The Full Story

Evangelical Churches globally have a grand mission – to help people find and follow Jesus. This is the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to His church – to be His representatives and ambassadors in the communities they are placed in, to build up and strengthen believers, all while strategically going after the “One” (Luke 15). 

This mission is grand, and it is entrusted to very real humans! This year, 1/3 of all pastors across the country are either stepping down from their ministry roles or seriously considering it! This usually is because of shrinking attendance, inability to engage volunteers, and significant frustrations of Lead Pastors that have no one to confide in.  There exists a real tension in what is needed versus what can be afforded, and with a shrinking number of churches, it is harder each year to manage the needs of your members and guests.

The reason that means so much to me is because God has allowed me to be in full-time ministry at 5 different churches in high leadership roles.  Early on, I was constantly struggling with common church issues:

Staff teams…

• that were working hard to just keep their head above water every weekend.  

• that were not aligned and moving together in a strong staff culture.

• that were not stepping back and seeing how to further and better their ministry areas intentionally.  

• that were not getting helpful and positive feedback and coaching on how they can grow and excel!  

Volunteer teams…

• that were more duty driven instead of vision driven.

• that were not consistently trained and empowered.

• that felt they were there just to fill a needed position instead of being a part of a relational robust team…together.

• that did not have clearly defined volunteer leader roles to bring further opportunities for high-capacity volunteers.

Church cultures…

• that were constantly in need for more resources with no clear plan to increase generosity within the church membership.

• that were locked into a “inward” focus and not on the communities that God intentionally placed them.  Outreach into these communities was sporadic and traditions driven.

• that people were not intentionally challenged to look at their “sphere of influence” for who God wanted them to reach personally (Luke 15). 

Throughout my ministry, God started leading me to effective and proven solutions to these issues. Being an Executive Pastor allowed me to implement strategies to champion the development of infrastructure by all ministries and support areas that support the healthy, long-term growth of the church.  This is part of the role of a typical full-time Executive Pastor.

3 years ago, God led me into a discovery that changed my perspective of how a typical Executive Pastor role worked and how He wanted me to come along side several churches that did not currently have the growth or resources to afford an Executive Pastor position.  It all started with a commercial for a HR company.  It was specifically designed for small business that could not afford a full-time HR professional but could really use one.  It was the concept of a “fractional” HR professional that was accessible and affordable.  

Why can’t we use that model to help churches to crush their goals?  This grew my thinking that this approach could work in smaller churches that ordinarily could not afford an experienced, team building Executive Pastor which typically was reserved for much larger churches.  

Thus, RAMP UP – Executive Pastor Solutions was born!  In partnering with smaller churches across the United States, we have found that Lead Pastor’s typically do not need more church growth consultation, conferences, and books as much as they need someone who will invest and engage with them and their church in the mission and vision God has given them.