MINISTRY LEADER INTERVIEW
Submitted to Dr. Tyler Scarlett
CLED 325 - B01
By
Donald Boyd
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My Interviewee
The applicant for this assignment is a Senior Pastor of Bible Church, located in Western
Maryland. He pastors a congregation of approximately sixty or more individuals. Having been
married for over 45 years, his spouse passed a couple of years ago, and they have four children,
all over the age of twenty-five. My interviewee was ordained as a pastor some nine years ago and
is self-studied, serving as a deacon for over 20 years or more. He studied at Montgomery College
and retired from the US Government after 45 years of service.
The Interview
We begin our interview in a fairly setting with the intention me asking about twenty or so
questions on leadership. The first question asked, "Briefly describe your ministry, and what
makes it unique and appealing to you?" Quickly and without thought, he quoted scripture in the
book of Ephesians 4:12-13, adding, "His job or goal is to teach people and make them Christ-
like. There is nothing unique about it since I am simply fulfilling what scripture says," The
Senior Pastor further explained some people in the congregation would say, "when you hear the
Pastor preach, you hear nothing but what the bible says." This comment solidified what He felt
was the correct teaching of God's word.
Continuing the questioning, I asked, "Which ministry responsibility do you enjoy the
most? And Why?" He said he desired to "work with men because he wanted to see men
transform and educated to be better husbands, fathers, leaders, and church workers." I
commended him on his objective with men and stated, men were the catalyst to healthier families
as they are the head of the household (Eph. 5:23); he agreed. My next question is, “Which
ministry duty do you enjoy the least? And Why?” Without hesitation and much laughter, he
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proceeded to say, “the Children's ministry.” He touched on the fact that he didn't have the
presence of mind to deal with kids, elaborating, “I deal with maybe too many disciplines and
many laws and rules that identify with children.” Understanding his personality, I wanted to ask
him about raising his children; however, I felt another time and another place.
So, I inquired about how much time he spent in an average week in planning and
meetings. Mr. Brian thought for a moment and said, “twenty hours or so a week planning and
meetings with others.” Further questioning, I asked, describe the amount of time you spend in an
average week involved in practical ministry?... “roughly, about thirteen hours a week on
average,” he replied. And could you name some of those ministries you spent the majority of
your time on? Settling down, he said, most of the time was spent with the assistant pastor and
Church Staff, senior counsel to go over things with the church and how we could do church
better. Also, what could we do to educate the people in the church better, and what could we do
to get people into the church. He responded. The senior Pastor went on to say, “visiting people in
the congregation and neighborhood was included; however, a little less. The goal was growing
the people in the church and seeking to get people into the church.”
As the conversation continued, as asked, Describe the amount of time you spend in an
average week on personal devotions and prayer? He said, "About seven hours a week." And were
your devotionals directly from studying scripture or reading someone else's devotional?
Infatidicaly, he said, "my devotionals were more my own, reading and studying God's word
Himself." Wow, I said, your memory of scripture indeed shows in your teaching and preaching.
Please tell me, what is an area of ministry that you wish you had been taught about or
better trained for? He stated, “One, more practical application out of scripture. Simply, how to
be more inviting about getting more people into the church. How to make Christ attractive in
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getting people to attend church.” I am impressed; your learning style is slightly different from
some of the senior Pastor I know. And, how do you handle conflict within your ministry? He
said, after much thought, I had to figure out if it was me that was causing the issue. If it's with
someone else, he dealt with the source directly, and he said he never avoided addressing conflict
in the church.
So, thank you thus far for being so transparent. Now tell me, I said, What practical advice
would you give for strategic planning in ministry? Wow! He said as he gathered his thoughts.
“First, is the ministry necessary, and second, do we have the resources” were the two primary
resources to apply the ministry. He said, if you have resources, the ministry or church should be
able to thrive. He said he could not stress the resources being available as the key.
Pastor Brian, looking directly at him, will you describe how you balance ministry and family.
Speaking softly, he mentioned that his spouse had passed and said, “I sacrificed more family
over the ministry, but that was probably wrong. He addressed more of the church than his family,
and it was an unequal balance.” So, What are some of the challenges that ministry families
encounter? I exclaimed. He said, “keep in mind, my wife and I did ministries together. And the
challenges came from his wife trying to overstep her authority. Very carefully, I asked, How did
you address handling that type of challenge? “well,” he said, “some clarity needed to be made,
even though I am the husband, I was her Pastor, and his authority should not be undermined.”
What is some benefits or rewards that ministry family's encounter? I asked. “Learning to
work together and seeing ministries come and prosper together. We found out how to work
together and saw the fruits of learning that working together could and was prosperous.” And
what practical suggestions would you give to someone else in your position for maintaining your
marriage amid ministry? Probably, he said, “Having a clear-cut understanding of having
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decisions made as a husband and a pastor and having his wife know that even though she is a
Pastor's wife, she is also a congregant in the church. Being a Pastor, I understood or learned that I
could not allow the ministry to overcloud his wife or myself. Humility must be practiced in both
myself and my wife.” I thanked him again for being so candid and continued.
What practical suggestions would you give to someone else in your position about being
a parent in ministry? Sighing deeply, he said, "knowing the line between being their Pastor and
his kids being a congregant In the church. Children must understand they have no special
positions as a PK; however, as a Pastor, no due pressure should be assigned to them. Please,
explain how you handle ministry crises or unusual difficulties. What practical suggestions would
you give for someone facing a ministry emergency?
“First and foremost,” he said, “you have to follow the word of God; you see, it does not
cover what people say, do or react; God’s word addresses the issue and fulfills the solution.
Simple, seek scripture and, if using council, make sure it aligns itself with the Bible. Do what is
right as scripture is what is right.”
Personally and practical, if I see something wrong or is wrong, don't do it. If I have to
ask myself whether this is right or wrong, I don't do it because that's how the Holy Spirit rightly
and correctly speaks to us. I only have a few questions left, I said. So, tell me, How often do you
read and study the Bible? Is it a discipline or an emotional feeling to read the Bible?
He bulked, “Every day, it's a discipline I've taught myself. Outside of reading the Bible, can you
recommend a couple of books that have impacted your leadership skills over the years?
No, I don't read that many books. I'm not big on self-help books. I get my counseling from
scripture. Tell me, Pastor Brian, are you more geared toward Experiences or the Bible, and do
you use experiences to seek resolutions? He spoke more confidently, saying, “more of the Bible,
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and yes, I use experiences as long as they align themselves with the Bible. Experiences are great
because they are your testimonies. For example: if somebody tells me they were in a church
service, and someone put their hands on them, and they passed out, this does not mean it's a
biblical experience because you can't find that in the Bible. So experiences must align
themselves with God's word. Just because something is good does not make it Godly.”
As we concluded, I was reminded of Hughes saying, “before all things, even service to
God, we must love God with all of our hearts. It is the highest priority in life! It is the first
question for every theologian, every Pastor, and every missionary. It is the quintessential
question for everyone who wants to please God.”1
1 R. Kent Hughes and Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome (Wheaton, IL: Crossway
Books, 2008).
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Bibliography
Dockery, David S. Christian Leadership Essentials: A Handbook for Managing Christian
Organizations. B & H Academic, 2011.
Fernando, Ajith. The Family Life of a Christian Leader. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016.
Hughes, R. Kent, and Barbara Hughes. Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome.
Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008.
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