The Church has always faced change. Its capacity of adaptation to circumstances helped it bloom or fade away. Church models have been modified; roles morphed also.
Inexistent 15 years ago out of megachurches, the XP role is now so important that it is one of the fastest-growing Christian job searches on ChurchStaffing. READ IT HERE or HERE ON CHRISTIANJOBS.
Before you actually look at the important qualities of an excellent XP, take this time to make a distinction between 2 roles that are often considered as one: the business administrator (Chief Financial Officer or Chief Operation Officer) and the XP. In many churches, the two become one!
A CFO will usually oversee church finances, buildings and acquisitions, the Information & Technology department, and some Human Resources. The Senior Pastor of the church may delegate some specific projects to that person. The main focus of the role is the business side of the Church.
Renowned XPs like DAN REILAND and TIM STEVENS state that the XP is more of a people developer. The person would lead more like a Chief of Staff (COS) than a CFO. He (or she) will lead the staff culture and make sure people will be developed by creating systems and processes that will promote growth, accountability and continual improvement. He is the Chief implementer of the church’s ministries.
One is business-oriented and the other one is ministry-aligned. One is finance-product bent, the other is people-process centered. Note that the two roles are not in opposition but more in collaboration. Both roles are absolutely necessary. Perhaps one person can fill both parts. For sure, it is not impossible. Most XPs will have a more natural bend towards one or the other side of that continuum. After all, perfect balance is hard to find.
1. The XP is able to pastor
The title of the XP mentions “pastor”. The expectation is then that the person can handle a pastoral role. The role requires real spiritual leadership over staff, leading and caring for people who minister in a vocational way. Staff not only want to be lead and directed, but they also desire to be nurtured and cared for. When Peter urges church leaders, he is “writing to encourage you… Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care. Do it willingly in order to please God” (1 Peter 5:1-2 CEV). An XP is a church leader.
2. The XP is a translator
One reason the XP is so useful to the church is his savvy in business matters. Many have studied to get an MBA or have a business background, which certainly benefits the church, on the corporate side at least. State and national regulations, land acquisitions, building upkeep plus all the payroll laws are often part of the XP’s expertise. Yet, a church is not a business, it’s an organism not only an organization. It exists to bring people to the knowledge of Christ. It is the Body of Christ not the Core of Shareholders. The difference between a great and an excellent XP is that he understands the uniqueness of both sides. In this sense, he is a translator: he can speak both languages in both settings.
3. The XP is a people developer
The XP has the drive to be a people grower. Though he is possibly geared to create systems and processes, he innately understands those are meant to support and develop people, their abilities, and their character. This capacity allows the XP to evaluate his own systems, adapting them to build a path of staff development “to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12 NIV).
4. The XP is a recruiter
Since the church is all about developing, the XP will be able to say, like Paul “We use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature. This is why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me”. (Colossians 1:28-29 CEV). That “superpower” captivates a great XP to find, look for and discover willing people so he can place them in an area where they will bring blessing to the church.
5. The XP is the CCO.
He is the Chief Culture Officer. Culture is not something you write on walls or in a booklet. Culture is HOW you live those sentences, those slogans. The XP is in charge of making sure the culture, the way the church lives out its values, is aligned with biblical accuracy and behavioral competency. How the XP reacts in the midst of chaos and behaves in the normal state of affairs is the thermometer of the culture. This is also why he supervises the onboarding of new employees; he wants to set up adequately the cultural expectations.
6. The XP complements perfectly the Senior Pastor
The best XP has no desire to be the #1 guy, the lead pastor. On the contrary, he wants to partner with the Senior Pastor. The fact of the matter is that he is the perfect example of submission to authority. The XP will bring practical and applicable ways to live out the creative vision of the pastor. This relationship is possibly the most important one on staff because the XP should have all the needed trust from the Lead pastor. The XP’s desire is to actually let the #1 leader be the #1 leader. He is content being #2.
7. The XP is a solution orienteer
Vision casting is a creative process, application is a practical one. A great XP will bring vision into reality as he will find solutions-oriented in that direction. A problem will become a steppingstone, a hurdle will be a new way to jump. His role is to innovate and create new solutions, improve and approve graceful ways to say “yes” and “no” to people and projects. He is a definite problem-solver.
8. The XP is a master delegator
While the XP doesn’t have to be able to fill every possible role within the staff, he should know enough to make each ministry function better. Such knowledge and wisdom are priceless. The XP should NOT fulfill any of these roles yet be able to delegate all the necessary authority and resources to each ministry for them to grow.
9. The XP is an integrator
Besides all the staff that the XP wants to integrate into the team, he has integrated for himself character traits that are often missing in some leaders. Things like integrity, a burning love for God AND people, an unwavering passion for excellence. He is not only about competency, talent, and drive. A blameless life above reproach like Paul asks of church leaders (1 Timothy 3:2) is an integrated part of who he is.
So how do you find an excellent XP?
First off, determine if you need a business administrator or an executive pastor. Determine what you actually need and want before who could fit in such a role.
Secondly, check out candidates on WWW.CHURCHSTAFFING.COM. There are thousands of available, competence-driven, and character-tested men and women of God.
Match your needs with a candidate that could fit in your church. Not everyone will fit your needs and competencies vary to some degree with people.
You can hire church staffing companies, church consultants or ask your fellowship/denomination to help you in the process.
If you can’t find the perfect balance in one person, a good idea could be that you have two different XPs: XP of operations and XP of ministries. If the budget doesn’t allow you to hire two people, choose the most competent one in his field and delegate the other responsibility to the most gifted staff, elder or deacon.
It can be a daunting task to find the needed qualities in one XP but as Paul declared it so well, when we are weak, Christ is our strength (1 Corinthians 12:10) and “Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you’re to be” (2 Thessalonians 1:2). You will have to figure things out for yourself, but with this road map, you will succeed.
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