December 11, 2018

8 Things I Would Say To A Struggling Campus Pastor

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Your perspective, voice, and leadership in your church matter.

Campus pastors have a unique set of struggles that they face. While they are not the lead pastor, they do lead a campus and are called to pastor their people. They have to lead their campus with the vision of the church while taking care of their people’s specific needs. It can be a difficult balance to strike.

A campus pastor is not the only determining factor in the growth of a campus, but the growth of a campus is largely dependent on the health of the campus pastor.

Part of why we do what we do is because we see pastors struggling too much. We see the unique pressures they face and few people to help guide them through it. We have had the privilege of working with many campus pastors and here are eight things we encourage them to do in order to stay healthy and see their campus thrive under their leadership:

1. Take responsibility for what is happening at your campus.

Maybe a better way to say this is, take responsibility for what you can control. While you may not give the sermon or design the ministries that are happening at your campus, you can make sure the culture at your campus is healthy, that people are cared for, and that people know what steps they can take to continue to grow in their faith. Focus on what you can influence and do it well.

While you may not give the sermon or design the ministries that are happening at your campus, you can make sure the culture at your campus is healthy, that people are cared for, and that people know what steps they can take to continue to grow in… Click To Tweet

2. Focus on the vision.

Aligned with the overarching vision of your church, your campus also needs a vision for the future in order to be healthy. How many people is your campus called to reach this year? How many people will take next steps in their faith next year? The vision needs to be specific and big enough to rally people to the cause. This brings purpose, alignment and focus to the leaders of your location.

3. Pay attention to the details.

As the leader of your campus, it’s your role to oversee the experiences at your campus and details matter. When you see things being done well, catch people doing things right, acknowledge them. When things are not being done to the right standards, move in. Knowing someone is watching and upholding the team to the right standards is motivating for the entire team.

4. Value your staff and volunteers.  

Ministry is hard and time-consuming. Staff members and volunteers need to know what they do really matters. Remind them as often as you can that their time spent volunteering or responding to another email is making a difference. Tell stories of life change, read emails you get from people who say God has been changing their life through your church. If you’re not getting those emails, see number 5.

5. Stay outwardly focused.

It’s impossible for your campus to be healthy and experience growth if nothing you do is designed to reach people outside the faith and outside the church. There always needs to be a healthy balance of ministry initiatives and environments designed to reach people outside the faith and encourage next steps for those who have committed their lives to following Jesus. You have to be intentional about establishing and maintaining an outward focus.

It’s impossible for your campus to be healthy and experience growth if nothing you do is designed to reach people outside the faith and outside the church. Click To Tweet

6. Keep it simple.

You may or may not have a say in the ministries offered at your campus. You may not have the ability to keep the offerings simple, but you can keep the message simple. What message do you want everyone in your congregation to know by heart? For example, “We exist to reach people.” Or, “We will be the best local church possible.”

7. Stay healthy.

I’ve been facilitating leadership coaching networks for many years and I always begin with talking about the health of the leader’s soul. Your success as a Campus Pastor begins with your relationship with Jesus. You have an accountability not only for your own health but also for creating an environment conducive to health for your staff and volunteer teams. Don’t fall for the false sense of security that if you’re doing the work of God, you don’t have to nurture the health of your soul. You have to be intentional about protecting days off, evenings, weekends off, and vacation time. Your campus will grow stronger and healthier in the long run if you do that.

Your success as a Campus Pastor begins with your relationship with Jesus. Click To Tweet

8. Find Your Voice.

John Maxwell says, “Leadership is all about influence.” In a multisite environment, you may not create the strategies that your team executes, but you have a front row seat to the effectiveness of these strategies. Your feedback and input is critical to helping your church develop and refine the strategies that make your church effective in reaching new people and helping them take next steps in their faith. If you struggle to have your input heard and valued, invest some time to develop your influence skills so that you can lead up and laterally to those that need to hear your voice.

What I want to communicate is that you’re heard. Your perspective, voice, and leadership in your church matter. Leadership is complex, and the hope I want to offer is that there are leaders out there living out their calling well.  And just as the Lord equipped them, the Lord has equipped you.

 


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Amy Anderson

Amy has served as the Director of Consulting at The Unstuck Group since 2016. During this time she has served over 150 churches, helping them design ministry, staffing & multisite strategies that aligns and fuels their mission. Prior to joining the Unstuck team, Amy served as the Executive Director of Weekend Services at Eagle Brook Church in the Twin Cities, helping the church grow from one location of 3,000 to six locations with over 20,000 gathering each weekend. Her husband is a Teaching and Engagement Pastor at Hosanna Church in Lakeville, MN.

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