pastor at Grace Covenant Church of Austin, Texas. By writing down your church’s “Spiritual DNA,” you are putting in print what may only be oral tradition. […]
Discovering Your Need for an Executive Pastor—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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 […]
Sabbatical Policy
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 of […]
Case Studies of Policy and Vision Implementation by the Executive Pastor–A Dissertation
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 […]
Pressures on the Pastor—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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 […]
Perils in the Executive Pastor Role—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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 […]
Biblical Parallels for the Executive Pastor—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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 […]
Models of Church Structure—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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, […]
The Solution of the Business Administrator—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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 […]
The Solution of the Associate Pastor—Excerpts from a Dissertation
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 […]
Executive Pastor or Administrator?
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 […]
Biblical Parallels of the Five Functions
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 […]
5 Functions in Church Leadership
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 […]
“Virtual Pastor” via Video Venue
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 […]
Exit of a Founding Pastor
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 […]
Succession Plan: A 20-Year Transition
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 […]
The Perfect Storm: Growing to a New Level of Effectiveness
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. […]
From Business Executive to Executive Pastor
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 […]
To XP or Not to XP? That is the Question
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. […]