Announcing Church Staff Resignations – When Is The Best Time?

Announcing church staff resignations can be a tricky thing, depending on the circumstances that lead to the employee’s departure.

Church members support the church mission, through their tithes and offerings, so naturally like to be aware of things that are going on and have a vested interest in the decisions that a church makes.

When organizations proactively communicate, they are able to control the rumor mill, miscommunication and misinformation.

The great thing about it is that people who are involved in a church, enjoy talking about ministry happenings and, when given information, can be a great advocate for the church.

Churches employ all different levels of employees and some have a higher profile than others. The more responsibility an employee has, the more important it is to have a strategy for communicating a change in leadership.

The circumstances that lead to the departure of an employee is another consideration, but it is important to know when is it appropriate to make a church-wide communication.

Leadership within a church affects how the ministry operates and warrants sharing information about changes with the congregation.

Since church leaders interact with volunteers and members, it is always good to announce when a leader is departing, and to introduce the new leadership with specifics about job responsibilities.

This step helps to orient the new person and gives the congregation a chance to interact and ask questions.

This type of communication may not be as important for employees that help with custodial duties, or the receptionist, as someone in a leadership role that interacts with church members and volunteers.

To determine what needs to be communicated, ask the question, how much interaction and influence does this person have with church members and volunteers?  If the influence is significant then there should be a formal communication.

What that communication looks like can vary depending on the culture of the church and the person’s level of influence.

If the church is acclimated to technology, an email blast or text may be appropriate.  If not, a letter sent to the home may be appropriate.

Sometimes a pulpit announcement is in order, it just depends on the culture and organizational norm.

When it comes to church communication, you can never communicate too much and most organizations don’t communicate enough.  The trick is to answer the questions before they are asked, which helps establish credibility with members, volunteers and employees.