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    Church Pink Slips

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    Here a bit more from the article, which I found interesting:

    But in tough times, should the church or ministry reciprocate that dedication to the cause by keeping staff employed?

    “A ministry’s mission is not to employ people; it is to serve a cause or constituency,” said Jim West, managing partner of the Orange County, California-based Barnabas Group, an organization for Christian leaders.

    The church’s mission must be to introduce people to Jesus in such a way that the entire community is changed, said Tim Stevens, [the executive pastor at Granger Community Church]. That can’t happen, he said, if the church loses its integrity by failing to pay its bills.

    “It will be a sad day when the mission of the church is reduced to keeping people employed,” added the executive pastor, whose congregation gave laid-off staff members three months of severance and benefits and hired a career transition coach to help them find jobs.

    What do you think?  You can read the whole article here...

    Is your church laying people off?

    Have YOU been laid off?


    According to an article at Christianity Today, twenty percent of 800 church leaders who responded to an online survey by the Texas-based National Association of Church Business Administration reported in February that they had laid off staff. Complicating the issue for the laid off church employees is the fact that most churches do not pay unemployment taxes, which means that many unemployed church workers to not qualify for unemployment...

    Comments

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    1. wendi on Thu, April 16, 2009

      My past church laid me off giving me the reason totally because of the “economy”. No severance and no unemployment after 5 years of service there (an additional 15 elsewhere) and after moving us cross country. Getting laid off stinks, but being told to not to attend there anymore in that “house of God” was absolutely stupid. What really hurt was we could afford the house we bought at the time (very affordable), but with almost 18% unemployment in the area there, and not able to find work locally in time, we lost our house as well. I’m somewhat amazed they didn’t offer to go fulltime to parttime (which would have worked), or everyone on staff considering a slight paycut. Instead, as soon as I left the Sr Pastor increased his salary by $30k. Go figure….my town is not the only area affected either. My story is too common righ now in these times.


      btw, the same church now is in serious debt and more staff are on the chopping block. I don’t blame it on the economy. I blame it on irresponsible people making poor decisions. Worldview calls is greed. Godview calls is non-accountability.


      *note - We’re now being considered by a number of churches out of state. God always seems to work things out, doesn’t He? That trust thing works people!

    2. russell kilbane on Thu, April 16, 2009

      My heart goes out to every servant of God who has to go through the transition back to uncompensated ministry. I know it must be hard and seems like a step backward. But on the other hand, I suggest that from a “20 stories up” point of view the shift of ministers out from the ivory towers of churchdome to the harvest fields of the Kingdom is a good thing. The pastors quoted above are right. We need to ask ourselves some serious questions about how and whom we are serving when we start using career lingo to describe the call of God to serve His people.


      Is it just me or does anyone else think the pattern of ministry regarding compensation was based on corperate capabilies in the NT. The apostle Paul who in 1 Ti 5:17 emphasizes the worthiness of elders for compensation is the same one who instructs the Ephesian elders that giving is better than receiving in Acts 20:35.


      The defining question is, “in light of what a church is capable of, what would bring God the most glory in this situation?”

    3. Pastor Chris on Thu, April 16, 2009

      What do I think?  I think that churches that do not pay into unemployment are being penny-wise and pound foolish.  It’s hard enough for a church which is “supposed” to care for people to lay off staff without the added burden of not having provided a safety net for them.

    4. Todd Stafford on Thu, April 16, 2009

      I was laid off a year ago.  I’m driving school bus full time (42 to 50 hours a week) and still serving 20 to 30 hours a week at the church. It stinks, but I know God called me to be a part of this body, and as long as I can pull it off, I’ll continue to serve.

    5. Bill Reichart on Thu, April 16, 2009

      Yep, I got laid off in November.  The church helped with 4 months of severance/with full benefits and gave me a 30 day notice leading up to the day of termination…so I can’t complain, the church and leadership treated me with honor and cared for my family.


      But I did learn a lot about facing transition.  Yes, it was an eye opener for me and for the church, when I found out that I wouldn’t be eligible for unemployment benefits.  Also, the big challenge for people in the church world, is that it takes longer to find another position within a church.  Churches usually take longer in their hiring process.


      Also, the other issue when let go from a church is that it isn’t like losing just another job.  If I was in the marketplace, except for feeling the loss of income, my family wouldn’t feel deeply or be deeply impacted if I moved from one employer to another.  But in a church, especially having been a pastor, my whole family was a part of where I “worked”.  My wife was involved in ministry and serving.  My kids were involved in the youth ministry…in a church it isn’t about just cleaning out an office - it affects the family because the family is integrated in the church.  One’s work and family are significantly integrated.


      These are tough times, and I have had other minister friends loose their jobs as well.  I have learned a lot of new skills during this transition and I also now experience a deep compassion for many of my neighbors and friends going through this as well.


      The good news for me is that God provided a ministry opportunity starting the very next day my severance ended…and I’ve been able to see God’s hand in it all…believing that God had to dynamite and launch me out of my asst, pastor ministry position in order to lead and place me in this new opportunity - which is a great opportunity.


      But I could have never discovered this new opportunity that God wanted for me unless I was laid off.

    6. Billy Cox on Fri, April 17, 2009

      The church I attend recently laid off three staff, one full-time and two at various levels of part-time. Bad economy, yes…but the severance pay had barely stopped flowing when the church hired a new full-time staff pastor.


      It was a very thin whitewash over the fact that the laid off staff were either under-performing or the job had changed and they had not.


      Perhaps it is relevant to point out that all three laid-off staff members are now employed, but not in a local church.

    7. Brian Brunke on Mon, April 20, 2009

      I was let go by a church that had hired me to help them with a church plant. My family had relocated and we bought a house believing that we were going to be serving here for a long time. After six months I was told it was over! It was been very hard trying to move on because I cannot find work doing anything else! I have an advanced business degree but still cannot even get an interview. I have filed for unemployment and I am awaiting word about receiving it. The comment about churches not paying into the system is valid and it is not necessarily their fault as church are non profit and tax exempt. I know that God is faithful and I am trusting him to provide. It is just a hard pill to swallow when all of your education and experience has gone toward serving in ministry and those skills do not translate well into the workplace. Employers I believe are reluctant to a hire a former pastor for fear that they would leave if offered a chance to re enter full time ministry…any comments about this challenge?

    8. michael on Tue, April 21, 2009

      Brian,


      Be faithful to God.  Every moment every day.  Pray, read, serve, listen for his voice in every moment. 


      Last January(2008) the church plant I had been working in for a year and a half, that I had moved for, to lead worship and the student ministry, they hired a new senior pastor.  We had started this church from 6 people and in a year and a half had grown it over 150 with a student ministry over 50.  When the new pastor came, he was from that area and had people in mind that he wanted to take over my jobs, so I was let go.  By the way, that was 3 months before my wedding day. 


      I took on every odd job I could find.  I was waiting tables, doing construction, being a roadie for different friends bands, just trying to make ends meet.  My going to be wife and I finally opened up our options to going anywhere that God wanted us to go.  I know that sounds silly, but we finally came to the place where we realized we hadn’t told God we were willing to go anywhere. 


      That week we got a call from a pastor 12 hours away in Houston, TX.  He wanted us to fly to Houston for a meet and greet with the people he was planting a church with.  It was a church of a different denomination than us, but we were willing to go.  By the end of the weekend we were in love with the people and Houston.  The church had signifigant funding through a denominational gift, and they offered us over 3 times the money we were making in the last place.  A month later we were there living, working and felt like we were exactly where we were supposed to be…


      Then 3 months later…


      The pastor came in, said he didn’t think he had what it took to make the church go and that it would be closing down.  The denomination was taking their money back and that we would be getting a check to get by, but basically “sorry, have a good life”…  We were devastated.  We had just known this was the place for us.  We loved the big city, we were 45 minutes from the beach, had season tickets to the Astros, we were living the dream. 


      Once again we began to pray.  Once again, we told God, “wherever You want us to go”… 


      That week the phone rang agan.  This time from a church an hour from where I grew up.  An hour from where my family and friends all still live.  A large established church on the cutting-edge of everything.  Wanting us to come for a visit.  We packed our bags that day.  A week later we started at this new church in a beautiful community, making the same money as in Houston but with way less cost of living and it has been the best 8 months of my life. 


      God took us on quite a ride.  We never knew where we were going, what was going to happen or how it was going to happen, but when we REALLY openned up to Him and going anywhere He would have us go, He sent us to the best place for us, and then to an even better than the best place for us.  It made it really hard sometimes with this being our first year of marriage and all, but it has taught us that in ALL things, be faithful.


      I really hope this helps friend.


      -michael

    9. Matthew Rathbun on Sun, April 26, 2009

      I’m a church administrator, who is not paid.  I run a few ministries and preach regularly.  All this on top of doing the finances and working my own career and raising a family.


      If the church family participated and invested themselves as they should, we wouldn’t need as many staffers are much churchs have.


      Alas, there is a need, because Christians aren’t doing what they should…


      in the time of plenty the church that planted my current church hired many folks and also began paying pastors at other church plants.  When the Economy changed they had to terminate some of the staffers and cut back on a few ministries.  Our senior pastor is now working 2 jobs in addition to working for the church because our current tithes aren’t enough to meet his salary needs.


      I think this is all the result of three issues:


      1.  Churchs are too quick to pay someone to do what volunteers should be doing, but grumble about.


      2.  The Church needs to be ran from a position of wisdom - when times are good; don’t overstaff because you can.


      3.  If church members actually really tithed, there would be a lot less of terminations.

    10. Billy Cox on Sun, April 26, 2009

      “1.  Churchs are too quick to pay someone to do what volunteers should be doing, but grumble about.”


      More accurately, churches are too quick to try and spend their way into ministry effectiveness, whether it’s payroll or buildings.


      “2.  The Church needs to be ran from a position of wisdom - when times are good; don’t overstaff because you can.”


      In my denomination (Nazarene), the staff are hired/fired at the sole discretion of the pastor…in consultation with the church board, which means it’s an up-down vote.  At least in our case, we defer to the wisdom of one person for most hiring.


      “3.  If church members actually really tithed, there would be a lot less of terminations.”


      Oh, wow I wish you could see my eyes rolling!  If the church members actually tithed, the church would still be broke in bad times because they are accustomed to spending everything that comes in. So consistent tithing would simply lead to bigger payrolls and nicer buildings…followed by layoffs when the business cycle is in the toilet.

    11. Matthew Rathbun on Sun, April 26, 2009

      Billy,


      I re-read your previous comments.  I’m sorry that your church terminated staff to reallocate funds.  The stories of I hear from people that have been hurt by church decisions typically involve lack of trust in financial issues.  It’s far too common.


      My three points are all well rotted in scriptures.  A tithing church is not the only factor, wisdom and volunteers contributing to the Body are all factors that have to be exercised fairly. 


      Here’s the thing, it’s my obligation to submit to my family to the church God directs me to.  It’s my obligation to obey scriptures and tithe.  If the church mishandles the funds; they will have to answer to Christ for it.


      I understand your pain, but not all churches mishandle funds.  Our previous and current churches have elders with extensive business experience and have done as well as can be expected with limited terminations.

    12. Billy Cox on Sun, April 26, 2009

      “My three points are all well rooted in scriptures.  A tithing church is not the only factor, wisdom and volunteers contributing to the Body are all factors that have to be exercised fairly. “


      Thankfully, I was not on staff, so my financial exposure was nil.


      Staff pastors are *supposed* to catalyze volunteer ministry, not pick up the slack left by a under-involved laypeople. More often than not, they find it’s easier just to *do* the ministry because volunteers are unreliable and the show must go on.

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    14. Sofortkredit on Wed, July 15, 2009

      Making the predicament more difficult is that the Granger congregation, like most churches and many nonprofit ministries nationwide, does not pay unemployment taxes. The exemption for these religious organizations means that laid-off staff generally do not qualify for unemployment benefits.

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