It is difficult to believe that we are in the 4th quarter and the year will be in the rearview mirror before we can bat an eye.
Hopefully, you have been working on your 2020 planning by now, but I’d like to suggest you add another item to your plate. A self-assessment.
As we enter into a new year, we all aspire to make this year better than the past. Read the Full Article →
It is difficult to believe that the Christmas Season is upon us.
And for churches, Christmas and Easter are two of the busiest times of the year.
This is due in part to the reality that many people only attend church on these two days.
Because of this increase in church attendance, there’s more to do, and there’s an increased need for help. Read the Full Article →
I don’t know about you but I love the Thanksgiving holiday.
It is one of the few times in a year that it is OK to hang with family and friends.
And to indulge in those once a year food favorites.
But most importantly it is a time that we stop and reflect on how grateful we are for our countless blessings. Read the Full Article →
I recently had someone ask me how often they should run criminal background checks on all volunteers.
The answer is, every volunteer should go through a thorough background screening as part of their volunteer application process and have it rechecked every couple of years.
Gone are the days when background checks were only done on people who work with children or contributions. Read the Full Article →
In Jim Collins book, Good-to-Great, he talks about using councils to help guide the organization.
Many churches use committees to serve this same purpose.
These councils or committees should be made up of a group of the right people to discuss, debate and make decisions about the operation of the organization.
People selected to serve on these committees should be those with knowledge, experience, and a passion for the topic. Read the Full Article →
Successful businesses understand that it is the customer that buys their products and services – and ultimately pays their salaries.
But what about the Church? Do churches have customers?
Thriving churches recognize the importance of paying attention to their core customers – which are its visitors, members, volunteers, and employees.
These vital customer groups make up the church, and without them, there is no church. Read the Full Article →
A church office is a busy place that requires the talent of a strong administrative person.
Churches often hire a secretary or administrative assistant to keep things organized and to assist with church communication flow.
These valuable members of a church staff are often the glue that connects all of the dots!
Hiring a secretary is no small church decision because it requires financial resources to cover the cost of salary and benefits. Read the Full Article →
I went to a conference earlier this year and rode the airport shuttle with one of the conference instructors. We debated the advantages and disadvantages of performance management.
When he learned that I was also attending the conference, we began talking about all sorts of things but performance management (PM) and more specifically performance appraisals (PA) came up.
He had very strong feelings about why he thought performance appraisals were a waste of time and ultimately added no value to the employee or organization. Read the Full Article →
Churches that have the resources to hire employees strive to have engaged employees by providing a great place to work.
One of the key indicators of engaged employee is competitive compensation. To keep salaries competitive, you will need to determine the annual salary increase.
Churches use personnel committees to help determine appropriate and fair compensation for church staff. And much of this work is done during the budgeting process. Read the Full Article →
Church leaders make decisions every day. These decisions are made about things like people (volunteers, employees, and members), money (budgeting, spending, saving), ministry programs, facilities, and the list goes one.
In Jim Collins’ classic book, Good to Great, he talks about using councils to help guide the organization.
These guiding church councils or committees should be made up of a group of the right people who can discuss, debate, and make decisions about the administration and management of the organization. Read the Full Article →
