Overcoming the Danger of Ministry Silos in the Small Church

Recently I met someone who had spent many years on staff at a church of over 4,000. During his entire time at that church, he never met the pastor.

He expressed some frustration about it, because he admired the pastor and would have enjoyed learning from him over an occasional cup of coffee. But he and the pastor never crossed paths and to this day the pastor has no idea who he is.

This former staff pastor was not in a minor position. He was in charge of a department that comprised 25% of the church body – over 1,000 people! Today he trains others to do his type of ministry. He runs a well-known magazine, has written some stand-out books on the subject and is a highly sought-after speaker. But he’s still never met his former pastor.

I’m being intentionally vague about who he is and what kind of ministry he’s involved in to protect his anonymity. And it’s important to say that he’s not upset or bitter at his former pastor. He’s grateful for his time at that church and left on very good terms – he just regrets not being able to know the pastor he worked for.

That’s an example of a ministry silo. Keep reading