Church Administrator vs. Licensed Pastor

Question: As a church administrator, what value/benefits did you gain from becoming a licensed pastor – practically and spiritually?

Answer: Spiritually, we all benefit from further study. Practically, it was a huge help to go through the denomination’s polity course. Even if an individual chooses not to be licensed the polity course will be very beneficial. It made me aware of policies, governance, procedures and resources.

However, I am not in favor of people gaining their license just so they can claim a housing allowance. My opinion is that type of thinking diminishes how we perceive God’s call on others.

On a side note I do not think that every person holding a license should be called “pastor”. We have been too loose with the title. I think only those serving in a shepherding function should carry that title in the local church. In my case, even being licensed I carried the title of Church Administrator for 4 years. As I approached ordination and as my functions changed, I accepted with some initial reservation the Administrative Pastor title. I currently lead our small groups ministry and shepherd about 50 lay pastors. Additionally, I have for 6 years intentionally accepted the role of shepherding our support staff, which today includes 40 full- and part-time employees.