God's Word suggests that faith is best balanced with facts. Proverbs 18:13 is emphatic in this case: "He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him." A paraphrase is more explicit: "What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!" (TLB). An important insight emerges: “The key ingredient in the solo-pastor church is love.” Why? Because the relational dynamics in solo-pastor churches differ from multi-staff churches. I do not posit that unmarried clergy are better than married clergy, or that either state is more suited to the calling of ministry than the other. The Church needs to affirm the equal role unmarried servant leaders have alongside their married counterparts while also recognizing their unique strengths and weaknesses. No one is better suited to the call of ministry because of their relationship status. The basic truth is we who are called to ministry find our identity first and foremost in Jesus Christ. Then I got mad. After one particular “aha” discovery, I found myself yelling at an empty room, “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?!” Family Pressures

The Solo Pastor: Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges

Part 3 focuses on three aspects of small-church leadership: communication, both verbal and nonverbal; vision and direction; and resource management. Get good at saying “no.” Learn the difference between the urgent and the important. Learn how to put some serious time into the vital, “important, but not urgent” activity category that makes for long-term success. I’ll start by saying it again: No one will do this for you. No one can do this for you. You are the steward of your own heart, your own health, your own sanity, your own godliness, your own joy. “Choosing joy” isn’t so simple, but a joyful life does involve a choice. Your choice. For you. Pardon my bullet points, but we can only list these today: Single pastors are well aware that being solo in Christian ministry brings with it both benefits and challenges. For an unmarried pastor, benefits include flexibility of time, freedom to make independent decisions and priorities, and the ability to devote uninterrupted time to study or ministry events. Also beneficial can be the availability of time and energy for pastoral visitation that married clergy may no longer have. A single pastor may find it less challenging than her/his married counterpart when considering a change of employment since accepting a call to a different, and sometimes distant, community is not nearly as complicated without the additional factors of a spousal employment or children’s school enrollments. Not to be overlooked is the simple truth that solo clergy enjoy dinner invitations, take home doggie bags, and appreciate restaurant meals out at a rate far beyond that which married pastors might enjoy – with or without kids! But the times, they are a-changin’. The snapshot of Canada’s population captured by the 2016 census reveals that “for the first time in the country’s history, the number of one-person households has surpassed all other types of living situations. They accounted for 28.2 per cent of all households last year, more than the percentage of couples with children, couples without children, single-parent families, multiple family households and all other combinations of people living together.” And among those one-person households are clergy.Because relationships are so important in solo-pastor churches, this observation by McIntosh is worth highlighting: “Solo pastors must move away from thinking they have to make all the decisions and create a collective alliance with board members. Purposeful relationships truly signal leadership maturity in the solo pastor.” Keep in mind, I don’t mean, “How do we build a meaningful ministry to singles?” Nope – completely different topic! That’s an issue for other blogs and books dedicated to programming, evangelism and “the emerging relevant church.” I’m talking about ministry-when-the-servant-is-single. However challenging they may be, our churches need our passionate leadership. Is your body still in the pulpit while your heart has left the ministry? Is there some aspect of your ministry which is still a passion for you, whether it elicits positive strokes or not? Keep in mind that singleness, like marriage, is a circumstance of earthly life only (Luke 20. 34-36). I recall an extremely robust discussion I once had with a fellow grad student who held a rather rigid definition of healthy Christian adulthood. He was fixed to the idea this could only be expressed by those in marriages with many children. I pointed out to him that (aside from the obvious example of Christ) the history of God’s people includes innumerable stories of amazing people who minister and teach the Gospel, and (perhaps for reasons of martyrdom, war, health, social conditions or other factors) remained unmarried and without children. Unfortunately, he could not fathom that a healthy adult could embrace living and ministering solo. Even more unfortunately, this man was a leader in his local congregation! The truth is singleness is no more a deficit of person or character than marriage is an indicator of mature spirituality.

Solo servant leadership: Single and in ministry – Clergy Care

Just look at the term “solo pastor” – doesn’t it sound lonely? Loneliness and isolation are two of the most common problems among pastors. It’s Hard to Find Practical Help If the vision is too broad, it'll be like placing multiple ladders against numerous buildings. Which one do you climb first? Which is the most important? Which deserves the investment of time, personnel, and energy? With too many ladders to climb, you'll end up frustrated, with a sense of failure. You could do many good things this year, but you are not likely to do them all. Vision and ministry fit together. A God-given vision requires a church to step forward in practical ways to connect with real people in ministry situations. Faith is needed to begin new ministries, but this implies strategic thought, not a blind leap. Get your legitimate needs met. I’ve been learning from studying the Birkman (personality assessment) Method that when I get the legitimate needs of my personality met – mine are “literary” and “music” – I have the resources to do the things I need to do that drain my joy (like tending a mailing list).Get wise regarding your strengths and weaknesses. If you’re really terrible at hospital visits, maybe you can just admit this and persuade someone else to do it. Pastor Steven Boyd “I found value in our meetings and am grateful you invited me to be part of it as a ‘future senior pastor.’ I enjoyed being able to be part of the conversations and glean from those beyond me. Thanks for your leadership with the group and your heart for pastors!” If God gives the vision and the resources (or honest anticipation of resources), it's an automatic yes. If either one of these is missing, or if conditions are uncertain, it's a not yet.