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Personnel & Staffing

How and when should you add to your church staff? How much should you pay your staff? How do you motivate and keep great staff members? These are just some of the questions we discuss here in our Personnel & Staffing area. Have a staffing question? Ask it in our staffing forum.


imageConducting a Responsible Ministy Job Review
Chuck Olson writes: Over the past 20 years, I’ve developed this love-hate relationship with ministry evaluations (aka, performance reviews). On the one hand, I “hate” them because they annually intrude on my calendar pleading for time and attention. And on the other, I “love” them because I have come to realize that they are one of the most significant contributors to leadership development and ministry momentum.

Throughout the years, I’ve attempted to become a student of the ministry evaluation process, desiring each year to platform an approach more robust than the one before, and in that endeavor have started my own personal ‘collection’ of things that I have learned. Take a look.

imageHow to Fire a Church Employee
There... that got your attention.

I found this article, written by Josh Whitehead, an executive pastor, on advice for dismissing church staff members. I'm sure this is a timely thing for many churches... but is still kind of a harsh thing to write about. Here are some of Josh's points:

1. The right staff is about good stewardship.

2. I have never met anyone who believed they should be fired.

3. It is not always spiritual (but sometimes it is).

Definitely agree with number one. Not sure about number two. And of course, #3 is true...

More On Personnel & Staffing
imageChurch Goes To Court to Stop Installation of New “Over Paid” Pastor
OK... so your church hires a new pastor and decides to pay him $600k a year. Granted, your a huge, historical church in a metro area. Your new pastor will receive an annual salary base of $250k per year, plus a housing allowance of $11,500 per month; pension and life insurance benefits; entertainment, travel and “professional development” expenses; an equity allowance for the future purchase of a home; money for a full-time maid; and private school tuition for his 3-year-old daughter. What in the world do you do? People in this large NYC church decided they had only one alternative: court.
imageChurch Pink Slips
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...
imageDoes Your Staff Know What You Expect of Them?
Recently, I asked a group of church staff people here at MMI: “Do you know what is expected of you at work?” 85 church staff members responded.

First, the good news. 26% of people responded that they have ‘very clearly defined expectations that are measured regularly.” Approximately one in four church staff people, in effect, said that they know what is expected of them, and that they are held accountable and measured on those things.

But what about the other 74%?

The largest amount, some 38%, said that the expectations of their job were ‘kinda fuzzy’ and that the follow-up by their supervisors ‘sometimes happens, sometimes not’.

Another 22% said they felt like the expectations of their job change constantly, and they’re never quite sure what to concentrate on.

And sadly, 14% of the staff members who responded (12 out of 85) said that they ‘don’t have a clue” what is expected of them.

So… here’s the challenge for today…
Job Satisfaction:  Does Your Mission Drive You?
Today's question:

Job Satisfaction:  Does Your Opinion Really Matter?
A few more questions in our on-going MMI Job Satisfaction survey... Today's question: At work, do my opinions seem to count? Answer this only if you work in a church setting, please:



Job Satisfaction:  Do I have someone at work who encourages my development?
Today, we're continuing our little MMI poll here on some job satisfaction areas. Here's today's question:



This question needs a little bit of commenting as well. Please click to leave a comment. Who is this person who encourages your development? How do they do this for you? If you have no one, how big of an issue is this for you?

Personnel & Staffing Resources imagePastors In Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry

Why do pastors leave the ministry? Several common issues emerge from the research of Dean Hoge and Jacqueline Wenger: preference for another form of ministry, the need to care for children or family, conflict in the congregation, conflict with denominational leaders, burnout or discouragement, sexual misconduct, and divorce or marital problems. Of these factors, which form the basis for the central chapters of Pastors in Transition, two are especially important: conflict and a preference for specialized ministry. A close third is the experience of burnout, discouragement, stress and overwork. As the authors explore these factors, they provide significant insights into what can be done to help people stay in ministry. imageEat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading

The bestselling author of "The Message" challenges believers to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God's revelation, and to live them as they read them. imagePracticing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders

Based on his extensive experience as coach and mentor to many thousands of Christian leaders across a broad spectrum of ministry settings, Reggie McNeal helps spiritual leaders understand that they will self-select into or out of greatness.