Stay in Your Lane

Role Confusion – Scenario One

In many cases, the leader of an executive team, a lead pastor, presents the most significant challenge. Often, they take active roles beyond their responsibility of managing the executive staff, which can create confusion. For instance, in many smaller churches, the lead pastor is expected to take on two separate roles: leader of the executive team and ministries expert.

One of the first churches I consulted with was a medium-sized church with three professional staff, a pastor/head of staff, an associate pastor, and a Christian educator. The pastor was the original church planter. As the church experienced growth, it hired an associate pastor and Christian educator. The problem, of course, was that the pastor/head of staff continued to function as the ministry specialist, which had the potential to create confusion for everyone on the team. Was the Christian educator responsible for the discipleship program, or was the lead pastor who had served in the role for many years? Was the associate pastor responsible for the visitation and evangelism program of the church, as the job description designated, or did final authority still reside in the lead pastor who had functioned in that role for years?

During meetings, when the pastor weighed in on ministry issues, team members didn't push back much because they mistakenly assumed he was speaking as the final authority and declaring his intention to make a final decision. Whether that was true or not, the role confusion persisted for several years.

After discussing this with the lead pastor in one session, he was perplexed. He only intended to weigh in as a team member to encourage discussion. Realizing that he was inadvertently squelching debate and overriding the authority of his associate pastor and Christian educator, the pastor decided to be more explicit during meetings about which role he was playing. Before contributing, he signaled whether he intended to contribute to the conversation or drive closure as the church's lead pastor.

It's tempting for leaders, especially those at the top of organizations, to temporarily step into roles where they are talented or comfortable. What they often don't realize, however, is that others in the organization, even on their team, aren't as clear as they are about where lines of responsibility ultimately lie. Regardless of how straightforward or confusing a church's "organizational chart" may be, take a little time to clarify so everyone on the leadership team knows and agrees on what everyone else does.