Ten years ago I began a new adventure…leading a church in a new country. I accepted the lead pastor role at a great church in Canada, West Park Church in London, Ontario. This church was filled with great people committed to God and the cause of Christ. I loved my time there (I finished up my time two months ago and moved to the states). Although I faced some challenges, it was a great experience. Before I even started, I spent three weeks preparing for my new ministry and I learned these 4 keys necessary to start well and sustain healthy ministry. I’ve also included 13 questions that help us determine how well we are leading.

Those questions, and much more, are included in my book Every Pastor’s First 180 Days: How to Start and Stay Strong in a New Church Job. It’s available on Amazon here.

I use the acronym PALM to illustrate these 4 simple keys. It describes four practices that not only make a new transition go smoother, but represent leadership priorities I recommend every good leader embrace whether or not he or she is new to a ministry role. I’ll briefly explain them and then pose some questions to help you evaluate how well you are embodying these principles.

Prioritize family and self care. This concept simply means that to lead well, we must lead ourselves and our families well. I once heard Chuck Swindoll say that a healthy ministry flows out of a healthy marriage.

• Key questions to ask.

1. How would your spouse or kids say you are doing in keeping family a priority?
2. How often do you take a day off when you truly disconnect from your leadership role?
3. Are you getting enough sleep and exercise?
4. Are you saying ‘no’ enough to demands people try to place on your time that you know if you said ‘yes’ would not further your mission?

Avidly over-communicate. This concept implies that leaders must intentionally use multiple means to keep theirs churches and teams informed of what’s happening.

• Key questions to ask.

1. Do you have an intentional process you use to communicate to others progress in achieving your goals and key initiatives?
2. How many tools do you use to communicate? Or, do you count on one method and hope it’s successful?
3. How often do you repeat your church’s overall purpose and objectives?

Listen and learn. This idea embodies the principle that good leaders are learners and learning happens when we assume a listening posture. 

• Key questions to ask.

1. In meetings how much talking do you do? Are you mostly telling or asking questions and listening?
2. When you meet new people, do you ask about their lives or do you talk about yourself?
3. When others are talking to you, how often do you mentally check out as you prepare your response?

Manage change wisely. For any church or ministry to make a Kingdom difference it requires that we effect change. But change for change’s sake seldom moves us forward. However, wisely managed and needed change will make a Kingdom difference.

• Key questions to ask.

1. How often do you include in the conversation about a potential change those who would be affected by such a change?
2. When you bring change, how often do you evaluate after the change to learn how well it went?
3. What changes need to be made now in your setting and what are you doing to prepare your church or team for the change?

 Leadership brings leaders great fulfillment, especially when we lead well. Consider how you might apply these 4 keys in the PALM acrostic to your leadership setting.

What other keys have you discovered that make for successful leadership?

Related posts:

• 3 Essentials to Bring Change to your Church
• 11 Traits of a Foolish Pastor