Rick Howerton writes: One of the most important things a senior pastor does is hire a staff member. Once a person is on the team, it’s difficult and painful to let them go, especially since the senior pastor was the one who made the hire. When a senior pastor makes a bad hire it reflects that… read more
Last week, I came across a blog entry at “Nameless Youth Pastors”… take a quick read (this is how it was written… so please excuse all the typos and small caps!): watz next? i don’t know where to start. i’v considered leaving uth min all together & i still want to jump back in i’m… read more
Dan McCarthy shares six different types of bosses… which kind of boss are you? 1. Great Leaders: 10% These are those rare bosses that are able to consistently bring out the best in others and achieve extraordinary results. They are the ones that make a positive difference in the lives of their employees, organizations, and the world… read more
As a church leader, you might think your employees would never sue you. Think again. Tens of thousands of people file employment discrimination charges each year, and churches are no exception. In fact, employment claims against churches are on the rise, says attorney Kathleen Turpin, vice president of human resources for Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. Brotherhood… read more
After firing an associate six months following hire, a minister reflects on what he could have done differently. There’s not a great deal of interchange between secular and faith-based nonprofits, though they have much in common with respect to organizational difficulties. Christianity Today provides us with the human resource meditation of the week, in a… read more
Brian Dodd writes: The Barna Group reported in a 2009 study that senior pastors of mainline churches have an average tenure of only four years. One of the reasons cited for such a brief stay is that while 93% of all pastors claim to be leaders, only 12% claim to have the spiritual gift of leadership. You… read more
Jay Mitchell writes: What are some warning signs that your church staff team is heading for a breakdown? One or more members of your team do not contribute ideas or thoughts during meetings. Pay attention and take notes. Who’s speaking up? Who’s being quiet? Who’s acting independently, and who seems to need handholding? Observe body… read more
Alyssa Goldman writes: You might think you deserve a raise, but that doesn’t always mean your boss agrees with you. And no, you can no longer heap all the blame on a bad economy. At 7.7%, the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since December 2008. In February alone, the Labor Department reported that the… read more
Roger Wright writes: My question stumped Susan, a diligent job seeker, over coffee that morning: “What do you care about that’s larger than you?” “Gosh, I’m going to have to think about that,” she said. I don’t know.” Susan isn’t alone. A lot of people know in their hearts they are supposed to be doing… read more
Dismissing a staff member is rarely easy, but firing a church employee can prove particularly uncomfortable. Church workers are often members of the congregation, and the choice to terminate could result in animosity among other members. A church employee might also be a friend to the person supervising and faced with this difficult choice. When… read more