Presbygrow

Tod Bolsinger is a pastor, author, and blogger at It Takes a Church. This recent post, part of a running commentary on the book The Starfish and the Spider, discusses the changing leadership paradigm for church pastors.  Good information and important thoughts to ponder, even if you have yet to read the book.

(from the blog)

“For many years, the ideal of a pastoral leader was a “Chaplain”. A pastoral care-giver, who prayed, taught the scriptures and administered rites of passages.  Churches built sanctuary’s and chapels in the middle of town.  In a Christendom world where the purpose of the church was to be “religious service providers”, being a chaplain was an important and necessary role.

As culture began to change, the church took on the role of meeting the felt needs of people who had left behind or looked beyond the church and faith.  The church became “life services providers” offering healthy recreational opportunities for kids, marriage enrichment classes, groups for support and social needs.  Downtown churches sold their chapels and sanctuaries, moved to the suburbs and built “campuses” with gymnasiums and coffee shops and bookstores.  This rich amalgam of services needed leaders who were not only preachers and pastors, but administrators and fundraisers.  The Chaplain gave way to the CEO.

But if the world is shifting again and the decentralized network is once again (See The Acts of the Apostles for an early version of this model!) the most effective means for being a witness for fulfilling a mission statement, than a new type of leader is necessary. ”

To read the rest of his post, click here.