There is more to being a pastor than preaching.

Before you read this article you need to read this excellent post by Joe McKeever.

As a judicatory leader I have grown weary of the churches who decide to call someone to be their pastor because the person "preaches a good sermon."  Often, they know nothing else about the candidate...not their theology, not their spiritual gifts and passions, not their moral values, not their educational background, not their character, not their previous ministerial experience, not their view of ministry, and not their leadership capability.  Despite not knowing anything at all about the individual they are willing to put the future of their church in that person's hands because they have preached two or three good sermons.  The end results are often not pretty.

Elsewhere I have written about the important role of the pulpit in a bivocational church.  It's also true for fully-funded churches, but in the bivocational church that Sunday morning message will reach more people connected with your church than anything else the pastor does.  That is the primary opportunity the bivocational pastor will have to shape the theological beliefs of the congregation, promote the vision and ministry of the church, and minister to the physical and spiritual well-being of those in attendance.  However, as important as it is that the bivocational minister be a good communicator from the pulpit, there is more to pastoring the church than preaching.

As McKeever points out, many churches have been stuck for years (decades).  Is this a failure of the preaching ability of pastor after pastor, or has something else happened in these churches?  My belief is that it is something else, specifically a lack of leadership on the part of the pastor and congregation.  Everything rises and falls on leadership.  I would much rather have an average preacher who has great leadership gifts than to have someone who has a dynamic pulpit ministry but couldn't lead a two-car funeral procession.  And I've known both.

I love to attend high energy worship services and hear a message that is biblically sound and practical.  Who wouldn't?  But, I've spent time with a few churches that were filled with happy, clappy, slappy people who raved about the wonderful messages that come from their pastor who haven't impacted their communities for the Kingdom of God in years.  Something is wrong.  Something is missing, and it's leadership.

Pastor search committees need to learn that almost anyone who has been in ministry even for a short time has a handful of great sermons he or she can use as a trial sermon.  Yes, the messages need to be evaluated for proper doctrine, etc., but these committees need to learn to look beyond the sermon to the total package the individual brings to the position.  Everything in the first paragraph, including his or her leadership abilities, must be evaluated before considering calling that person to become the next pastor of the church.  This takes time, a lot of hard work, and a lot of prayerful consideration, but this is time well-spent.