Being responsible for the oversight of a church congregation can be very challenging because of the tender balance between pastoring and pursuing a shared vision.
Church leaders are sometimes challenged with knowing when to operate in one of two roles – pastor or boss.
When asked how to respond to different management issues, I ask leaders the question – Is this a boss issue or a pastor issue? Read the Full Article →
I was recently speaking to someone who was telling me a very sad story about how their church had to let a pastor go.
The church was experiencing some financial challenges that resulted in a decision to reduce expenses by terminating a pastor.
My acquaintance shared with me that the pastor was notified of his termination by the staff accountant and had no conversations with the senior pastor (his boss) . Read the Full Article →
Most organizations understand the importance of screening job candidates before deciding to bring them on-board.
However, there is so much to learn when someone leaves.
So why not ask people probing questions when they decide to leave the organization?
Take the time to learn why an employee accepted another position and you can learn how to improve.
Many organizations us exit interviews are a forum to learn. Read the Full Article →
Anyone who has ever been in a management position, understands the challenges that come with managing employees.
These issues are the same when managing church staff.
Managers have the responsibility of helping employees develop job skills and holding employees accountable for completing job responsibilities.
Being in a management position requires an aptitude for dealing with the many diverse aspects of interacting with employees. Read the Full Article →
Managing church employees can be a very rewarding experience because influencing and participating in an employee’s professional development is just fun!
However, there are those difficult times when an employee just isn’t the right fit and needs to move on.
These are very stressful times that result in lost sleep for the involved manager.
What adds to the difficulty is the sudden realization that the proper documentation of the months of issues is missing. Read the Full Article →
The end of 2017 is quickly approaching and hopefully by now you have at least started talking about your 2018 church budget!
One fixed cost budget line item is the salary budget.
Church leaders often ask how much to budget for salary increases. This can be a difficult decision if you are giving it your best guess.
However, a well thought out compensation strategy, coupled with good budgeting practices, allows for allocated dollars to reward employees for doing a good job. Read the Full Article →
Training people is what churches do.
And, churches that strive for excellence, understand the importance of training its members, volunteers and employees.
Each of these groups have different training needs but all need to learn.
Church congregants may be encouraged to attend a church membership class or participate in spiritual enrichment classes.
Volunteers may be trained through a volunteer orientation as well as job specific skill development. Read the Full Article →
One of the biggest issues facing our elected officials in Washington is health care.
And it is pretty clear that no one has a good answer for this very complex problem.
The cost of providing health care for employees has been a big ticket item for decades.
And while medical cost trends have decreased since 2007, health spending averages still hoover between 6 and 7 percent – with a projected 6.5 percent increase for 2018. Read the Full Article →
I recently had a reader ask about a sick leave policy.
This reader had a church employee who was unexpectedly dealing with a serious health issue that would require a lot of time away from work.
Since the church didn’t have an existing policy they were scrambling to write one to cover the sick leave.
Her story was not unlike a lot of churches – policies and procedures are written on the fly when the need for a policy arises. Read the Full Article →
Any organization that provides health care as an employee benefit has felt the sting of rising health care costs.
Depending on the size of the organization, and the census of employees, those annual increases can be very high.
In 2016, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance were a staggering $6,435 for single coverage and $18,142 for family coverage.
And, in 2017 it is projected that employer premiums will increase an average of 6% more to insure their employees. Read the Full Article →
