5 Traits to Look for in a Campus Pastor
One of the questions that popped up on Twitter recently was related to hiring a campus pastor. The senior pastor who contacted me was curious to know what to look for in a campus pastor.
It probably won’t surprise you to know that I don’t think there’s a magic formula for finding that right person to fill this type of role at every church. The “right” person at one church may be completely the wrong person at another church.
For example, if your multi-site strategy includes trying to replicate everything exactly the same at every campus, you probably don’t want a strong visionary leader. Instead, you need more of a manager. If, on the other hand, you need someone to act more like a church planter to help shape the ministry in a different community than your current campus, then you probably need someone who is more entrepreneurial. You don’t want primarily a person who is always waiting for specific instructions from the top leadership team on what to do next.
That said, I think there are a handful of common characteristics you need to prioritize when finding your next campus pastor. The right campus pastor will:
- Embrace the DNA of your church. Every church is unique. Your campus pastor needs to both embrace and champion your mission, vision and values. That’s why it’s best if whoever you’re sending out to lead your next campus has had some time to learn who you are as a church.
- Communicate well. It doesn’t matter if your teaching is on video. The ability to communicate is still essential to this role. Two big things the campus pastor has to talk about are vision and money. If they can’t do that well, they are the wrong person for the role. (more…)















