By Bob Harrington
This spring I led a group of 16 lead pastors from megachurches through a two-day “Group Coaching Seminar.” Roughly half the participants were senior leaders of churches with more than 3,000 in weekend attendance (the largest one being more than 12,000). The other half were senior leaders (usually younger) of churches averaging about 1,000.
It was a profound experience, an emotional and intense two days.
I”m sure I learned more than anyone else in the room. This article is my attempt to pass on my top 10 insights so that other leaders can learn with me. I am very humbled and grateful for my time with these men.
1.Commitment to grace-centered theology is the root of ministry. Each leader present is leading with a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and his grace. The commitment to Scripture is central. In fact these leaders agree that biblical teaching is the bridge between the church and lost people. In the nine other points that follow, this foundation is presumed.
2. Rigorous self-care is a must. The senior leader at a megachurch experiences far more stress and pressure than those around him can fully understand. Even those who are close to the senior leader, like the elders of the church, cannot fully grasp all he faces. His ministry takes more of a physical, emotional, and social toll on the leader””and his family””than most of them fully appreciated before they led a church of this size. Everyone was urged to practice rigorous self-care and entrust God with the results. Friendship, days off, personal retreats before vacations followed by full-fledged family vacations, and sabbaticals are musts.
3. Build a team of leaders of leaders. There are no growth barriers, just leadership barriers. If the senior leader wants to have a big impact upon his community, he must develop a team of “leaders of leaders.” People follow others in three ways:
“¢ There are followers of followers (two-talent people).
“¢ There are leaders of followers (three-talent people).
“¢ There are leaders of leaders (five-talent people).
High-impact leaders recruit and hire leaders of leaders. This is how they expand the reach of the church”s ministry, with every leadership addition, to at least three other levels of people.
4. The relationship is everything. Leaders must create relational environments for leadership development. The leader must empower other leaders to love, disciple, and mentor new leaders. Christianity, at root, is about relationships with God and each other. Leaders must disciple the leaders around them through a relational environment permeated by Jesus-style love.
5. Create a next-level leadership culture. To get to each level of increased community impact, leadership and leadership roles must change. When the mission is to impact an ever-increasing number of people, every leadership person must be willing to step aside if he is not able to lead to the next level. The key leadership ability for the senior leader is to say good-bye to people who are not able to do this. Otherwise, he cannot lead at the next level.
“¢ Establish this next-level leadership expectation before adding new leaders.
“¢ Formally evaluate every leadership person regularly, fairly, and rigorously.
“¢ Work hard to give a staff person every chance to get to the next level.
“¢ If a staff person cannot get to the next level, you must say good-bye by moving him or her aside (to a different position) or out. But earnestly pursue the relationship, well after they are gone, to express and maintain your love for that person.
When it comes to hiring staff, the principles are simple: “Hire slow, fire fast””hire hard, manage easy.”
6. The eldership will make or break the lead pastor. Top leaders seek out and develop men who have demonstrated the fruit of the DNA the leader is seeking to develop within the congregation before they are even considered for the eldership. Elders are recruited in the following ways:
“¢ Start by looking for biblical character, competence, and chemistry in a man””and his wife.
“¢ Adopt a clear relational process.
“¢ Adopt a well-done survey that intentionally draws out issues and beliefs, and then formally interview.
“¢ Invite those identified into a training process.
“¢ Make sure each candidate understands the policy governance manual.
“¢ Invite those on track to a period of apprenticeship and testing.
Then, when men serve as elders, each should adopt the following practices:
“¢ The elders must closely follow the written policy governance for their leadership.
“¢ The elders should speak with one voice””following the “Mom and Dad rule”””it is OK to disagree behind closed doors, but speak as one everywhere else.
“¢ Elders meetings are confidential””nothing from the meeting is to be processed or discussed (without prior agreement), even with the wives of elders.
“¢ Adopt a sabbatical policy for elders””it gives them a time for a break and it allows the chance to winnow away ineffective elders.
“¢ Adopt a monthly meeting: meal together first, prayer time second, and business third.
“¢ Many believe it is better on the lead pastor if he is not the chairman of the elders.
7. Intentionality is key in developing leaders. We must teach, equip, and empower people so they can lead effectively. We must continually help people to observe, try out, and debrief the nuts and bolts of leadership. At every occasion we should explain why we do what we do and why it matters. Then we should coach emerging leaders to review and debrief at each leadership situation themselves. As a friend of mine always says, “That which is unintentional is unreproducible.”
8. Love and serve the community. Jesus loved and served people and invited them to join his kingdom. Likewise, we must love and serve the community while inviting people to join God”s kingdom. We do it because it is the nature of Jesus” community. It also causes people to have goodwill toward the church (Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, has many stories about how God has used their acts of service to the community to help draw many, many people to Christ).
9. Be gracious in all things. Each of these leaders emphasized the importance of being gracious churches. The leaders of Adventure Christian Church (just outside Sacramento) noted that newcomers to Adventure always point to the giving out of free Bibles and the lead pastor”s prayer for other churches each Sunday as the things they like best about Adventure.
Another leader in Ohio said his church started giving away CDs of the teachings, which enhanced a generous culture in the church and made people more effective at inviting other people to church.
10. The result of confidentiality with transparency between leaders is profound. To sit in the room listening was life changing. Several sat in stunned silence. It is clear that high-level leaders need other high-level leaders. They understand and help one another like no one else. The environment of support, openness, and insightful sharing from one high-level leader to another was rare, profound, and desperately desired.
Bob Harrington is the lead pastor of Harpeth Community Church (just outside Nashville), the director of church planting networks for Stadia, and the president of Church Coaching Solutions.
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