Solo pastors face a range of challenges. Craig Meek offers pastors insights from respected church leadership author Gary L. McIntosh. In drawing from The Solo Pastor: Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of Leading a Church Alone, Meek shares insightful strategies that help pastors thrive in their work as they lead God’s people with integrity, character, and vision.
Solo pastoring is not for the faint of heart. It comes with a unique set of challenges that quickly exhaust, wound, and sometimes burn out those who are called to this important and sacred work. However, this doesn’t need to be the norm. In his book, The Solo Pastor: Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of Leading a Church Alone, Gary L. McIntosh provides some excellent tips for navigating this trying terrain, staying spiritually healthy, and ultimately leading God’s people into an ever-faithful obedience to Jesus Christ.
Build meaningful relationships.
Healthy, trusting relationships are the key to every ministry; however, building those relationships takes time, humility, and intentionality. Rather than coming in with new ideas and visions for a church, McIntosh suggests solo pastors take up their work by first listening carefully to the people and learning their culture and history. After all, he says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Here are some of his tips:
- Learn and follow the culture and traditions of the congregation.
- Earn people’s respect by demonstrating integrity and character.
- Don’t rush relationships; give them time and give yourself time, too.
- Ask for advice and listen knowingly to the people.
Stop playing fetch and watch out for bullies.
Congregations often rely on new solo pastors to do their bidding. This can take a few different forms—from performing menial tasks, like turning off the lights or mowing the lawn, to more important things, like forcing solo pastors to bend their work to the will of those who hold the most power within a congregation. In response to these circumstances, McIntosh encourages solo pastors to stop playing fetch for their people and to find ways either to defuse or go around bullies in order to keep their focus on the ministry at hand. Again, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Solo pastors are called, not hired. They’re servants, not workers.
- They need to delegate well.
- Solo pastors should deal with bullies directly.
- They need to tackle problems, not attack people.
- Solo pastors need to control their emotions and mood.
- And especially, they need to give themselves some grace. Solo pastors are going to make mistakes. They must accept responsibility gracefully and learn from them.
Set a course and take care of yourself.
Amidst the many landmines in solo pastoring, there is also a lot of faithful and rewarding work to be done. When the time is right, McIntosh encourages solo pastors to take charge, set a direction for the congregation’s ministry, and invite them to join in the long, strange trip of faith and life together.
- Communicate often and clearly with the people about the congregation’s shared vision for ministry and life together.
- Manage ministry resources appropriately.
- Take time away for yourself and your loved ones.
- Get connected with other pastors in your area and cultivate meaningful relationships with them.
- Keep at the basics: Love God by loving people through faithful preaching, leadership, and prayer.
In the end, McIntosh’s book is an excellent resource for soon-to-be solo pastors, long-time veterans, and even small congregations wanting to understand some of the challenges facing those whom they call to this ministry. Each chapter begins with a delightful conversation between a solo pastor and their mentor and includes numbered practical tips for those trying faithfully to answer God’s call to this sacred and wonderful work.
The Solo Pastor: Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of Leading a Church Alone (Baker, 2023) by Gary L. McIntosh is available from the publisher, Cokesbury, and Amazon.
Related Resources
- To the Point: Suggestions for Churches with a Single Pastor, a free Lewis Center resource
- New Pastors Should Make Time to Listen by Sidney S. Williams
- 5 Ways Pastors Make Ministry Harder than It Needs to Be by Carey Nieuwhof
- 3 Types of Alignment between Pastor and Congregation Promote Well-being and Effectiveness by Matt Bloom
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