Rethink Leadership - Executive Pastor breakout

At Rethink Leadership I had a great time listening to a breakout session by Darius Wise, Executive Pastor of Denver United Church.

Darius provides leadership for their business operations, executive staff, and serves as one of their primary communicators. Previously he spent eleven years on staff at New Birth Church in Lithonia, Georgia.

• Ministry is about people, relationships and valuing each other's story
• The Executive Pastor role complements the senior pastor role
• It is a rather unique position as it includes both operations and pastoring people
• But they must have the ability to do "business" well
• And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.- Dan 1:20-21 - It would seem that Daniel and his colleagues did their work 10 times better than others.
• Through this they earned credibility & influence
• You can't pay enough for credible and trustworthy leaders
• The people who attend church each week are not looking for a perfect leader but they are looking for a leader who is credible & trustworthy
• In church doing "business" well is a means to an end, to empower the church to care for & disciple people well
• Remember to think people before process
• Take time to walk through the lobby - but walk slowly! 
• In the church, everyone's a janitor and everyone's a pastor
• As an Executive Pastor, your role is to bring clarity &  build trust.
• By definition, we can get positional authority but relational authority is what moves the needle and creates change
• Seek to lead from relational access
• An Executive Pastor has a unique position in the church, they are the middle man, with access and responsibility up and down the org chart.
• You must learn to manage the tension.Manage the tension
• Lead alongside not in front.