A Plurality of Leadership

At LifePointe, we operate with a Plurality of Leadership. This means we do not have a traditional Lead Pastor or Senior Pastor; instead, we operate with a plurality of Elders responsible for leading the church. No single elder is elevated in authority as head over the other elders or over the church; each elder has an equal vote and voice in decisions.  Some are lay elders, and some are staff elders.

The staff elders are known as the Pastoral Leadership Team and are appointed to lead in the areas they are gifted, being recognized as the “first among equals” in these specific areas. The typical responsibilities of a Lead or Senior Pastor are shared by the Pastoral Leadership Team as they serve together within their gifting. We have operated in this manner since 2016, formally adopting the model in 2017 after an extensive study by the elder board and vote by the congregation. While we believe there is nothing wrong with a Lead Pastor model, we have found the Plurality model helpful to our particular church in bringing stability and unity around a shared vision that has been developed collaboratively, and does not rest with one particular person.