When Is It Time to Hire an Executive Pastor? Probably Earlier Than You Think
One of the questions we hear all the time is this.
When is the right time to hire an Executive Pastor?
Most leaders are hoping for a clean answer. A number. A milestone. Something like, “Once you hit this size, then it makes sense.”
But in reality, the decision is rarely that neat.
It’s less about numbers and more about strain
Over the years, we’ve seen churches hire an Executive Pastor at all different stages. Some at a few hundred people. Some much later. Some earlier than they expected.
What usually triggers the conversation isn’t attendance or budget. It’s strain.
The lead pastor feels pulled in too many directions. Important things are falling through the cracks. Decisions are stacking up faster than they can be made. Energy is being spent managing instead of leading.
That’s often the signal, not the spreadsheet.
The role itself can be confusing
Part of what makes this hard is that the Executive Pastor role can look very different depending on the church.
Some churches need a strong executive presence. Someone who loves systems, operations, finance, and problem-solving. Others need someone who leans more pastoral. A leader who can shepherd staff, develop leaders, and carry a lot of relational and ministry weight.
Both can be called Executive Pastor, but they are very different jobs.
When churches skip this clarity step, they often end up frustrated, not because the person is wrong, but because the role was unclear.
Don’t overlook creative options
Another thing we encourage leaders to consider is this: hiring an Executive Pastor doesn’t mean doing everything in-house.
There are more options now than ever for outsourcing things like finance, HR, IT, legal support, and even strategic planning.
Sometimes the right move isn’t adding another full-time leader. It’s removing work that drains your energy and outsourcing it to people who do it better and faster.
It’s not just about saving money. It’s about focusing leadership energy where it matters most.
A simple exercise that often helps
Here’s an exercise we’ve seen bring a lot of clarity.
Make a list of everything you’re responsible for. Then loosely sort it into three buckets. Lower-level tasks, mid-level tasks, and high-level leadership work.
If most of your time is being spent in the first bucket, that’s not a discipline problem. It’s a structure problem.
And structure can be changed.
A few questions to reflect on
What kind of Executive Pastor would actually help us right now?
Where are we compensating for missing roles with exhaustion?
What could be outsourced instead of added to someone’s plate?
What work truly requires my leadership, and what doesn’t?
You don’t need perfect answers to move forward. You just need honesty.
More on Executive Pastor Leadership
This post comes from a broader conversation on Season 3 of the LeadingSmart Podcast, where we unpack the Executive Pastor role, explore different models, and talk honestly about outsourcing and leadership capacity.
You can listen to this episode and the rest of Season 3 here.