stay in your lane: Part 2

Role Confusion – Scenario Two

Recently I had a conversation with a Senior Pastor, Head of Staff, who was promoted from her position as mission pastor. She was a capable administrator, had a passion for mission, and was a good leader.

The personnel committee saw her potential, and when the previous senior pastor retired, they asked her to step up into the position. She thought about it and felt God was calling her to this new position. She was gifted, no doubt, but transitioning from pastor of mission to senior pastor was not smooth. Taking on the unique responsibilities of Head of Staff was easy enough but letting go of responsibility for the mission program was not as easy.

When the church hired a new pastor for missions, the senior pastor continued to function as a mission specialist, unable to let go of this area of ministry and concentrate on the team's management—this created confusion and friction. The mission leadership team didn't know whom to look to for leadership, the new mission pastor or the past mission pastor, now head of staff. At governing board meetings, they had trouble knowing who was responsible for the mission program, the head of staff or the new mission pastor. The confusion created friction between the senior pastor and the new mission pastor, who could never really find his place. Within six months, the new mission pastor resigned, and the personnel committee was now questioning their decision to promote the previous pastor of mission to the position of senior pastor/head of staff. Maybe she wasn't as skilled as head of staff as we thought.

Within a few years, the church hired more staff in Christian education, bookkeeping, and visitation. Widespread confusion grew about who was responsible for what. The senior pastor/head of staff was evaluated on her skill as a pastoral caregiver, Christian educator, administrator, worship leader, property manager, and financial expert. The personnel committee lost sight of her role as a head of staff. She could have been a capable team leader if the governing board had not expected her to be the expert in all areas of ministry, and she had been able to let go of her role as mission expert.

The staff never felt like they had a contribution to make, and the pastor/head of staff was so overwhelmed that she could no longer function effectively. It's tempting for leaders, especially those at the top of organizations, to 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 clear or confusing a church's organizational chart may be, it is always worthwhile to take a little time to clarify so that everyone on the leadership team knows and agrees on what everyone else does. This clarity could keep the leader at the top from burning out and the leaders on the team from feeling irrelevant.