Communication and the Church
An Interview with Pastor John Fiscus on the importance of communication between pastors and churches.
During an interview, Pastor John Fiscus highlighted a key facet of church communication: Authentic relationships between pastors. Pastoring a church can be a hard job. Church leaders are often a first point of contact during seasons of difficulty in the lives of congregants and within the church body. As he spoke, John underscored the responsibility and subsequent “heaviness” that often accompanies being a pastor. “Good pastors,” Fiscus says “Carry the weights and worries of their sheep.”
In reflecting on the difficulties that come with positions of leadership, Pastor John emphasized the critical role that the Grow Network plays in providing a “safe place” for pastors to gather and express themselves amongst other pastors. “We understand as peers the pressures that pastors face” John said.
“Good pastors carry the weight and worries of their sheep.”
According to Pastor John, this is why having authentic relationships with other pastors is so important. “As pastors, we need connections that help us to keep things 100% honest and 100% real.” Fostering healthy relationships and connections from one pastor to the next can help church leaders walk through trials together.
From left to right: Ryan Hall, Ty Davis, Jeff Atherton, John Fiscus, Brett Dood, Phil Krygsheld
“The churches themselves glean from one another, they need to be resourcing one another with their strengths” Fiscus says. But in order for such resourcing to happen, bonds between church leaders must be cultivated, must be invested in. In other words, authentic connections between pastors is reciprocal. Fostering good relationships amongst leadership feeds into good relationships between churches. Authentic connections are the key.
Nearing the end of the interview, when commenting on the importance of strong bonds between churches, John emphasized that “The Grow Network is called the Grow Network because it grows when the churches grow.”
In this vein of thought, Grow Network is excited for its upcoming Gathering this September. It is our hope that this time of sabbath will help to strengthen the authentic relationships between our leaders and in doing so, sow into the connections between Grow Network churches.