I began to absorb the impact of my decision the night I called a meeting of small group leaders. I had stepped from the senior pastorate of a modest New England congregation into a staff position at a mega-church. My responsibilities were substantial: small group development, adult education, and an emerging counseling department. With two graduate degrees and a decent track record, my gut said I was ready for the demanding pace. What I was not prepared for was the impact of that gathering of small group leaders—all three of them.
My early years as a staff person were met by more than a few disappointments. In my previous setting, the flock generally responded to my leadership; here my voice seemed a cry in the wilderness. I eventually reconciled myself to the reality that I no longer called the shots. My place in the hierarchy did not translate into influence. Without direct involvement with the board and regular access to the pulpit, I felt bound and gagged. Despair set in.
And there were the daily offenses. Regular attenders graciously asked my name—after I had been there six months. I learned about board decisions through the grapevine. Similar frustrations among the staff elicited a “scratch and claw” mentality for resources and visibility. I was stuck in my Dilbertesque cubicle feeling that I had made a fatal career move.
My marriage began to suffer. I said it was time to move. My wife and kids said “no!” So I vowed to stick it out, to make it work. At some point grace crept in, and I have learned to row skillfully. For me it required a few key strategies:
Pay now, play later. As senior pastor I experienced the “honeymoon.” Influence was granted initially which later would have to be earned. As staff, influence has to be earned from the beginning. So I hunkered down to the tasks of building rapport and respect—listening to stories, learning the culture, researching the issues, investing in key people, and demonstrating the essential pastoral virtues of persistence and patience. My deposits in the congregational “bank” were essential for future withdrawals.
My investment took time. I followed the example of William Carey. The father of the modern missions movement considered himself a “plodder.” He intended to make his mark by sheer tenacity. I think others were looking to see whether I was a flash in the pan or a steady burn.
Plan fewer events, more movements. I often yearned for a congregation to call my own. One way I attempted to meet that need was offering a class on a hot topic that the pastor was unlikely to preach on Sundays. People responded, but still I was unsatisfied.
The value of lay leaders and my new relationship to them finally sank in when we multiplied the volunteer positions in our adult education program. Involvement jumped from 12 to 120 in leadership alone. I sensed I was creating a people movement that would far outweigh any people event I could host.
This movement raised the visibility of my ministry, but for that to happen I had to get out of the way. For me this has been more an emotional adjustment than a behavioral one. I still wrestle with it. The old paradigm said it was my ministry they were loyal to. The new one says it’s theirs.
Master one position. While most clergy are “Jacks-of-all-trades,” staff do what other professionals consider critical—specialize.
I chose to hone my expertise in marriage and pre-marital counseling. Though I had a degree in the field, I had to polish rusty skills, network with area professionals, and develop programming to make our ministry top drawer. Over time these efforts bore fruit.
In the last of couple years, I have taken the ministry outside the church and formed associations in the community. I am free to minister in a larger arena because I’m not saddled with a senior pastor’s responsibilities. And as my leadership outside the church grows, my influence rises inside as well.
Encourage team ministry. Collaboration may be the toughest work in a multi-staff church, yet it is key to our effectiveness. The image that best captured our relationship as staff was a wheat field dotted by tall silos. Our ministries were self-contained and parallel. We hardly communicated.
Recognizing weakness in our adult education program, I knew I needed help from my fellow staffers. I asked them to collaborate in a renewal effort. This approach was risky, opening the door to defensiveness on my part and harebrained solutions on theirs. I held my breath.
I spent several months consulting individually with department heads. The youth pastors began to see the benefits of classes made up of parents of the teens. Our business administrator realized that adult involvement in Sunday school has a dramatic impact on giving. They became cheerleaders. The staff took some ownership of the outcome, and I sensed my effectiveness had increased.
Explore the tributaries. Freedom from the senior pastor’s role allows me to explore new areas. I regularly attend a discussion group populated mostly by atheists and agnostics. Their only tenet is openness to dialogue. From them I hear a perspective scandalous to the church. Given our tendency toward holy huddles, my encounters with these “outsiders” offer valuable insight I can share with our staff.
It also gives me a creative vent for intellectual energy that I am not asked to expend in board meetings. Having chaired my share of those, I now prefer the challenge my exploration provides. This has become one of the more refreshing events on my calendar.
Enjoy rowing more than steering. I admit mixed feelings about my step “downward.” The only thing tougher than discovering success strategies for a staff role has been investing myself in them emotionally.
Thomas Merton wrote, “The risen life is not easy: it is also a dying life.” In a sense, I have died. I have had a funeral for the misguided notions of what my ministry would be at this stage in my life. And I’ve found that something wonderful has risen in their place—a ministry better suited to crew than captain.
—Ben Ingebretson is associate pastor for adult ministry at Kentwood Community Church 1200 60th Street Kentwood MI 49508 Bingebretson@kcconline.org
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