Episode 14: How the “Senior Pastor” Relates to Other Pastors

Pastors Talk - A podcast by 9Marks

9Marks

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 698 Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2017

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Does the senior pastor—or the teaching pastor, or the lead pastor, or whatever title your church gives to the man who preaches most often—have more authority than other pastors, either in the pay of the church or not? Does he have a kind of different authority?

If you’ve served in a church with a plurality of elders, then you’ve felt tension over these questions. In order to help, Mark sat down with Jonathan to discuss the biblical warrant for a “senior” pastor, what his involvement looks in the church when he’s not preaching, and more.

SHOW NOTES:

– First things first: Is “senior pastor” a biblical designation? (1:00)

– What about the “co-pastor” model? (3:30)

– Why is it that the man who preaches most often will almost inevitably accrue the most authority within the congregation? (4:30)

– What is Mark’s involvement in the church, even when he isn’t preaching on Sunday morning? (5:15)

– Does Mark as senior pastor have “more authority” than other pastors, staff or non-staff? (6:15)

– How does a “senior pastor” set the direction for a church, either good or bad? (9:15)

– How does a pastor submit to other pastors? (11:15)

– What counsel do you have for associate pastors who disagree with their senior pastor? (13:25)

– How should he respond to a pastor who’s been heavy-handed? (17:25)

– Any advice for a new pastor with an established elder board? (20:00)

– How do you cultivate unity among elders? (24:00)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Jonathan Leibbon.
0:07.4	I'm Mark Devere.
0:08.7	And welcome to this episode of Pastors Talk, brought to you from Nine Marks.
0:12.3	Nine Marks exists to equip church leaders with a biblical vision and practical resources for building healthy churches.
0:17.9	You can learn more at... www.9marks.org.
0:23.6	Right there in the World Wide Web.
0:25.6	Jonathan, I think you sound kind of ringing today.
0:28.6	Like the study is like coated with metal or something.
0:31.6	We're in a big room.
0:32.6	Okay. I think that's it, right?
0:34.6	Yep. Go ahead.
0:35.6	Well, here in this big room, I want to think with you about the relationship between the senior pastor, like you, and other pastors, whether on staff or not on staff, and the dynamic there...
0:48.3	Wait, so you want to know about my relationship with Andy Johnson?
0:50.9	Andy and Jamie and myself and a whole bunch of other guys Ryan and questions of authority and all of that dynamic
1:00.8	I thought senior pastor is not a biblical designation hey that's my first question you claim to be biblical is this even in the Bible
1:07.6	no but I think So much for that.
1:11.3	Well, there are a lot of things that are consistent with Scripture and our application
1:15.1	of them that are not spelled out in Scripture.
1:17.6	And I think in our Church's Constitution, it does spell out this role of senior pastor.
1:23.3	And I would say it's what generally happens at churches.
1:26.9	And there's some good reasons
1:28.9	for it prudentially and uh i was at a conference once with some conservative baptist friends
	...

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