Recently I had a conversation with a friend about the subject of leading from your strengthens. He was in a place of leadership but felt he did not have the leadership skills he had seen others possess who were successful at what they did. Our conversation evolved from looking at his own strengthens (how he could utilize them and then bring others alongside him to support his weaknesses) to how many people are not successful or feel frustrated because they do not operate in their strengthens and operate in what they think someone in their position should operate.

This brought me to the thought of Senior Pastors. In almost every church I have ever stepped into, it is the Senior Pastor who does the preaching and Teaching on Sundays. I have heard some Senior Pastors with wonderful gifts of teaching preach incredible sermons but I have also heard some Senior Pastor who were left at the back of the line when they were giving out the teaching and preaching gifts if you get my drift!

Mark Driscoll is the founder and teaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church in the Seattle area. Even though he is the main man, the founder, planter and altogether Mars Hill guru, he is not the Lead Pastor. A guy by the name of Jamie Munston is. Mark has realized his gifts are in teaching, so he is the preacher on Sunday Morning, he is not the Lead Pastor. Jamie is not the regular preacher, but he does everything a Senior Pastor would do (check out his blog post). When I found this out, I though how refreshing, how mature and how Christ like it is of both Mark & Jamie to realize what their strengthens are and then lead through those strengthens.

I wonder what some of those churches I visited where the Senior Pastor did not have the greatest gift of teaching would be like if they gave the Sunday preaching to someone else and they lead out of where their strengthens were? I imagine those churches would see growth, both numerically and spiritually. However, I wonder how many Senior Pastors would even consider doing this and how many would be fearful over their new loss of ‘pulpit influence’!

Let me know your thoughts? Should the Senior Pastor be the one who occupies the pulpit?