Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Successful and Unsuccessful pastors

Characteristics Most Associated with Unsuccessful Pastors

  1. The inability to identify, recruit, train, and deploy workers and leaders. (95%)
  1. Use of ineffective methods of evangelism, and unwillingness to be ruthless at evaluating the results of those methods. (77%)
  1. No clear plan and goals, which results in working hard at wrong things or lack of focus. (77%)
  1. No proven record under supervision or authority. (73%)
  1. A nurturer/ enabler/ facilitator rather than an assertive leader and equipper. (68%)
  1. Failed to adequately research and understand the community in which trying to build a church. (64%)
  1. No local or extra-local support and encouragement from other leader. (64%)
  1. Unsure about the Holy Spirit’s leading for the church. (59%)
  1. Not willing to take responsibility for church growth. (55%)
  1. Success for failure of church tied to self-image; ego strength problems. (55%)
  1. Unsure of call. (50%)

* Results based on telephone interviews of 22 pastors whose churches had failed. The interviewer, Todd Hunter, had supervised or known the pastors, and could in most instances agree with their evaluation. The numbers in parentheses are the percent who had this problem.

Characteristics Most Associated with Successful Pastors

1. A hard worker. (100%)

2. Proven record under supervision or authority. (95%)

3. Sure of call. (95%)

4. An attitude of optimism and faith. (95%)

5. Good social skills, friendly, easily liked. (95%)

6. Takes responsibility for church growth. (95%)

7. Both husband and wife felt called to the church. (90%)

8. Held values, priorities, and philosophy of denomination. (90%)

9. Indigenous of extra-local support from other leaders. (80%)

10. A strong marriage. (80%)

* Results based on telephone interviews of 20 pastors of successful, growing churches. In many instances they had raised up several churches. The numbers in parentheses are the percent who had this strength.

(Source of quote unknown.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is kind of interesting that the factors present for success are cited by more people then the factors present for failure.

It goes to show that their is probably more than one way to fail and that their are some fundamentals to pastoring successfully that need to be present.