7 Critical Details Pastors Should Learn About Their Church During The First Year

Note: This is Part 4 in a 7-part introductory series on the foundational principles of StartingWell.net. You can find the previous posts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Leadership expert John C. Maxwell once said, “To be effective, leaders must always be learners.” Former President John F. Kennedy declared, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

These quotes each communicate a simple truth: leaders are learners.

This is a general leadership principle, but it is especially true if you are pastoring a church. In fact, learning everything about your ministry context is one of the key priorities for pastors to start well in a new church.

If you are a pastor or hope to be someday, here are seven details you should learn about your new church during the first year to maximize your leadership impact and minimize unnecessary conflict:

1. Learn about the church’s history.

Do everything you can to learn about the history of the church. Talk to longtime members. Review old church directories and bulletins. Review the minutes from past business meetings. Listen to old sermons. Read any old news stories about the church. Talk to any living former pastors.

What are some of the church’s most significant moments in its past? What are some of its most painful circumstances? When was the church founded, and what circumstances led to its founding? How many pastors have served the church throughout its existence? These are just a few questions to consider as you seek to learn everything you can about what God has accomplished in the church’s past to inform what He might lead you to in the future.

2. Learn about the church’s culture.

Every church culture is unique. They each have their own way of doing things and making decisions. They each have their own set of core values. They each have their own quirks. Unless you were a member of the church before becoming their pastor, you will likely find some of their culture to be different from your own. That’s completely normal!

When you discover those cultural characteristics that differ from your own, understand that doesn’t make them wrong or inferior. It just makes them different. Therefore, unless the church openly tolerates sin or other things contrary to God’s Word, your goal should not be to change their culture to match your own but to identify the specific characteristics of the culture so that you can lead effectively within it.

3. Learn about the church’s community.

You should also become a student of the community you are trying to reach. The best way to do so is to think like a missionary and immerse yourself in it.

Attend community events and festivals, meet community leaders, and strike up conversations in the grocery store or the coffee shop. As you do so, begin to identify the community’s needs that your church can meet.

You may also want to obtain a demographic report from a reputable company to identify population trends and other helpful information. If you serve in a Southern Baptist church, the North American Mission Board can provide this report for you.

4. Learn about the church’s governing documents and policies.

This may not be your favorite recommendation, but you need to set aside time to study your church’s governing documents. Pick an afternoon (or even a whole day) to review every document you can find.

Grab a copy of your church’s Constitution & Bylaws and make notes of any observations. Review your church’s personnel policies, facility use policies, hiring policies, and child protection policies. (You may find that your church does not have one or more of these documents.) You will likely identify areas in need of revision, but just make a note of those items for now. You’ll have plenty of time to make those changes later. The purpose of this review is simply to familiarize yourself with these documents in their current form.

If you did not thoroughly review the church’s statement of faith during the interview process, you will also want to read it and make notes of any observations.

These activities may not seem “spiritual,” but they are necessary, especially if you introduce changes that violate these documents. You will certainly wish that you had taken the time to review them beforehand!

5. Learn about the church’s influencers.

Every church has both official and unofficial leaders. The official leaders are easier to identify as they come with titles. They may serve as deacons, Sunday school teachers, ministry team leaders, or various other roles.

However, you will want to learn about those unofficial leaders as well. These individuals don’t necessarily have a title but are often well-respected within the church. Others frequently want to know the influencer’s thoughts on a matter before forming their own opinion. These individuals have the potential to help you implement change in subsequent years or to become significant roadblocks. Therefore, try to identify these unofficial leaders during your first year.

6. Learn about the church’s current reality.

Understanding the church’s current reality is critical to discerning God’s vision for the church’s future.

Therefore, review your church records or request a report from your denominational office to identify trends in key metrics such as average worship attendance, baptisms, small group attendance, finances, membership transfers to other churches, and any other metrics you deem necessary.

Note any observations and talk with other church leaders to help you identify the stories behind the numbers. What do the numbers tell you about your church’s current reality? Is the church in a growth cycle? Is it plateaued or in maintenance mode? Is it in a death spiral unless significant changes are made?

7. Learn about what changes need to be made in the future.

Based on your observations in the previous six categories, you will undoubtedly identify areas needing improvement or change. Make a list of those areas, but do not act on them during your first year unless it is absolutely necessary – and the list of absolutely necessary changes is quite small.

Instead, review the list often and pray through it, asking the Lord for wisdom in determining the right time to implement strategic changes. Also, begin having informal conversations with other church leaders and influencers to hear their thoughts and potential solutions. But don’t make the changes until you have gained the congregation’s trust. Only then can you lead well.

Additional Details

You might want to learn other details about your church during the first year or two as well. What would you add to the list? Leave a comment below and share!

Note: This is Part 4 in a 7-part introductory series on the foundational principles of StartingWell.net. You can find the previous posts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash