Coming Soon
Second Chair Leadership
A Field Guide for Executive Pastors Who Lead Without Being in Charge
What Nobody Told You
About the XP Role
A practical, honest, sometimes funny guide for anyone stepping into the Executive Pastor role, or wondering if they should.
Second Chair Leadership starts from a simple premise: the Executive Pastor role is one of the most important, and least understood, positions in the local church. The person in that seat makes or breaks the mission, shapes or fractures the culture, and either multiplies or limits the Senior Pastor's impact.
And yet almost no one is trained for it. Most Executive Pastors got there by accident, by promotion, or by someone saying "I think you'd be good at this", and then leaving them to figure it out alone.
This book is the guide I wished I had on day one. It covers the full arc of the role: understanding your relationship with the Senior Pastor, building a team culture, managing the budget without losing your soul, navigating conflict, handling the loneliness of the seat, and knowing when to speak up and when to hold your tongue.
It's not academic. It's not a leadership theory textbook. It's the real stuff, stories from the trenches, hard-won lessons, and the kind of honest conversation you'd only get over the course of a meal with someone who's been through it.
"I love Pastor Aaron Scarby."
Dr. James JordanBe the First to Know
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About Dr. James Jordan
Dr. James Jordan serves as Executive Pastor at a large church in Forney, Texas. A Texas A&M graduate and student of organizational leadership, he has spent over ten years in local church ministry with a particular passion for the second-chair role and the leaders who fill it.
He coaches Executive Pastors, consults with church search committees and Senior Pastors considering adding an Executive Pastor, and loves his local church, First Baptist Church Forney. He lives in Forney, Texas with his wife Chrissy and their three kids.