PGB theory vs. PBG practice

Here's another PBG struggle my Teaching Pastor recently shared with our Board:

"In theory, the senior pastor is judged by adherence to policy limitations and outcomes, but in practice, most of his time is spent doing things which have no direct relation to them. For example, depending on the week, sermon preparation and planning can take from a third to a half of his time. People expect quality work at the high impact times of the week, namely weekend worship. There are myriad 'interruptions', even if one tries to manage time in a tactful manner."

I know I've struggled with this--a lot! Is your Board aware of this challenge? What are doing to address it?

Modifying PBG To Fit The Church

My Teaching Pastor did a great job sharing insights about PBG at our Board meeting this week.

Here's another challenge about PBG he shared with our Board:

"Leadership sometimes has a hard time discerning that the PBG model cannot be taken over from the secular world without modification.

One of the dangers of PBG is that Boards get enamored with holding the pastor accountable while doing little to support him. PBG is based on the premise that the CEO has authority to direct those responsible for carrying out the work of the organization. This does not hold true for the church. . . . the work of ministry is largely dependent on members volunteering their time, expertise and wealth. The members must be committed to participating in the various opportunities the staff creates to get involved in the mission and vision. However, the pastor cannot direct or order members to participate in the activities. He can teach, he can inspire, he can be a role model, but he cannot direct."

Is your Board aware of this reality? What is your Board doing to both hold your pastor accountable AND support him?

Victims Of Our Own Success?

Next week, I'm bringing my Teaching Pastor as a special guest to our Board of Directors' monthly meeting. He's been asked to share some of the lessons he's learned about both the benefits and challenges of working in a PBG church.

He's got some great insights to share. In addition to working at a PBG church now, he helped lead his previous congregation into PBG as well.

I asked him yesterday to give me a sneak preview of some of the things he'll be sharing with our Board on Tuesday. The first words out of his mouth have really stayed with me. He said,

"One of the dangers of PBG is that it can make senior pastors victims of their own success."

In other words, as soon as you do something well, the Board asks you to do more. And when you do that well, they ask for more yet. But at some point, it's just not possible to do more without it taking a serious toll on the physical, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being of the pastor and staff. And because Senior Pastors and church staff want to do well and be seen as "team players" and "hard workers", they rarely share their feelings of burn-out. They simply suffer in silence.

His words made me think of Dallas Willard's thought-provoking book, The Great Omission. In it, he says of pastors,

"The need to achieve is too great. Invariably, it is the personal & spiritual life of the minister that suffers. . . he often comes to feel strongly that the circumstances in which he works are in conflict with the very goals for which he entered the profession in the first place." (TGO, p. 32).

What's your church doing to make sure that your pastor and staff are not becoming "victims of their own success?"

PBG Church Profile--Immanuel Lutheran Church, Belvidere, IL

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere, Illinois moved to PBG a few years ago. More recently, they made their governance documents available on-line. Here's the link to their Board policy manual :

https://f1.ctsmemberconnect.net/garoupdb/O-0000000773/G-0000019648/docs/Root/Immanuel_Governance_Document%20-%201.29.09.pdf

You'll also find their Constitution and Bylaws here:

https://f1.ctsmemberconnect.net/garoupdb/O-0000000773/G-0000019648/docs/Root/Immanuel_Constitution_2007_updated_Nov.[1].pdf

Because Immanuel used the same consultant my church did, our governance documents look a lot alike. But there are also some notable differences. For example,

• Their named their governing board "The Vestry", instead of "The Board of Directors"
• They maintained a Board of Elders.
• Their Vestry has an executive committee, which, among other things, carries out the senior pastor performance evaluation.
• Their policy manual includes extensive details about senior pastor transitions in section 4.7

Thanks Immanuel, for putting your stuff on-line, so other PBG churches can learn from you! God bless your ministry!

Finding leaders: by election or appointment?

Another thought-provoking quote from How To Break Growth Barriers by Carl George:

"The future tells us that appointment, rather than election, will be the more common way people come to ministry. A church that hands most of its ministry slots to elected positions is on a collision course. Elections too often operate on popularities, not ministry competencies." (p. 152)

Do you agree? Have you experienced this in your church? If so, what are you doing about it?

The Pastor's role under PBG

Here's another thought-provoking quote from How To Break Growth Barriers by Carl George. On the changing role of the senior pastor under PBG:

"...the senior pastor must understand a certain role change is necessary to be an effective leader of staff: from being a manager to being a leader.

What is the difference? Leaders set a direction; managers outline the steps to the destination. Many of you will have to do both jobs to some extent. But most churches (and businesses) are overmanaged and underled. Pastors are more obsessed with doing things right than with doing the right things. They give more attention to efficiency than to effectiveness." (p. 155)

Pastors, how do those words challenge you?

PBG's role in Breaking "Growth Barriers"

How To Break Growth Barriers, originally published by Carl George in 1993, is an interesting and helpful read for any leader of a growing church.

George contends that congregations commonly hit three plateaus as they grow. The plateaus are defined by average weekend worship attendance. They are: the 200 barrier, the 400 barrier, and the 800 barrier. He further contends that, at the 40o barrier,

"One of the most important issues to negotiate is the changing role of the church governing board. Planning and administration must become a staff function, not a board responsibility." (p. 145)

"Why? At this point the church has become so big that it is no longer practical for part-time workers to manage the church's coordination tasks. Too many details arise that cannot wait until the board convenes each month. No matter how efficient the board tries to be, it can regularly bottleneck the staff's efforts to build growth momentum." (p. 149)

Does that sound familiar to you? Is it possible that your governance structure is impeding the growth of your church?