One of the things I have discovered in the church today is that pastors are being held accountable to be the visionary leader for the church. This is a necessary ingredient for any church or organization, but it puts a not so subtle pressure on the pastor to be a CEO rather than a shepherd.
Our first priority should always be the shepherd. I believe we are called pastor not president or chairman.
Lest any of us fall into the trap of minimizing our need to shepherd the flock let me remind you that we were created for community. God was not pleased with his creation accept in one area. "It wasn't good for man to be alone".
When pastors turn into CEO's they can slowly remove themselves from the community. Let me share a paragraph from John Ortberg's book on community.
"To live in and contribute to God's dream of community is the reason you were born. It is what you were created for. Neglect this, and it doesn't matter what else you do--how many pyramids you build, how impressive your resume--you are at cross-purposes with the Gulf Stream. Neglect this, and you will die a failure. Devote yourself to this one task, to loving "as-is people" and no matter what else you may not achieve, you will lead a a magnificent life.
While being a visionary leader is important let us remember that first we are shepherds, guarding and protecting the integrity of the flock so that no sheep is left behind including ourselves.
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