“Pick your battles.” This phrase is commonly given to new pastors because there are battles aplenty to be fought.
Young pastor, as you settle into the ministry, you will likely identify an array of things you desire to change, from the weighty to the trivial: changing bylaws, updating the sanctuary lighting, hiring (or firing) a staff member, reviewing the membership rolls, reformatting the bulletin, introducing new songs, repainting the offices, overhauling the children’s curriculum. What a list!
Common sense tells you that you can’t address all those issues immediately. You lack the time, expertise, institutional knowledge, and, perhaps most importantly, the relational capital to tackle everything everywhere all at once. Generals avoid wars on multiple fronts, and wise pastors should know how to pick their battles carefully.
But which battles should you pick? How do you prioritize change? Why should you renovate this but wait on that? These are questions I’m currently wrestling through. Though I have been a senior pastor for over 26 years, I’m now in my third congregation, and I’m in yet another initial five-year window. In all three churches, I’ve learned that wisely picking battles depends on many factors. An easy win for a pastor in
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