The Associate Pastor as Ministry Partner

Some of the most enriching times in seminary were around the lunch table with my ministry cohort. Our conversations ranged from theological minutiae to family life. And when graduation loomed on the horizon, our focus on calling and future ministry intensified, often flavored by anticipation and anxiety. Several aspired to be senior or solo pastors; others were preparing to be counselors or teachers. But amid the flurry of discussion, I don’t ever recall anyone saying: “I aspire to be in a support role someday,” or “I have a strong God-given aspiration to be in the second chair.” If anything, we all viewed the associate pastor as a transition role—a glorified ministry residency—to something better. 

It has now been over a decade since those lunchroom conversations. I am currently serving as an associate pastor for a church in Northeast Minneapolis, a church with a healthy leadership culture that fosters collaboration and a sense of ministry partnership. But in my earlier ministry years, I dreamed of the next ministry position, envisioning my role as preparation for the “real” pastoral ministry to follow. In hindsight, I couldn’t have been more misaligned from a biblical vision of pastoring. My current ministry context has revitalized my understanding of the associate pastor by affording the space for intentional, theological reflection on my role. An associate pastor must be anchored in the theology of partnership, be a good steward of God’s call, and have the posture of a dedicated servant.

1. Theology of Partnership

The church needs a more robust theology of ministry partnership. Never in seminary did I have a course devoted to the associate pastor position or on the essential foundation of ministry partnership. One is hard-pressed to find more than a dozen theologically informed books written with the associate pastor in mind. But the New Testament has much to say about ministry partnership. 

Throughout the New Testament, specifically the Pauline letters, there is a recurring theme of partnership (i.e., fellow workers) in gospel ministry. Read Romans 16, for example, and note Paul’s ministry relationships. I have counted at least 29 relationships within Paul’s network! Admittedly, Paul’s network is not a list of associate pastors—to suggest that would be anachronistic—but it does highlight the importance of ministry partnership. Even Paul needed relationships. 

One text that encapsulates a theology of partnership is 1 Corinthians 3:5–9. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes himself and Apollos as “God’s fellow workers (sunergoi)” (1 Cor. 3:9). This is striking as not only are Paul and Apollos partners in ministry, but they are also partners with God for the advancement of the gospel. Apollos and Paul played different roles. Paul “planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6). Rather than elevate his own role or the ministry of Apollos, Paul wanted the Corinthian church to think rightly about calling and ministry. Paul and Apollos played important roles, but each role ultimately cultivated the soil for God to bring gospel life. In this way, ministry partnership is both horizontal and vertical. The chorus of Paul and Apollos’s ministries ultimately spotlighted the life-transforming power of God’s gospel.

2. Good Stewards of God’s Call

Over cups of coffee at our regular breakfast restaurant, I shared with my discipleship group a struggle I face as an associate pastor: being called to a role that others see as an entry-level ministry position. I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that I am not the only associate pastor who has at times been tempted to see the role as either a lesser call or a step to something greater, more significant. But as I revisit the New Testament vision of ministry partnership, I am reminded that the calling of an associate is not a lesser calling; it is a different calling. Yes, the senior pastor bears a greater weight and burden, but the work of the associate pastor is vital. 

The work of an associate pastor is unique and varies by denomination, church size, job description, and specialization. Some associates are specialists, bringing expertise to one ministry area. For instance, some are skilled practitioners in the areas of pastoral care or youth ministry. Others excel in adult education and equipping others for service. Others are generalists, serving in a variety of ways, including preaching, teaching, and care, to name a few (Martin E. Hawkins, The Associate Pastor: Second Chair, Not Second Best, 56, 74). I have served in both types of roles. Both models have their place and often depend on the pastor’s gifting and/or the needs of the church. Regardless of the type of role, associates must be good stewards. To borrow Peter’s words, associate pastors should be “good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pet. 4:10). To be a good steward of the grace of God results in the flourishing and fruitfulness of the church, for the purpose “that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 4:11).

3. The Posture of the Associate

At one of our recent elder meetings, a fellow elder likened the associate pastor to a domestique. I’ll be honest, at first I had no idea what he was talking about, but as he explained, the analogy was fitting. In professional cycling, the domestique (French for servant) is resolutely focused on the success of the team. He or she may ride out in front so that the strongest riders can draft, reserving their energy for the big climb or the final sprint. As the French term suggests, it truly is the servant role on the team.

The associate pastor, like a domestique, serves the church for the sake of the advancement of the gospel and the glory of Christ. He must be okay with a background role and a lack of recognition. The role itself is a reminder that another is the Chief Shepherd, Christ himself (1 Pet. 5:4). In 2 Corinthians 4:5, Paul says, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake.” Three ideas are worth noting here. First, Paul acknowledges ministry partnership (notice the plural language). Second, the focus is on proclaiming Jesus as Lord—Paul is Christologically focused. Finally, Paul identifies himself and his ministry associates as servants. Associate pastors—like any other ministry worker—must take the posture of a servant. 

So, if you are an associate pastor and you are questioning your call, let me encourage you to stay the course. You are a ministry partner—a vital role—on your ministry team. Because of this, your calling is not a lesser calling, but a different calling. So, don’t ever view your position as just en route to a different position. Even if God is calling you to be a solo or senior pastor one day, being in a support role is a vital position that God can use for the health of the church. Finally, look to the Chief Shepherd, the ultimate Servant, and remember that regardless of your status, you are to proclaim not yourself, but Jesus as Lord (2 Cor 4:5).