Many ministers resemble ineffective football teams—they go “3 and out.” Moving becomes a way of life until a minister receives “frequent mover” miles from U-Haul.

How do you build a ministry that allows you turn dozens of yearly calendar pages? I know of no one better than Robert K. Oglesby, Sr. He has been preaching for 57 years with forty-eight of those as the preacher for the Waterview Church of Christ in Richardson. Few (if any) can say almost a decade later that they are the only preacher a church has had.

He can.

What are the traits that let you minster to a congregation—year…after year…after year? Here’s his list:

  1. A Good Example–Followers are impressed if you are doing what you ask them to do.
  2. Authenticity–People want someone who is “real”, because they eventually see through “fakes”.
  3. Vision–The leader must dream and see ahead of the group to things that don’t yet exist, but need to.
  4. Articulate–The vision won’t matter unless the leader can articulate and describe the vision so that all can see it (Example Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech).
  5. Consensus Builder –The “lone wolf’ cannot make it far. He must discreetly be able to persuade the group that he is leading them the correct way. (This involves a healthy dose of “group dynamic” experience.)
  6. A Truth-seeker–His real motive must be to find what’s really true about a text or a church situation, in spite of his own bias.
  7. Listener–So many leaders talk, but don’t really listen to what people are saying to them. (A leader loses contact quickly in such situations.)
  8. Inspirational–He has to have some “charisma” in order to inspire people to do what needs to be done, even if it’s a difficult, distasteful task.
  9. Diplomatic–Kind words are best. Never should a leader deliberately be unkind.
  10. Receptive–If someone else’s idea is better than yours, by all means, accept it and change.

If you want longevity in the pulpit and strength in a church, embrace the idea of becoming a better person rather than moving to a different church.

Robert G. Taylor