Conflict? Ask Ken: When and How Should I Fire a Church Staff Member (Part 2)
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Thu, January 13, 2005
- Viewed 116
- (16) comments so far
From the Lone Star State
Dear Pastor (and to all who responded last week),
There was a significant response to this posting from both sides of the equation, those who have terminated and those who have been terminated.
It was suggested that the problem lies in the hiring process. If a church gets that right, termination for performance issues would not be such an issue. This may be true. Nevertheless, who hasn?t experienced a deacon, elder, or staff member that we thought would be a perfect fit only to find out later, sometimes years later, that such is not the case. No matter how good the screening process, sometimes you just don?t know until the reality of the situation unfolds.
Hence, I concluded my remarks from last week by referring to a ?performance improvement plan? (PIP). Others as well made reference to it. This week my goal is to provide the substance of a typical PIP. Keep in mind, the underlying philosophy behind it is to build up, not to tear down. It is designed to provide staff members the opportunity to make improvements and meet the requirements of the job before dismissal is seriously considered. This approach fits very well with the church?s relational orientation.
A performance improvement plan typically has five components. It should be ?SMART.? That is to say, it should be:
S PECIFIC
Review the staff member?s overall job responsibilities. After highlighting the staff member?s strengths and contribution to the church, discuss the specific areas where performance is deficient. Discuss how vital this area is in relationship to his or her overall responsibilities. The more critical, the clearer the communication has to be about the need to address it.
M EASUREABLE
Once the area(s) for improvement have been identified, the next question is, ?what criteria or measures will be used to determine ?improvement??? Make the answer to this question as concrete as possible.
A TTAINABLE
Are the improvement goals reasonable, and therefore, attainable? (This also applies to the job description itself). List the specific steps needed to be taken to fulfill that particular job requirement. What resources, assistance, mentoring, ongoing training, etc. will be available to increase the likelihood of success? Russell Reed (January 7, 2005 12:39 AM), wrote, ?the secular world spends countless resources for training, where as in the church we feel that once we hire someone to do a job, that this is the end of the process. Training on a continuous basis will [KN: often] eliminate the need to dismiss someone who in the eyes of the congregation has become an important and vital member of the family and the staff . . . . Hopefully after we invest properly in the lives of our staff members, we will see God bring forth a marvelous return.?
R ELEVANT
If more than one area of improvement is needed, which one holds greater relevance? The areas targeted for improvement should be prioritized according to importance.
T IME-BOUND
What is the timeframe for each of the targeted improvements to be made? Are there incremental steps and target dates that need to be attained within the overall timeframe?
Periodic feedback to the staff member on how he or she is doing should be provided by the supervisor prior to the final evaluation date. When the official evaluation takes place, make a determination if the staff member met, exceeded, or failed to meet expectations.
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One of the emails I received last week asked if elders would be overstepping their bounds to hold the senior pastor accountable not only for any issues relating to sin, but for job performance. It is my view that performance improvement plans apply not only to staff but to the senior pastor as well.
In terms of reducing conflict and angst that results in dismissing a staff member, having an objective basis for doing so, something which a PIP provides, will go a long way in reducing the fall-out that often occurs.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT YOUR NEXT MINISTRY POSITION
Before you accept a new ministry position, you ought to find out if the church has a PIP process in place. If not, negotiating the establishment of one may be a good idea. This can then provide you the additional assurance that should there be shortcomings or complaints about your ministry (real or imagined), you will have time to address them instead of, possibly, simply getting the boot. Though his last words may be true, ?if they want to get rid of you...they are going to get rid of you!?, C. Edwards? painful experience (January 10, 2005 04:54 PM) demonstrates why you should ask the church to commit to the establishment of a PIP process in advance of your taking a position. Their response may be very telling.
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Before I close, I want to bring to your attention two notable suggestions made last week for your consideration.
On Having the Staff Member Voluntarily Resign (?Self-Selecting Out?)
Greg Fell (January 6, 2005 09:58 AM), a senior pastor of 23 years, and now a district superintendent, shared a practice that has served him well. He wrote, I have found it is better to have a staff member "self select out" than to fire them. I have faced this several times, and it has worked in all cases but one.? Reduced to one of its basic cores, the idea is to close one performance evaluation with the question, "what do you hope to accomplish in the next ?x? number of months? and begin the next evaluation session with the question, "what do you consider to be your most significant accomplishments in the past ?x? number of months.? Pastor Fell writes, ?after missing on a specified area two or three times in a row, a staff member would realize on their own that they were not living up to the expectations of the job. They would be looking and usually resign before the third time, self selecting out.? (Read his remarks in full). Dave M. (January 6, 2005 08:01 PM) sees potential problems with this approach if the expectations are unrealistic or arbitrary. (This of course would be true of any PIP conducted in such a fashion).
Including the Spouse
The practice by Pastor Steve Phillips (Jan. 6, 2005 02:30 PM) to invite the spouse of the staff member in the discussion on performance improvement is an outstanding one. Such inclusion makes a lot of sense. (See his remarks in full). Pastor Phillips observed, ?vocational ministry is a family affair, despite the fact that spouses are not on the payroll. Bringing them into the picture can save the church and everyone involved a whole lot of misunderstanding and pain.? Though JA has reason to disagree with this idea (January 7, 2005 12:40 PM), Dennis Logie (January 6, 2005 05:50 PM) provided a good supporting example demonstrating the value of this approach in helping the staff member in question really improve performance.
In closing, it is a truism to state that there are no perfect churches, no perfect pastors, staff members, board members, or church members. Therefore, as James Gill (January 6, 2005 10:03 AM) well reminds us, ?I really think the first question to ask is, how would I like to be treated if my job was in question. I think if you can answer that question honestly, then you will do the right thing.?
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Ken Newberger, an experienced church conflict resolution specialist,
earned his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, has ten years senior
pastoral experience, and is in the dissertation phase for his Ph.D. in
Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University, one
of only two accredited doctoral programs of its kind in the United
States. If your church needs individualized help, please visit Ken's website or call 301-253-8877.
To submit a question and connect with Ken, click here.
? 2004 Kenneth C. Newberger
QUESTION: What do you think? Let's hear your comments and perspective again this week!
Today, we’ll continue with our subject on church firings… here’s the question once again: Dear Ken, I am the senior pastor of a church that averages between 150 ? 200 for Sunday morning worship. I have a number of questions relating to letting another staff member go. Here they are: When is it OK to fire a ministerial staff member? What role should the pastor have? What can/should he do to make sure that person is treated fairly even in termination?
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Michael Lund on Sun, May 07, 2006
I am an elder facing the possible termination of our associate minister. The issues are two fold. One there is a personality conflict between the senior minister and the associate that we the elders cannot seem to rectify, we have tried various avenues for almost a year now with out success. The second is that we find our selves in a financial bind that will not be easily rectified in a time frame that allows us to keep both ministers on staff. With this brief out line does anyone have suggestions on how to procced with this issue of dissmissing the associate. Thank you for any direction you may have to offer.
Michael Lund
Chairman of the elders
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