In my extensive ministry to pastors over the past two decades, I have noticed that often, ministers of the gospel are ineffective because they are operating outside their assignments. Some of these very good people are overseeing churches, and in some cases are superintendents for a denomination over churches in a region.

I posit that much of the ineffectiveness in the church today is due to senior leaders operating outside their assignments. These leaders are more gifted in the deaconate than they are called to function in one of the fivefold ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11.

The following reasons, based on observation, are signs that someone may indeed be attempting to oversee a church without having the grace to be a senior pastor.

(I realize that these are generalities and may not fit every situation. I also realize that being a good administrator and having the gift to implement effective programs is a great asset to a senior pastor, not a deficit. Understanding your proper placement will save you from a lifetime of frustration and discouragement.)

1. You are more effective when you administrate than when you preach or teach.

2. You tend to be more focused on administrating programs than pouring into people.

3. You tend to always be involved in the details of your projects instead of directing the vision.

4. You attain more satisfaction in aiding people with their physical needs (for example: doing them favors like driving them somewhere, painting a house, fixing a mechanical problem, giving out food and so on) than leading people toward a compelling vision (see Acts 6:3-4).

5. Your influence on the congregation is almost always limited to those you personally touch or help rather than those who hear you speak from the pulpit. (Those with the gift of communicating God's truth to a congregation get people to connect with them and their vision, even those who may not have met them personally.)

6. You focus more on marketing, media and technology than on biblical content and theology.

7. You do not have a great yearning to wait on God and study the Scriptures daily for a prophetic edge but almost always wake up in the morning desiring to "do something."

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He is renowned for addressing current events through the lens of Scripture by applying biblical truths and offering cogent defenses to today's postmodern culture. He leads several organizations, including The United Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma News called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter, go to josephmattera.org.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.