Download the The lead pastor—Understanding their role & responsibilities
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Like many jobs across a variety of industries, the role that pastors play in their local churches and communities has changed over the years. As technology and trends change, so does the work of pastors and church leaders. What it means to be a lead pastor today is a bit different than what it meant to be a lead pastor 20 or 30 years ago.
Different Christian traditions may define a lead pastor (or senior pastor) a bit differently. The general consensus about the role of the lead pastor is that they are at the top of the church staff organizational chart and, often, do the bulk of the weekly preaching.
One Scripture often cited to describe this work is 2 Timothy 4:2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” Acts 20:28 also describes the role of pastoral ministry, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
The lead pastor role can encompass virtually any task that may fall under the umbrella of “pastor.” How is the lead pastor different from a “regular” pastor? Well, most churches don’t have a generic “pastor” role. Almost every pastor role in a church is a pastor of some portion of the church—children, youth, adults, etc. The lead pastor role usually puts someone in authority over these other pastoral roles and is responsible for the general spiritual leadership of the church.
Let’s briefly go over the main responsibilities and the role of the lead pastor.
The lead pastor of a church is responsible for the overall direction of the church and its ministry effectiveness. Of course, this does not mean that the lead pastor leads every single ministry of the church—that’s why a staff of pastors and ministry leaders is important—but ultimately it is the lead pastor’s responsibility to be sure that all of the other pastors are leading their portions of the ministry effectively and in pursuit of the vision of the church.
Likewise, the lead pastor is the spiritual leader of the church. This often means that the lead pastor preaches the bulk of the weekly sermons, but it isn’t always the case as some churches have specific roles for teaching pastors who also do a lot of preaching. Regardless of who carries the preaching load, the lead pastor is responsible for equipping the church to walk with Jesus.
Finally, the lead pastor is also usually “the face” of the church. The lead pastor often represents the church to the broader community. Lead pastors often connect with other lead pastors in the community to partner on ministry opportunities. When someone from the community wants to speak with “the pastor of the church,” they are usually referring to the lead pastor.
While every church is different, if a church has the role of “lead pastor” that person should fill the part of “chief shepherd” of that church.
Lead pastors are the chief shepherds of our local churches. Where a lead pastor goes, so goes the other shepherds and the sheep they are responsible for leading.
Here are five common responsibilities for lead pastors:
1. Developing the church & new leaders
As stated earlier, the lead pastor often bears the bulk of the preaching load in the church. The job of pastors is to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12-16). This means that the lead pastor, through weekly sermons or otherwise, needs to provide biblical guidance, spiritual leadership, and godly wisdom to help people grow closer to Jesus and lead others into relationship with Him. On top of that, the lead pastor should also have a hand in leading the church staff.
2. Shepherding the congregation
Caring for the whole person is an important part of pastoral ministry. The lead pastor should do hospital visits, lead counseling sessions, and otherwise support the bodies, minds, and souls of the people in their care. The lead pastor should exemplify servant leadership and the humility that is expected for this post.
3. Casting the vision
The lead pastor is responsible for the trajectory of the church and what the church wants to become in the next decade and beyond. So the lead pastor needs to set the church’s direction, of course as a result of much prayer and communion with God, and do the hard work of planning how to become the kind of church that God calls his people to be. This requires visionary leadership and strategic planning.
4. Overseeing church management
This set of tasks could be passed to an executive pastor if the church has one, but if not, the administrative work of the church likely falls to the lead pastor as well. This means that the lead pastor is responsible for the financial stewardship of the tithes of church members, the human resources details of the staff, and other such details.
5. Engaging the community
The lead pastor, being the “face” of the church, should represent the church well to the broader community. This could look many different ways, but the lead pastor should seek opportunities for the church to serve the community in tangible ways as well as look for ways to share the gospel more broadly.
It is not easy to be a lead pastor. The expectations on the life and ministry of a lead pastor are significant, and demonstrate the reality that any pastor needs to be leaning on strength and wisdom provided by the Holy Spirit to do this impactful work.
If you are considering being a lead pastor, a shepherd of God’s people, be sure you are walking closely with the Lord first. A lead pastor who does not walk closely with God before they begin trying to lead others to do the same will either burn out or lead the sheep off a cliff.
Lead pastors play an integral role in the life of the church, and we should thank God for them.
