Another goal that I have for this blog is occasionally to respond to or write on questions asked by the reader. So, if you have a request, please don’t hesitate to send it to me. I am happy to add it to my queue. Recently one of my students did just this. He told me that he would love to see an entry on “what to do if either the church does not accept you as a new pastor when the leadership does” or vice versa. I want to look at the latter this week instead of the former. In my context (SBC), if the congregation has not accepted you on some level, you probably would not be serving as their pastor. For this very reason, it is my personal practice to refuse a call from a church if the vote is less than a 90 to 95 percent.

On the other side of the coin, even if the congregation overwhelming affirms your call, integrating a new leader into an existing staff and lay leadership can be challenging. More than likely, they previously were the work force for a different leader. The other leader had a different personality than yours. He had different strengths. He had different weaknesses. He may have had different operating procedures. He probably had a different vision and focus. And, the staff learned from, acclimated to, followed, and worked for him. For all intents and purposes, they were, and to some degree still are, his staff.

So, as new pastors, we must recognize this difficulty is not all their fault. To some degree, it simply is the nature of the beast. But, regardless this part of the transition of taking on a new position can be difficult. A couple of questions probably rightly come to mind. Can it work? How should you move forward? In 16 years of senior pastoral leadership, I faced this challenge on at least four occasions. I do not think I handled it perfectly – I do not know if there is a perfect way to handle it – but I do believe you can survive the transition even if it does not happen immediately. There were four or five principles that I tried to keep in mind and implement when I found myself in this scenario. In this article, I list the five truths to remember if the leadership of the church does not accept you as the new pastor.

First, patience, patience, patience.

Remember that just because someone is not accepting of you, your position, or your leadership now does not mean he or she never will. And, just because the church leadership is not supportive of you as a new pastor does not mean that their respect, trust, loyalty, and partnership in ministry cannot be obtained. But, just because people eventually may become great followers and helpful allies in the work does not mean that this will occur overnight. Malphurs argues that it takes at least five years after arrival for a new pastor to earn enough credibility to become an actual leader whom people are willing to follow.[1] If this is true of the congregation as a whole, then we should expect it to be true of the staff and leadership as well. It can take just as long, if not longer, to gain enough credibility for some within the church leadership to trust and follow you.

Therefore, my first suggestion if you find yourself in a situation like this is to pastor with a long-term vision. Ask God to allow you to stay at your current place of service for the remainder of your ministry. Plan and work to do so. As you do, be patient with you leadership . . . intentionally. Extend them grace, especially if (when) they make mistakes. Pray for them and get on your knees with them. Pray for their ministries and their influence in the church. Pray that God would give you a heart for them first and then that He would give them a heart for you. And finally, when you think you have extended all the patience and grace you can muster, remember you are the leader and must be the adult in the room. Determine to give more. Do all of this looking to and trusting God!

Second, do not overreact or immediately take a rash action.

This principle builds heavily off the first one. It also is a response to the common practice I have seen many new pastors apply, especially in larger churches. This is the practice. They enter into a new ministry, and within a relatively short amount of time, they have replaced most of the staff and leadership with their “own people.” This happens even when a new pastor and the search team agree that the staff and leadership will be remain in place as a part of the agreement to extend the call. Even though I do believe that this is necessary sometimes and that a pastor must have the authority to oversee the leadership, I do not always believe this is the best and most productive course of action for any of the parties involved.

If the pastor can learn patience, gain credibility over time, and accept a staff that he did not hand pick, his influence will grow exponentially. The net result may be that he gains an ability to make meaningful changes in the new ministry quicker than he would have been able to otherwise. The reason is because the pastor’s leadership capital now is associated with a staff who the congregation knows and with whom they already have a level of confidence. On the other hand, if the staff is willing to give the pastor their trust, learn to follow a new leader, and make some ministry adjustments, they may be allowed to play a vital role in a fresh movement of God’s Spirit in the church that they have served faithfully for years. Perhaps this even occurs in one that seemed plateaued previously and in which they perceived they had lost personal effectiveness. Their personal ministries may be rejuvenated!

Furthermore, if the new pastor and church staff can work together, then the congregation gets the blessing of a fresh leader and new ideas combined with the stability of leadership that they know and who know them. In some ways, it is the best of both worlds. What a way to infuse new energy and change all the while balancing it with consistency and continuity! Finally, if the new pastor can learn to trust and empower the church leadership and the church leadership can learn to follow the new pastor, the community in which the church is located receives a blessing and gift unaware. They will be privileged to witness in living color what Jesus has called His followers to and the unifying power of the gospel applied right in front of their eyes. A new pastor and an existing staff learning to work together is good for the Kingdom. Or, stated in the negative, if we refuse to work together and cause discord, we are perverting the gospel. This is not good for anyone.

Therefore, my second suggestion would be not to enter into your ministry with a predetermined mindset to make wholesale changes of the staff and leadership. See what God may have in store. See if you can come together. And, look for the tremendous and surprising blessings that may come.

Third, remember the church has already called you.

I can imagine at this point you may be looking at those first two principles and thinking “Yeah right!” That is all well and good, but what do I do when I am actively being opposed by the leadership. What do you do when the church leadership is undermining you and your decisions in committee meetings? What do you do if your staff refuses to stand with you at business meetings or support the changes you are recommending? These situations may cause you to lose confidence in your leadership ability. They certainly will bring doubt into your mind concerning your long-term viability in this ministry. In this moment, can I truly practice patience and grace? Can I keep myself from overreacting?

Can I offer you any suggestion that will keep your confidence? Is there a principle that may help you maintain your commitment to this ministry and allow you to continue working with the church leadership? The answer to both of these questions is “yes.” However, this step is less about what you should do and more about what you should remember. In these kinds of moments that are certain to come as you are in this transition and the process of guiding the church, staff, and leadership to follow you as the new pastor, there is a thought I would encourage you to keep in your mind and close to your heart. You have already been called as the pastor of this church. The church has affirmed God’s appointment of you for this position and have confirmed that you are the man for this time. “Remember, you are the leader!”

I know differences apply, but in the business world, we may think of it this way: “Relax, you already have the job!” So, I do not mean that you should use this as ammunition toward others who are opposing you or that you should be arrogant toward them. I rather mean that when you struggle to maintain your composure, you feel like you are out of patience, or you are doubting your long-term ability to lead, remind yourself of this truth. This is more for your confidence and certainty. Know that if you feel like you are on an island and have no support, this is not true. You have support; otherwise, you currently would not be the pastor. Therefore, my third suggestion if you are going through this kind of difficulty is to remind yourself quietly and regularly “that the church has already called you.”

Fourth, shepherd the staff and leadership too.

Often when a pastor arrives in a new ministry position, his thoughts can turn quickly to taking care of the church. Specifically, he may give a significant amount of attention to getting to know his congregation, visiting shut-ins in the nursing homes, making hospital visits to the sick, and being available to families who are going through momentous occasions in their lives, essentially shepherding the church. These are all laudable things! They should receive our attention. However, in performing these ministry tasks, the staff and other leadership simply may be seen as resources to help in these areas.

In other words, we as senior pastors can forget that the church leadership needs a pastor as well. This is not a laudable thing! They are people who have needs. One of them may have a son having a surgery. Their wives or husbands may get sick. One of them may have a close relative who needs a visit in the nursing home. They will have daughters who get married. In short, they are people who need a shepherd just like the rest of the congregation. And, who is it that should be their pastor? Who has been called to shepherd them? The answer is you! We can forget this in our transition into the ministry. We can neglect to shepherd the staff and leadership of the church in our effort to care for the rest of the flock.

My suggestion as a new pastor in a new ministry assignment is to make sure you give an intentional and concerted effort to care for your staff and leadership as well. This is true even if they do not accept you as the leader. Be there for them when their son has surgery. Pray for and with them when their wives or husbands get sick. Go visit that close relative in the nursing home. Be at their daughter’s wedding. Perform it if they ask you to. Genuinely care for them. You are not doing it for this reason, but seeing that you honestly care for them, may be one of the factors that softens their hearts towards you and persuades them to get on board with your leadership.

Therefore, my fourth principle for how to move forward if the leadership of the church does not accept you as pastor is to remember to shepherd the staff and leadership too. You never know how God might use this and what He might do through it!

Finally, be the leader.

Nothing I have written or suggested above precludes or is intended to prevent you from being the pastor and leading the staff and the church now. You should lead. You must lead. You are the pastor . . . the leader! So, even if the staff and leadership do not accept and follow you immediately, lead anyway. Even if they are actively opposing and working against you, lead anyway. While you are being patient, refraining from rash actions, remembering that you are the pastor, and shepherding the leadership, lead now. Be the pastor. Make decisions. Communicate the vision. Enact plans. Set expectations for the staff, leadership, and the church. Move forward. You have the authority to do so. You have this expectation from God.

Ultimately, remember life is too short and eternity is too long for you to fail to lead. The church’s mission is too great and the Word is too important for you to delay pastoring. Now, be clear this is not my license or suggestion to make major changes or attempt to influence where you do not have the credibility to do so yet. This will take time. However, for the sake of your calling, in obedience to the Word, for the good of the church, leadership, community, and kingdom, be the leader they called you there to be!

Therefore, my final suggestion in the midst of staff and leadership not accepting you as the new pastor of the church is to lead. Do so with grace, patience, and humility. But, be the pastor anyway!

Conclusion

These principles are not the be-all end-all. They are not perfect solutions. They may not immediately solve or resolve the situation. They certainly do not constitute an easy fix. And, they are not a magic formula with a 100 percent guarantee. They rather are intended to aid and guide you through a challenging circumstance. If you pastor very long and in many “new” situations, at some point you will be here. Ultimately, I pray when you find yourself going through this my words encourage you.

May the implementation of these five suggestions help you persuade the leadership to accept and follow you as pastor!

Pass It On

If you know someone who may benefit from this post, please send it on to them.

[1]Aubrey Malphurs, Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 53.