Moderated by Warren Schuh

Welcome to the “Overseer Page” of XPastor.org! The focus of this page will be on the Leadership realities of the Executive Pastor role. We will regularly feature articles by XP's who are having to balance the realities of dealing with details while at the same time having the 30,000 foot view, day-in and day-out.

It takes a great deal of skill to keep an organization focused and moving together in the same direction but that's what XP's are expected to do. We'll provide comment, perspective and resources here that will help you in your development in this increasingly important aspect of the XP's responsibility. Feel free to email me and suggest topics for articles or ask questions about the Overseer role. We're here for You!

Throw in your "best practice" on a leadership issue and interact with me on it in the Forum.

Warren

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Articles on the Overseer

Warren Schuh
President, WS Associates
Coaching and Consulting
For Renewal and Growth
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story on Warren

• Book Review: Leading from the Second Chair Reviewed by Warren Schuh
• Steve Liparoto on A Different Church Organizational Structure
• Phil Taylor on Climbing Down the Ladder. This is a story of a Lead Pastor turned Executive Pastor in the Missional Church Movement.
• Hiring Great Staff by David Fletcher
• XPastor as Pioneer by Dr. Nathan Baxter
• Crash Dummies: An anonymous article on being fired
• By Senior Pastor John Hawco, The Senior Pastor/Executive Pastor Team:
  A Contemporary Paradigm for the Larger Church Staff 248 pages
• Pressures on the Pastor by David Fletcher
• ... from Vision to Execution by Bob Feitl
• The Executive Pastor, 42 page groundbreaking work of 1993 by Wes Kiel
• Executive Pastors' Perception of Leadership and Management Competencies Needed for Local Church Administration, 253 pages by XP Tim Woodruff
• Jeff Jones, Senior Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church North, of Plano Texas on Succession Thoughts
• Dr. Brenda Ellington Booth, Social Networks and Interpretation in Planned Organizational Change
• Dallas: The New Capital of Evangelicalism by David Fletcher
• Jerry Wofford on visionary leadership
• Case-Studies of Policy and Vision Implementation by the Executive Pastors, 355 pages, by David Fletcher

Linked article

• Megachurches Today: summary of data from the Faith Communities Today Project

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Post a question about the Overseer Function in The XP-Forum

Defining the Overseer

The Administrator and Overseer Functions are two halves of the same pie. The Administrator is the Manager while the Overseer is the Leader (now the difference between manager and leader is a thorny one in literature on executives). The Administrator ensures that the engine is running at full capacity while the Overseer ensures that the car is moving the right direction.

The Overseer attends meetings of the governing board, perhaps as a member. A key aspect of the Overseer is to implement the policies of the governing board. The Overseer monitors every ministry for the Senior Pastor and governing board and often guards and gives advice on the schedule of the Senior Pastor. The Overseer oversees all church ministries, managing ministry by delegated responsibility. A key aspect is that the Overseer implements the vision of the Senior Pastor and fills the position as the "second in command" to the Senior Pastor.

The Strengths of the Overseer

Based on hundreds of XPs who have taken the free XP-Indicator, we see certain strengths of XPs (the XP-I measures the Five Functions). There are eight key aspects of the Overseer function.

• Approves Procedures
• Oversees all Ministries
• Administers Policies
• Manages Ministry
• Attends Board Meetings
• Implements Vision
• 2nd in Command
• Informs Board of Ministry

5 Key Themes

• Advise the Senior Pastor & governing board
• Approve procedures for running the church
• Implement policy & vision
• Second in command & manage by delegation
• Shepherd & oversee ministry

5 Attitudes & Abilities

• Both conservative and liberal
• “Does it fit where we are going?
• “Let me get the right person to help you”
• Looking at horizon
• Positive yet looking for problems
• Tough minded