8 marks of Pastors in growing churches – which ones surprise you?

Have I got what it takes to pastor a growing church?

Thom Rainer after 10 years of working alongside churches in the States and studying their trends has this to say about the Pastor.

Acknowledging that if God is sovereign he can and will use whoever he wants, Rainer maintains that

In his sovereignty, God chooses certain means, methods, and persons to accomplish his purpose. I am convinced that one of His primary means of accomplishing His will is through the words, deeds and leadership of pastors. So much does rise and fall on pastoral leaders.

And when it comes to growing churches here are the 8 qualities he identifies in Pastors.

1. They are theologically conservative.

2. They have longer-than-average tenure in the church they presently serve

3. They are more likely to have attended seminary than not

4. They are usually full-time at their churches

5. They love to preach

6. Their preferred preaching style is expository

7. They detest committee meetings

8. They are more visionary than reactionary

Whilst there are no real surprises in this list, I was struck by 5, 6 and 7 in particular. Godly men, who guard the gospel, love the word and love the people to whom they preach it are the hope for the church.

Having just finished preaching through 1 Timothy we find that it is the qualities that Paul sees in Timothy that continue to grow churches today.