Mark Clark
The Spirit of the Law in Pastoral Roles
About The Episode
“There is a sacrifice to ministry that scars you…that is part of the job.” Meet Mark Clark, one of the Senior Pastors at Bayside Church in Sacramento, California. In today’s episode, Mark shares his personal experience of entering a role as Senior Pastor after founding Village Church, a multi-site church with locations in multiple cities across Canada. You’ll get a glimpse into his perspective on the evolution of pastoral roles, the secret sauce to keeping good leaders, and the importance of humility and zeal as a pastor.
Welcome to Episode 085 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.
Insights From Mark
FROM CHURCH PLANT TO LARGE CHURCH
- There is an entrepreneurial mindset for starting a church. You essentially have your hand in every aspect!
- A new skillset is needed once you need to scale it.
- Mark’s church staffed people who were largely from the marketplace, with skills that really helped reinforce ministry roles.
THE EVOLUTION OF VARIOUS PASTORAL ROLES
- Mentor
- Figurehead/Mascot
- Elder
- Fundraiser
- (Sometimes all at once!)
HOLDING PLANS LOOSELY
- Mark did not walk into a role assuming it was forever. This allowed space for God to direct when/if he needed to leave.
- Even with great relationships, God might be calling you elsewhere.
ADVICE FOR PASTORS AS THEY LEAVE A ROLE
- Spend intentional time training your successor before you leave.
- You can still desire to help, but once you leave, it can feel to the staff like you won’t be able to be invested enough to train or offer insight.
SPIRIT OF THE LAW VERSUS LETTER OF THE LAW
- Some systems are not the most efficient, but they do have momentum and growth.
- Churches can organize to be efficient or organize to have momentum.
SECRET SAUCE FOR KEEPING GOOD LEADERS
- Use a model that allows your team to have autonomy and spread their wings (Example: being able to preach live each weekend).
- Camaraderie on staff makes a long-term difference.
- Humility in a leader draws people in to stay longer.
PASSION AND ZEAL
- Are you passionate about your work?
- Do the people around you sense it?
- You can be humble and boring. You can be charismatic and prideful. But some are able to be humble and passionate.
Episode Links
The Problem of God, by Mark Clark
The Problem of Jesus, by Mark Clark
If you’re a leader approaching a succession or transition. Or maybe you’re a few years in and beginning to see how complex transitions leadership is… go to The Art of Pastoral Succession and checkout my brand new course in partnership with Carey Nieuwhof.
Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our 2023 cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/
Who is Mark Clark?
Mark Clark founded Village Church, a multi-site church with locations in multiple cities across Canada and online around the world, that seeks to reach skeptics and challenge Christians. He is now one of the Senior Pastors at Bayside Church in Sacramento, California. He is the author of The Problem of Jesus (Zondervan, 2021) and The Problem of God (Zondervan, 2017) winner of the 2018 Word Award for Evangelism. Mark has been the subject of several articles in Christianity Today and Outreach Magazine voted him one of the Top 26 Leaders to Watch. He has three beautiful daughters with his wife, Erin.
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsor: Food For The Hungry.
Combine your church’s heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches.
Quotes From Episode
“There is a sacrifice to ministry that scars you…that is part of the job.”
“One of the differences between a good leader and a great leader is curiosity…the desire to learn.”
Listen to Recent Episodes
About the Host
Sean Morgan is a coach and speaker with a national reputation as a catalyst of fresh vision. His passion is to help ministries navigate obstacles and turn them into opportunities.
Throughout his career, Sean has pioneered initiatives impacting thousands of leaders across the country. He started out serving as Executive Pastor and CFO at New Life Church in northern California.
As host, Sean gives you access to amazing conversations, hard-won wisdom, and poignant insights from world-class leaders in intimate “living room” settings.
Your Host
Sean Morgan
Leaders in Living Rooms
Craft & Character
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