In our last post Why Conduct a Church Staff 360 Degree Feedback Survey, we looked at why a 360 Degree Feedback Survey is an effective tool for church leaders to gain critical insights into how multiple people view one employee. In this post we will examine a step by step process for conducting a Church Staff 360 Degree Feedback Survey... Continue Reading
A 360 Degree Feedback Survey is a process in which church staff receive confidential, anonymous feedback from the staff and volunteers they work with. This typically includes the employee’s immediate supervisor, direct reports, fellow paid staff and lay ministry volunteers. As many as twelve to twenty people fill out an anonymous online feedback survey that asks questions covering a broad... Continue Reading
How can you make the argument that adding more people to your church staff is worth the expense? What are the best tactics to take to convince “The Powers That Be” to hire additional staff? It’s not enough to simply say work’s not getting done or your ministry isn’t growing as quickly as it could. It’s not enough to talk... Continue Reading
There are three levels of planning and decision making required in developing a comprehensive plan: Strategic, Tactical and Operational Planning. Strategic Planning decisions are the broadest and most general, Operational Planning decisions are the most narrow and specific, and Tactical Planning decisions fall in between. Leaders can use the STOP approach as a roadmap in developing and communicating plans, and ensuring the... Continue Reading
“Lead People, Manage Projects” There are a myriad of books, articles, and blogs on leadership and management, all looking to clarify the differences, often in variety of ways. Famed leadership and management guru, Peter Drucker, claims that “Leadership is doing the right things; Management is doing things right.” Mr. Drucker adds, “The task is to lead people. And the... Continue Reading
“My job would be fun if it weren’t for the people,” is a common complaint in the workplace, even in the church. The truth is that people can bring both great joy and great pain. One key to maximizing the joy and minimizing the pain is understanding what I refer to as “hardwiring.” Electricians are required to have a license,... Continue Reading
If a heavy workload is causing your church staff to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, it may be time to add new positions. Or, if your church lacks certain core or strategic competencies you may need to bring these additional skills to the staff team. In more than 20 years as an Executive Pastor, I’ve wrestled with the questions of when... Continue Reading
We can so easily get lost in the constant demands of “doing” life and ministry that we develop habits of nonstop business and lose our sense of “being.” Then we wonder why we feel burned out, empty and isolated. We need to develop a dance of life in which we regularly disengage from life and get away with God for... Continue Reading
A lot has been written about when not to schedule a meeting and what to include in an effective meeting, but little about how to discern if you should even attend a meeting in the first place . Usually there is a good reason you were invited, at least in the mind of those calling the meeting. But, especially with... Continue Reading
In my role as a church consultant and clergy coach I am continually amazed to discover the lack of intentionality in churches of all sizes in providing encouragement, support and accountability for the Senior Pastor. I am convinced that much of the pastor burn out, frustration, terminations, poor performance and dysfunction so prevalent in today’s churches could be mitigated if... Continue Reading
Everyone on a church staff needs to know that poor job performance will be confronted using one or more of the Four Substandard Performance Approaches described in Four Solutions to Poor Job Performance, and deserves to know specifically how substandard performance will be addressed. The Restoration/Termination Stair Step provides the Supervisor, Staff and Church Personnel Committee with a guide for implementing the... Continue Reading
Addressing poor job performance is one of the most challenging issues facing churches today. A church staff member’s job performance may be classified as poor, or substandard, when it falls below the minimum acceptable level of performance – when the employee’s results don’t meet agreed upon expectations and standards. Unfortunately, most churches approach the problem of poor staff performance in one of... Continue Reading
Jim is a Church Organizational Leadership and Management Coach, Consultant and Trainer. Throughout his career Jim has demonstrated a passion for showing Pastors and Ministers how to use organizational tools for church and personal growth and health.
More About Jim“For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5