Posted by Joel Southerland

One thing I have noticed over the years is that a great preacher rarely gets dismissed from his church or gets asked to leave (of course there are always exceptions). In conjunction with that, the pastor who accomplishes much for the Church and Kingdom rarely runs into serious trouble.  Now, it doesn’t mean they will not have trouble - all pastors have church trouble - it’s part of dealing with people. But, there is a difference between SERIOUS church trouble and everyday church problems.

If a pastor is a dynamic preacher that feeds the flock in a way that leaves them wanting more he will develop such a following that it becomes near impossible to “mount a movement” against him.  Often, people begin to pick a pastor apart for every little thing when in truth they want him dismissed because his preaching skills are poor.  When the congregation hangs on every word of the sermon; when they regularly bring family, friends, and co-workers to church to hear his sermons; when they can see the changed lives because of the preached word it is hard to dismiss that kind of preacher & pastor.

Also, when the pastor does the things that the church expects, and when the pastor does the things the church doesn’t expect (good things) it becomes nearly impossible to “run him off”!  If a pastor will develop good time management skills that allow him to do the things expected, the things that will endear him to the congregation, and the things that will grow the church, he will have a long and fruitful ministry.

Conclusion: The two most important things a pastor can do (apart from the obvious integrity that goes with ministry) is to learn the skills of great preaching and learn to manage time wisely.  If he can do both he is indispensable!