Description
This study is focused on how a pastor positions oneself at the onset of his new charge in order to better his or her chances of being a successful and fulfilled pastor. Bishop John Richard Bryant, Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and once pastor of a multi-thousand member church in Baltimore, Maryland, shared these words with me. When asked, “How do you continue to grow when you find yourself plateauing or hitting a glass ceiling?” he responded, “I had to constantly reinvent myself.” He did not say he reinvented the church, as many of us attempt to do. He said that we must reinvent ourselves. Though this study is written with a focus on the first year of ministry in an existing congregation, the principles and insights shared here can be informative, transformative and just as effective for any church leader who is at a place where they are ready to reinvent themself.
