Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr. Conducts B. Julian Smith Lecture at the 11th Pastors’ Conference
Atlanta, GA—Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr., presiding prelate of the 4th Episcopal District, was the guest presenter in the B. Julian Smith Lectureship on Tuesday at the 11th Pastors’ Conference. The conference is being held at the Sheraton Atlanta Airport Hotel. Addressing the conference theme, “From Good to Great: Developing Effective Pastoral Leadership for the 21st Century,” Bishop Brown presented the following outline to conference attendees.
I. Pastoral Leadership: A cursive historical perspective
A. Prior to the 1940s, pastors were considered effective if they possessed a dose of commitment, a dash of sincerity, good will, and a Call from God.
B. From the 1940’s through 1980’s was the era of the professional ministers’ mystique, focusing on educating and training ministers for service. Heavy emphasis was placed on ministerial education.
C. The Contemporary demand—“Missional pastoral leaders” who are “ultimately measured by their ability to organize, build” congregations. To take churches to a new level of growth.
II. The Effective Pastoral Leader may be described as:
A. A designer (pastoral ambition)
B. A steward (custodian of the “deep story” of the faith community.
C. A teacher/preacher—connects reality with vision. Pastor must define reality.
III. The Problems facing Pastoral Leadership
A. Lack of pastoral identity (examples: Moses and Gideon)
B. Lack of a sense of pastoral vocation – (Call story and vocational clarity)
C. Lack of a sense of pastoral authority – Meaning of Ordination
IV. Creating the Environment and Process for More Effective Leadership Development
A. An environment where objectives are clearly expressed.
B. An environment where there is high delegation of authority vs. responsibilities
C. An environment where pastors are helped early on in decision making.
D. An environment where there is more continuity in the development process.
E. An environment where young preachers are paired with older, more competent pastoral leaders.
F. An environment where compassion is demonstrated, not indulgence or co-dependency.
G. An environment that fosters a coaching versus correcting process.
H. An environment where pastoral leaders are helped in the process of developing the skills of self-evaluation and consultation.
V. The Biblical Narrative – God’s Leadership on Display