The Best Begins After Year Five

Todd Rhoades posted thoughts on the necessity for longevity in the pastorate.

• I’ve heard that it takes somewhere between 6-8 years in most churches for pastors really to be considered the real ‘pastor’ of a church.
• That means 6-8 years before the majority of folk accept you. 6-8 years before many people begin to respect you. 6-8 years before you’re really able to make some of the changes that it takes to move your church forward.
• But most pastors don’t make it 6-8 years.

Read the article at http://toddrhoades.com/how-long-does-it-take-until-youre-really-the-pastor/. 

This tells me longevity is essential.  It tells me there's a reason people wait 6-8 years before "letting" me be the pastor.  It tells me I'd better build relationships during the first 5 years.  It tells me the title "pastor" is earned, not given.  It tells me today matters if I want to make it to year 6.