Providing effective pastoral Leadership in a multichurch setting in Delta Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Nigeria

Abstract

Success is paramount to every pastor because he would be satisfied that he is a spiritual leader to his church members. He would want to minister to them spiritually, physically and morally. Success for this task lies in the provision of the basic necessary tools. However, a constraint to his performance could be the multiple number of churches he takes care of, sometimes in addition to being a departmental director or a conference officer. He could also be a husband and father with family responsibilities. Yet he is expected to perform all his roles creditably and simultaneously. How does he provide effective pastoral leadership to his congregation? How does this affect his role as a husband and father? How would this affect his health and, perhaps, leisure time? This descriptive research studied the work of the pastor and how best he can perform his multiple roles, especially in a multichurch setting. The researcher administered a questionnaire to the pastors and organized training programmes for the pastors and elders between January 2012 and April 2013. These programmes were at the local church, zonal and conference levels. As a result of the training programmes with the churches to increase the effectiveness of the pastors, there was a noted increase in church growth in Sabbath School, evangelism, youth involvement, and stewardship. The increased involvement of members in ministry led to an increase in the number of converts to the church. Another benefit of the programme was that it gave the pastor more time for prayer, visitation, counselling, and Bible studies. He also had increased quality time with his family. In order to realize these benefits, it is recommended that a district should have not more than four churches with 200 members, and the conference officers should not be district pastors at the same time.