Over the years as an Executive Pastor I would marvel at the ability of a supervisor to excel in one area of supervision and wince at their inability to execute in another area. Their direct reports inevitably became frustrated, relationships suffered and plans were derailed because they were unaware of all the critical buckets of effective supervision. Each “bucket” below... Continue Reading
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
“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
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
Employee performance management may be defined as a standardized set of processes and systems used to create clear goals and track and coach employee progress efficiently and effectively. The overall goal of the performance management of a church staff is to ensure that the church and all of its employees, departments and ministries are working together synergistically and in optimum... Continue Reading
Jim Collins, author of the best seller Good to Great, says “The most important decisions that businesspeople make are not what decisions, but who decisions.” The same can be said for Pastors and Personnel Committees. There are few things that will create more dysfunction in a church than hiring the wrong person. And there are few things that will help... 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