Hey student pastor...this is what your senior pastor needs!

Head to any conference, listen to conversations around you, and you will soon discover that tons of senior pastors and student pastors have chaotic relationships. Sure they love each other and need each other but they often find themselves butting heads. Yes...I'm a student pastor. Yes...I have had my share of bad days with my senior pastors. I now work with 2 of the best senior leaders in the country (love ya Ron and Chad) and there are days I drive them crazy and they drive me up a wall. It's very simple and every student pastor needs to here this...THAT'S NORMAL. Leaders who work as a team are going to rub each other wrong occasionally because they are leaders. Leaders always think their way works. That's why we lead. With that said, there are some thing your senior pastor needs from you. If you want a healthy relationship with your senior pastor you are going to have to work at it just like any other healthy relationship. Your senior pastor needs...

• Public Loyalty // Your pastor needs to know you can be trusted. Andy Stanley says that maintaining loyalty in public leads to greater leverage in private. Your senior pastor needs to know that when things are not going well you have their back!
• Commitment to the Church // Your senior pastor needs to know you are for the church not just the ministry you lead. As we fight for the health of the church our senior pastor can fight to advance the student ministry we lead. This is a partnership!
• Vision and Passion // Our senior pastors need us to lead and lead strong. When our senior leaders see us succeed they have the freedom to empower us and let us do our jobs. Our senior leaders have enough on their minds without having to worry about the direction of the student ministry. Lead, reach teens, partner with parents, and make disciples and your senior pastor will have tons to celebrate.
• Information // This is critical. Keep your senior pastor in the loop. Let them know where you are headed. Share your victories and your struggles. I have never met a senior pastor who enjoys being surprised with info they did not know. Keep them in the loop.