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What’s Up
If the lead pastor isn’t leading the charge for church growth, then church growth probably isn’t happening. Backseat church growth just doesn’t happen.
So What
You can’t steer from the second seat. If your pastor is content with the status quo while your church is circling the drain, your options are brutally limited. You can’t will your way into real, sustainable growth unless the person in the driver’s seat has their foot on the gas.
The Point Is
The Lead Pastor Sets the Tone
If the lead pastor isn’t prioritizing growth, no one else’s efforts will matter long-term. Vision flows from the top down, not the bottom up.
Second-Seat Leadership Has Limits
You can inspire, equip, and rally all you want, but without alignment from the lead, it’s like pushing a rope uphill. It doesn’t end well.
You Have Three Options
Try to change their mind (almost never works), find another church that is aligned with your calling, or settle in for disappointment.
Waiting It Out Is a Trap
Sure, you could outlast them. But the odds of the next hire being a growth-minded leader? Slim to none. Churches generally get the leaders they actually want.
And … ?
Let’s be honest about the pattern here. I get these calls every so often, usually from a passionate associate pastor, a frustrated staff member, or a lay leader with fire in their bones. They see the slow-motion collapse of their church and want to turn the tide. The problem is, they’re in the second seat, while the one with the keys is running the church like it’s 1984 and they’ve still got time. They don’t. And neither do you.
It might feel disloyal to walk away. But staying in a church where the pastor won’t lead the charge in disciple-making is like signing up to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic. If you’re called to make disciples and the captain’s locked in the cabin, you’re not abandoning ship, you’re getting back in the game. Find a church that wants to reach people for Jesus. One where you can make a difference without having to drag the leadership kicking and screaming.
Action!
If you’re ready to lead from the front, start by grabbing the Ghost Town to Growth Track Guide: https://go.effectivechurch.com/ghost-town
