“Major Concerns” for a pastor — Notes after 60 years….

1. Personal and Master Schedule

Best: The pastor sees pulpit time as his most important way to lead, teach, and shepherd. It is not just about sermon content, but mood and vision, and love.

Best: The pastors plans and follows a “Master Schedule” for each week, changing for special needs, family needs, and tragedies of course — but otherwise keeping it!

Needs: When the pastor does not seek evaluation of his sermons, and just repeats habits and needs.

Needs: When the pastor just sees what he can do each day, instead of following a carefully planned schedule.

2. Staff and volunteers

Best: When everyone on paid staff knows exactly which areas are their responsibility, and has from 2 to 5 or 6 of these.

Best: When there is a clear volunteer ministry manager for each area, and this person does much of the administration and scheduling and coordinating.

Needs: When some areas have no one giving them thought or prayer.

Needs: When the pastor or staff members become the administrators and managers and thus become administrators instead of visionary and people persons.

3. The board

Best: When there is one main board, and only one, and its main function is oversight, not daily details which belong to staff and volunteers. When the board responsibilities are clearly defined, not made up by whim or suggestion.

Best: When there are printed agendas given out ahead of time, so there can be thought and prayer; and when the senior pastor is the only staff voting member of this board.

Needs: When the board simply does building and grounds issues or specific decisions that volunteer or staff member could do rather than giving oversight goals and policies and “guardrails” and vision along with a senior pastor.

 Needs: When Biblical goals give way to petty traditions and personal ideas.

4. Love

Best: When the pastor and other staff are known for their agape-care for people even more than their expertise in their jobs.

Best: When the leaders adopt specific ways to communicate healthy love. (I have a list:-)

Needs: When the pastor hides on Sundays and at other services.

Needs: When people are neglected because of their needs or status.

5. Worship services and sermons

Best: When there is some variety in the worship order, a pastoral prayer (rather than a“transition prayer”) is regular, worshipers do not stand to sing six songs in a row, all ages are honored, and the sermon is given to change lives. That’s all!

Best: When the timing is carefully planned and consistent every week, the Bible is taught and exposed rather than serving as a launch pad only, and the sermon is given to change lives. (An intentional  repeat.)

Needs: When volunteers help lead worship not because they are good at it but because leaders want to ”get people in ministry,” as one church put it. (As if “ministry” is synonymous with being up front!)

Needs: When people are looking at their watches and phones rather than their hearts.

6. Groups

Best: When the leaders know the differences between the big group for worshipcelebration (10-10,000) and the community group for study and connections (8-80) and the small group for true discipleship and accountability (4-7, all men or all women).

Best: When everyone on staff has their own discipleship-accountability group, rather than calling the whole program, the discipleship of the church.

Needs: When true discipleship-accountability is not deliberate and planned.

Needs: When the different groups are treated the same.

7. Values

Best: When all the regulars at church can name all the values (so they are simple and Biblical and memorable and practiced!).

Best: When the values are reviewed publicly every six weeks in worship and regularly by the leaders.

Needs: When there are 11 values and six mission statements and more….

Needs: When the church has goals unrelated to its values. Based on the coaching guide, “Major Concerns,” about these seven most important areas for a pastor and church to care about, by Knute Larson, And affirmed after meeting with over 135 pastors and their churches the last 15 years.