In today’s fluid culture, many churches are adrift—longing to reach spiritually thirsty people, but failing to […]
What do scuba diving, salary spreadsheets, and severance packages have in common? According to Fletch, more than you think. Matt Davis interviews Fletch in Episode 55, Balancing the Business Brain and the Pastoral Heart. This […]
Stepping into, or leading through, the role of an Executive Pastor can be one of the most challenging yet rewarding positions in ministry leadership. If you’re navigating this path, you’re likely familiar with the mix […]
Phil has just updated and expanded his book, Defining the Executive Pastor Role. Join us as he gives an overview of the book and delves into a few of the chapters.
The book covers […]
For the last few years, I have spoken at the XP-Seminar, except for the Snow-Covid Seminar a few years ago. The seminar is one of my few live speaking gigs every year. David and Tami […]
Taking time to visit other churches in your area or across the country is a great way to grow in your leadership. I love seeing a church in action and I always come away with […]
Nick Smith is an XP with a huge Pastoral Heart. He exudes warmth and compassion with plenty of biblical wisdom. How does Nick balance his gifts with the […]
Let’s look at seven surprises that will give encouragement, challenge, and ideas to ponder as we move forward in this uncertain season. Jesus often used in his […]
Like it or not, Executive Pastors are coaches. You can embrace your role as a coach and improve your effectiveness by coaching your team.
I’ll admit it. The word coach used to make me cringe. And […]
Bishop David Evans is the Senior Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church, Lindenwold, New Jersey. Nicholas Smith is his Executive Pastor. Twenty years ago, Bishop Evans named Nicholas as his designated successor. Their long time […]
A quaint story circulated among Methodists describes a young pastor, fresh out of seminary, who had just begun his first pastorate. As he drove up to the small church, he noticed an old tree blocking […]
Shared leadership at the helm of any organization, especially the ever-growing model of co-lead pastors in a church, can be a huge blessing when successful. However, it has the potential to be quite catastrophic to […]
I believe in the Executive Pastor position to my core. There is tremendous value that an Executive Pastor can offer a church. God has been preparing me for this role my entire life and brought […]
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 […]
Whether a church has 100, 1,000 or 10,000 people, the business of church is complex. According to industry research, there are approximately 300,000 churches in the United States. Of those 300,000 ninety percent have around […]
Bob Buford passed away recently. If you’re younger than about 40, it’s possible you’ve never heard of Bob Buford. But if you’re an executive pastor of any age, you owe your position to Bob Buford.
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“You are destroying the church I love!” “You are not a godly man and I hate you!” “Sometimes I do not understand the way you think!” “You are making my church too corporate!” After you […]
A variety of paths can lead to the role of executive pastor (or executive director) in a church. One of the most common is the businessperson who is already a volunteer leader in the church […]
“And all other duties as may be assigned.” This is commonly the last line in a job description, but the practical reality for many second chair leaders is that this is their first responsibility. This […]
“To organize or not to organize? That is the question.” While this may be a bad take-off on Shakespeare, it’s a key issue for second chair leaders. One possible response to this question is, “Don’t bother […]
Having an excellent Executive Pastor can dramatically increase the health and growth of a church. Similar to the relationship between a COO and a CEO, an Executive Pastor oversees all administrative and operational aspects of […]
Throughout my years in the Executive Pastor role, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many of my peers in ministry. At the risk of oversimplification, I have noticed that most XPs (shorthand for […]
Throughout my many years of ministry, I have had the opportunity to coach executives of Fortune 500 companies and church leaders. My vantage point is fascinating; I enjoy the challenge of identifying best practices that […]
The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results, written by George Bradt, Jayme Check and Jorge Pedraza, is a book about helping executives succeed in transition. […]
As was mentioned in the title, I’ve learned five lessons during my first eighteen months as an Executive Pastor. In order to provide some context, I will briefly state my ministry experience. My background has […]
I recently sat down with the Lead Pastor of our church, discussing my current role as the Director of Operations. During the discussion, I mentioned that I was hoping to move my position to become […]
My first ninety days as an Administrative Pastor at my church was not for the faint hearted. Take your pick of the more interesting opportunities for growth that I experienced in my new position in […]
What ingredients make an effective senior leadership team? There’s no better person to ask than Jimmy Collins, past president of Chick-fil-A. Collins was second-in-command under Truett Cathy, the man who invented the chicken sandwich. Together, […]
Recently, after eventful days at the church office, David and I have compared those events to the movie, Grand Hotel. Grand Hotel, which came out in 1932, is the movie in which Greta Garbo famously […]
Let’s face it—life happens. We all get off track at one time or another. And it’s always more difficult to get back on track the second time. Third time. Fourth time. Several weeks ago, a […]
Pastors have been on the scene for a couple thousand years. Executive Pastors, by many different definitions, have been around for about twenty-five years. We obviously know more about how to be the former than […]
To all my fellow XP’s out there—many who, like me, have come out of marketplace—I say, “If you ‘wanna learn’ what you need to know to be an effective pastor, administrator, leader, and coach, look […]
Before even opening this book, the title caught my eye. Whenever we think of words with the prefix “re” before it—words like review, rewind, re-do—we automatically think of things or situations that we must execute […]
Peter Drucker’s goal in The Effective Executive seems so simple; as he states in the preface, “The subject of this book is managing oneself for effectiveness.” It does not take long to realize, however, that […]
Leaders can effectively communicate their mission with people from all walks of life by using several different methods of communication. One of the best ways I’ve found for communicating your message is through networking and […]
I’ve been somebody’s “Number Two Guy” for the majority of my career. I’ve been someone’s “Commander Riker” to their “Captain Picard” for almost twenty years. And, yes, I realize I’m dating myself with this analogy—Star […]
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! […]
Turnover in churches is high right now. Senior Pastors are retiring as baby boomers age, and the wave is only going to grow. Perhaps more than I’ve ever seen, there are scores of people facing […]
(The following article is Part 3 of a three-part series written by Paul Utnage. To start at the beginning with Part 1, read “Working with Strong Personalities at the Top.” The link to Part 2—Tsunami […]
[The following is Part 2 of a three-part series. To start with Part 1, read “Working with Strong Personalities at the Top.” The link to Part 3—Working in Healthy Ways with Strong Leaders can be […]
“Leading up requires great courage and determination. We might fear how our superior will respond, we might doubt our right to lead up, but we all carry a responsibility to do what we can when […]
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 […]
“God has blessed me with the heart of a pastor, and I love people,” says Olson, 48, who joined the Lake Avenue Church staff last summer after eighteen years in ministry at Rolling Hills Covenant […]
When Goldilocks visited the Three Bears’ house, she tried three different rocking chairs. Papa Bear’s was “too big,” she decided. Then Baby Bear’s broke into a dozen pieces under her weight. “Too small,” she declared […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The following is a dissertation written by an Executive Pastor. To aid in making the information more readable on the web, the footnotes have been removed.
Leadership and management […]
Executive Pastor David Troublefield read a comment on XPastor that said, “And if you want to forget all your troubles, eat a cherry popsicle while running through the sprinklers barefoot!” So David put on his […]
I served for years as the XP on a team of three pastors planting Terra Nova Church in New York. On my journey there, I made a three-year stop as Lead Pastor of a suburban church, […]
“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day […]
Many capable, idealistic, servant-minded people find themselves in “second chair” management and leadership roles within Christian organizations and churches across the country. For many, this is a positive, fulfilling experience; for others, it is frustrating […]
When a United States President enters office, there is a lot of press given to his first 100 days agenda. The reason for this is everyone understands the early days of the new administration will […]
Church administration is an organizational approach that translates the purposes of God revealed to church leadership into effective ministry that reaches the unique goals and purposes of the church. Administration is ministry, not methods; people, […]
Here’s the situation. Your giving to the General Fund is down, not to mention missions and other special giving. Some of your people are losing their jobs, and many others are in fear of that […]
Whether you realize it or not, being in the “second chair” is the ultimate leadership paradox. You are a leader: mentoring staff members, overseeing the day-to-day operations, and ensuring that the organization is running smoothly. […]
If you ask most Executive Pastors to show you their radars, they’d look a lot like FAA snapshots charting planes in flight across the country. While I know you’re as stressed as a control tower […]
We are truly “strangers in a strange land.” In Robert A. Heinlein’s Hugo Award winning science fiction novel by that title, the main character, Valentine Michael Smith, returns to Earth as an adult after being raised on […]
As the Executive Pastor of our church, (a non-denominational, evangelical, contemporary-styled church) I was the first person our Lead Pastor came to with his idea of adding two other staff members that would serve at […]
“Had I known then what I know now!” How many times have you heard that famous phrase? Hindsight truly is 20/20, but normally we do not get to enjoy it, unless we learn from others […]
The proliferation of “megachurches” has been described as one of the most significant social developments of the decade of the eighties. That trend shows no sign of subsiding, indeed it seems to be accelerating. Lyle […]
Working as a Town Planner, my work often varied and was rewarding as I helped shape and establish existing and new communities. After thirteen years and working for four different local government authorities, I had […]
Mount Vernon Baptist Church’s history dates back over 145 years. During these years, the church faced many challenges. Individuals emerged to lead the church forward. The church is again at a crossroad in its history. In this […]
The following is a dissertation written by a Senior Pastor. To aid in making the information more readable on the web, the footnotes have been removed. To view footnotes, tables, appendices and the bibliography, please view […]
The winds of change had been blowing for several years. Not in response to a particular problem, a mid-life crisis nor a lack of ministry fulfillment. Rather, it was a persistent, gentle unsettledness, resulting in […]
In the American religious landscape, there is no clear path for an individual to become an Executive Pastor. Whether a man or woman comes from the executive or church world, there are a variety of paths to […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Every year at the XP-Seminar, I ask, “How many of you came from the business world?” In 2005, about 25% of the XPs raised their hands; by 2008, over 50% said “yes.” Current estimates are […]
I once heard a good definition of a CFO: “Someone who solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand.” There is some truth in this statement. However, in actuality, […]
There is a distinctly business-like aspect to overseeing a church: churches have assets to manage, employees to pay, and members who rightfully demand accountability for their financial contributions. The business side of church leadership is […]
Because I have an interest in organizations, I often have an eye out for signs of excellence, or lack thereof, in my everyday dealings. It becomes apparent when there is an obvious emphasis by an […]
“I felt my heart strangely warmed.” Those were the words Jonathan Wesley used to describe his conversion the night he attended a meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. The words also describe how I felt when […]
April 23, 2003 is a day that Natalie Gilbert will never forget. On that day, when she was 13 years old, she was scheduled to sing the national anthem for the 2003 NBA Playoff Game […]
One of the least understood roles in churches is the “second chair” role—the person who reports directly to the Senior Pastor (or sometimes the church board) and oversees a large portion of the church staff. […]
A couple of months ago, I was asked to give a presentation entitled, “Executive Pastor: If, When, Why, How?” As you can guess from the title, the focus was on churches that were thinking about […]
Andrew Behm went from working in the business world to being the Executive Pastor of the church he had attended for years. Below are accounts of his joys and struggles during his first 26 weeks […]
Last week I attended the annual XP-Seminar in Dallas—it felt so good to be with “my people.” Finally, to be with people who spoke my language! It was exciting to share my frustrations and passions […]
Each time I work with a church leadership team, I schedule time for coaching the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor together. This dynamic working relationship experiences significant wear and tear and needs to be inspected […]
One of the greatest privileges of serving as an Executive Pastor is the opportunity we have to come alongside men and women and help them develop in their leadership. The first few months of the […]
Nathan Baxter is a former Executive Pastor that has a heart for mentoring. One tool that he uses as he helps pastors is the Birkman Leadership Assessment Tools. Here Nathan outlines some of the available assessments, […]
Over the summer, I hit a new mile marker in my leadership coaching by working with my 50th SP-XP team. I have had the privilege to spend time in thirteen states, nine denominations, and churches […]
Steve’s phone call was filled with excitement. It was his first church. I had known him from his home church where he was a fine lay leader. Now he was on his own. He wanted […]
David Fletcher ran into Dr. Booth’s paper while attending a class at the Kellogg School of Management. Measuring change is tough in a church and yet so necessary, considering how much change occurs! This is […]
