As a member of INJOY Stewardship Solutions, I speak to pastors for a living. It is a humbling role because of the high calling and responsibility which comes with serving God’s bride on a daily basis. After a great conversation today, I took time to break down the elements as to why my time with this pastor was so mutually beneficial and enjoyable.
These lessons will assist any church member, staff or person who talks with pastors vocationally be more effective and serve these great leaders well. The following are 10 Keys To Having Great Conversations With Pastors:
- Be Prepared – Prepare or repair. Have the church’s website up. Make sure you have read the church’s mission and vision statement along with the pastor’s bio. If you are interested in them, they are more likely to be interested in you.
- Give Pastors Something Before Asking Pastors For Something – Many people want something from pastors. They have an agenda, an angle. They want something. Always add value to pastors before speaking with them. We do this through free webinars, resources, and in today’s conversation, my blog.
- Value Their Time – A pastor’s time is scarce and highly valuable. They deal with issues which affect people’s eternal destinies. Heaven and hell are at stake. Because it is so valuable, I scheduled a time to speak ahead of time via email.
- Verify The Time Is Still Good – Once on the phone I ask, “Pastor, is this time still good for you?” A call can always be rescheduled.
- Ask About Them And Their Church First – Before diving into “work”, I spend a few short moments talking about their week and how the church is doing. This is not manipulative. You must genuinely care how they are doing. They have families, health items, staffs to lead, financial concerns, and pressures just like the rest of us.
- Their Issue Is The Issue – Once the “work” conversation begins, I always wish to discover what their needs are. An inexperienced person will immediately being telling pastors about what they can offer. An experienced person will discover the pastor’s needs.
- Ask Great Questions – True wisdom comes from great questions, not great answers. The capital campaign world where I spend my days is a “mature marketplace”. It seems as if everyone pastor has done one, knows someone who has, or has grown up in a church which did one. My objective is not to tell them how to do a campaign. My objective is to discover what they want their campaign to look, feel and sound like by asking great questions.
- Provide Solutions – After each call I must assess did I HELP the pastor by providing solutions to the issues they are currently facing?
- Pray With Them – I do not do this every time. It is something I only do when led by the Holy Spirit. It is a “feel” type of thing. But when I do it, I pray boldly for God’s greatest blessings on the pastor, his/her family and the ministry as a whole.
- Follow Up – This is where many people drop the ball. I always ask the pastor for when would be an appropriate time to follow up. Once again, respect their time. Also, I am not egotistical enough to think the pastor will remember all of my pearls of wisdom. For in-depth conversations, I always send a recap email.
I hope this note adds value to you and the pastors you will soon be speaking with.
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