Ever read the book, 'The Shaping of Things to Come'? It is out of Australia I believe, and refers to the leaders of churches as either "Brakes" people or "Accelerator" people. Who would you guess are the "Brakes" people?? I'll encourage you to read the book.

Many mega-church pastors are effectively Bishops. They should definitely see themselves as pastors as well as preachers & teachers, but their pastoral ministry should probably be more directed toward the other pastors in the congregation.

I think mega church leaders can't be pastors because their church is too big. They probably have people under them who serve the pastoral roles (i.e., small group leaders).

Interesting that the mega church pastors see themselves overwhelmingly as preachers/teachers, but only a small percentage see themselves as pastors. I wonder if its possible to be a preacher/teacher without being a pastor, according to the New Testament and the Christian tradition. Yes, I know what Eph. 4 says, but speaking realistically, it is hard to imagine how one can faithfully (notice I did not say "effectively") preach and teach within the church without the wisdom and experience of a pastor. When we remember the saints, we see great theologians and preachers who were also busy, active pastors. Augustine wrote about how his busy life as a working pastor/bishop often prevented him from spending more time in prayer and study. At the same time, his wisdom as a working pastor was signficant in shaping his work as an exegete, theologian, and preacher. I understand well how the contemporary mega church works, but I do not think this exectutive model is the way we need to go.