THE TURNAROUND PASTOR

I always felt that by sending me to a church as the recovery pastor, God was showing that He had not forgotten them even though others had given up on them. Second of all, God will lead and guide you. He is on your side to bring the church back into wholeness and health. With that being said, it takes a special calling to become a turnaround pastor and here are some qualities which are vitally important to have or to develop quickly:

» A LOVING, SHEPHERDING HEART

In every case the congregation was hurting and feeling lost, and they needed a shepherd to love them and to show them that God had not given up on them. They needed a pastor they could learn to trust.

» A FAMILY WHO WILL SUPPORT YOU

Your family will need to support you, sacrifice their lives with you, pray with you (and FOR you) and not be easily offended by the words or actions of hurting people.

» A GOOD COMMUNICATOR

Communicate it all: your vision, your plans, and your actions. You cannot close yourself off from your church. You cannot think that you have to do this alone to prove yourself.

» AN ORGANIZER

You will most likely have to organize the offices, the ministries of the church and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Decluttering and cleaning house shows that a church is honoring God.

» A FINANCIAL OVERSEER

If you are not good at finances, get the help you need and find a person qualified to do the bookkeeping. However, with whatever system you use, or with whoever does the accounting, be fully involved in all the decisions. You don’t need to have details, such as who gave what in the offering, but you need to know the monthly giving trends and exactly what the expenses are.

» A PEOPLE PERSON

People love to have their pastor involved in their lives more than just on Sunday. This is pretty basic for every pastor but absolutely essential for a recovery pastor. Visiting someone in the hospital and praying with them is never out of fashion.

Your love for God and service to Him will not only help you guide the church, but it will guide your heart as well. He will use the spiritual gifts He’s given you and will equip you in areas where you need it the most!

Article adapted from “The Ministry Of Recovery”

 Guest Contributor:  Bill and Joy Kelly

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