Change is all around us. Everywhere we look — business, industry, education, economics, and so on — change is the order of the day. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the changing role of the pastor. Many current pastors have been trained and conditioned for a ministry model based on program activity, with the pastor and staff as professionals who are paid to do the work of the church. This model often proves counterproductive for today’s faith communities. Many pastors are turning to a different model based on the concept of the pastor as spiritual leader. Hardly a new notion, the roots of this model go back to the New Testament. In the fresh paradigm, the ministry of all Christians is affirmed and empowered. No longer are the employed staff alone depended upon to accomplish the ministry of the church. Rather, all members are engaged in ministry. Everyone is about the work of feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked, caring for the outcast, and bearing witness to the gospel of Christ in the world. Spiritual leaders are engaged in the life and work of the church in many ways, and all are crucial if the church is to perform its mission, to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Spiritual formation is at the heart of the work of the effective pastor. It is impossible to lead others on a spiritual journey until we have worked at discovering our own spiritual center. So a major part of the pastor’s responsibility is to focus on developing personal spirituality. Time spent in prayer, reflection, and listening for the voice of God is at the heart of the pastor’s calling.

Indeed, The Book of Discipline 1996 called for every pastor to devote at least one week in each year and at least one month during one year of each quadrennium to focusing on spiritual formation. However, one week a year and one month every four years is not enough time for the pastor to devote to this work which is at the heart of ministry. It must be a part of every day, and thus find its rightful place in the heart and soul of the pastor’s life. Spiritual formation requires deliberate work to make a difference in a person’s life. While every individual is different, the one constant for all people is that a certain amount of diligence and discipline is required for nurturing our spirituality.

Spiritual life is nurtured in several ways. We need private, quiet time to cultivate a spiritual life. This time may be spent reading Scripture, reflecting on devotional material, entering into personal prayer, or meditating quietly. Usually some combination of these practices, and perhaps others, will lead to the spirituality that is sought. The key understanding is that the spiritual life is strengthened as we pay attention to it in our quiet, private moments with God.

Spiritual life is nurtured in community. We need one another in some meaningful ways if our spirituality is to achieve the maturity that will equip us to lead others. Pastors who are serious about developing spiritual strength will find help as they share their spiritual journey with others seeking the same thing. This may happen in regular small-group sessions, one-on-one opportunities for sharing stories about faith and life, or even in a setting with a spiritual director. In any case, interaction with other human beings provides a crucial component in the ongoing pilgrimage of spiritual growth.

Practicing the means of grace offers yet another opportunity to develop one’s spiritual life. John Wesley understood that there were certain well-established habits of life that would serve to enrich the spirit: prayer, fasting, the study of Scripture, regular participation in the Lord’s Supper, acts of kindness and service, and being part of a regular worshiping community. In other words, a combination of inward and outward spirituality leads us toward the most positive growth.

Developing a vision is another important key to the effective work of the pastor in a changing time. A vision is the view of the church that includes its current reality as well as the best understanding of the hopes and dreams for the future. That is, a vision is the big picture of where you are and where you want to be. The pastor does not arrive at the vision alone, but he or she is responsible for articulating the vision for the rest of the community. This comes after carefully and prayerfully listening to the people in the church and in the community being served. When the vision is well-stated, a clarity and an energy for ministry exist that is powerful and contagious. When the vision is lacking or not well-stated, the church’s ministry tends to flounder. The Hebrew prophet Habakkuk understood this principle; he declared, “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:2b-3, NRSV). It is still true. Today’s pastor is called to declare the vision and hold the faith community on course as the vision is lived out.

One of the ways vision is understood in the community of faith is through the core values of the congregation. Core values might be described as those few essential truths or bedrock principles by which an organization is defined. Everything else flows intentionally from the core values. They represent the shared thinking of the community and are tested against biblical and theological truth as well as within the context of the passions and longings of the people. The vision grows out of the core values. Those things we hold dear and that invoke the passions of our lives are the things toward which we can work with effectiveness and energy. Pastors who can lead their churches into clarity about core values are well on the way to a ministry infused with a vision of transformational possibility.

The primary task of the church is the core process through which the mission of the church is accomplished. As we focus on the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ, we see the significance of having an effective process. Stated simply, the primary task is the process by which the church receives people into the community, nurtures and develops them as Christians, and sends them into the world to live as Christian disciples. These disciples then come back into the church to receive encouragement and support and to grow in their faith, even as other new disciples are brought in, nurtured, and sent out into the world. It is a cyclic process through which continuous growth and improvement contribute to an ever-widening circle of Christian influence in the world. The pastor in this system has the primary leadership role in monitoring the church processes, striving for clarity, and listening to the community for ways the system might be more effective in achieving its mission. It is a daunting task, but one that has great potential for rich spiritual rewards. Human lives are transformed. People discover meaning in their service to others. A sense of community offers a strength that cannot be known in isolation. Ultimately, the work of Christ is advanced in the world.

The unique role of the pastor as spiritual leader is to equip people to do the ministry they’ve been called to do; that is, pastors offer training, encouragement, and a framework of support through which the ministry of all God’s people can be accomplished. They function out of a ministry model that primarily includes spiritual formation, the articulation of vision, and clarity about the primary task.

At one time, this spiritual leadership function was done for the congregational members by the ordained clergy. Today, effective pastoral spiritual leaders work with congregational leaders to create systems for effective mission and ministry. Pastoral leadership is not a solo endeavor, but a team act, where the pastor works to build teams and a team environment that honors the gifts and abilities of all people. Pastors stand in a unique and critical position to model spiritual discipline, to invite others to share the visions God reveals in their lives, and to share the vital work of congregational leadership.

Throughout the history of the Christian church, the image of the shepherd has been used to describe the pastor. (In fact, the word pastor means ‘shepherd’.) At one time, this metaphor communicated powerfully to the culture. As recently as a generation ago, we could still envision one shepherd tending the congregation, a homogeneous flock. Today, one person cannot possibly manage alone. Effective spiritual leadership must be shared.

Effective pastors will strive to enable people to discover and develop their God-given gifts and to use them in meaningful, exciting service. Teams and small group configurations help people function more effectively in the church. Teams are unique in that they are created for short terms around specific performance objectives; they use various gifts and skills; and they have clear expectations of the desired outcomes. Teams are given not only the task, but the freedom, trust, and authority to accomplish the task. For many, this is a new way of working; and because of this, it needs to be led by those who understand how important teams can be to the formation of Christian disciples and effective ministry. Rather than being team leader to any one team, the pastor will work with team leaders to develop an effective system for a team-based ministry. In partnership with laity and other clergy, pastors become spiritual leadership development mentors, continuously seeking new and better ways to grow leaders for the church.

One of the most vital roles of the pastor is the ongoing support and spiritual formation of lay leaders. While the new model calls for partnership, the pastor still functions as the resident spiritual and theological resource for the congregation. Pastors must tend to their own formation and spiritual discipline in order to provide spiritual guidance to others. One question for pastors to regularly reflect on is, “How deep is the well from which I draw?” When we do not receive, we have nothing to give. When we give from a deep source, what we offer transforms lives. The most effective pastoral leader is one leader who lives, teaches, and encourages a well-balanced, integrated life, firmly centered in Jesus Christ.

Conference Spiritual Leadership and The General Board of Discipleship:
Partners in Discipleship

Staff of The General Board of Discipleship are available to lead spiritual life retreats for district superintendents with a focus on the cultivation of the personal spiritual life of persons serving in the Cabinet; spiritual life retreats for pastors and other church staff; seminars in new congregational development with tracks for pastors, district superintendents, and conference staff, and for others involved in revitalization of existing churches; and seminars on generational issues and how they relate to the work of the church.

Resources from The General Board of Discipleship for the spiritual formation of pastors include (from Upper Room Books): Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership, E. Glenn Hinson; Where the Heart Longs to Go, Thad Rutter; Feed My Shepherds, Flora Slosson Wuellner. To request a catalog, go to www.upperroom.org or call tollfree (800) 972-0433.

One book that addresses vision and spiritual leadership is Faithful Leadership: Learning to Lead with Power by Thomas R. Hawkins. Discipleship Resources (800) 9722-0433, www.discipleshipresources.org, or Cokesbury (800) 672-1789.

FaithQuest Bible Study is a useful resource for churches seeking ways to live out their faith in this new paradigm and in responding to the changing world. This is a 17-week experience involving a commitment to personal study, regular meeting and discussion, and, ultimately, consideration of a new way of thinking about the church. For more information, contact Betsey Heavner, tollfree (877) 899-2780, ext. 7295, or bheavner@gbod.org.

Gerald Richardson formerly served on the staff of the General Board of Discipleship.

Dan Dick (ddick@gbod.org) is Research Manager, New Solutions Team, General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, TN.

(Updated May 2004)