Managing Staff

In a conversation with a pastor, I asked about the guidelines he gives to his large staff of pastors and directors. I felt embarrassed at his answer. He wondered why I would ask that, and then he said confidently, “These are grown people, and they are all committed to the ministry and to Christ. I don’t need to check on their work!”

Okay . . . but I disagree.

In another church I was helping, I asked all the pastors to fill out a master schedule. After looking over their reports, I noted that two of them in an average week worked only about 33 hours. I unfortunately had to tell them that they were not being fair to the church.

I believe every church staff needs expectations about responsibilities and approximate hours so that there can be some similarity in vision and work ethic. One man’s hard work may be 35 hours a week while another’s is 55. Thus, a written reporting system is necessary to insure good communication between a staff member and the person to whom he or she reports. This can be a simple form that’s filled out once a week or every other week in ten minutes. And one of the little boxes on the report ought to be, “Things to go over with KL (the person they report to).”

Is this checking up on people? I guess so. Dr. Henry Brandt (some of you younger folk may not recognize the name) used to say, “People don’t do what you expect, they do what you inspect.” I wish that weren’t true but it is.

But accountability can also be motivating. Reporting to your senior staff member is a good way to maintain a healthy drive to stay on task with the goals of the church, and it helps to get down on paper just how your area fits in with those goals.

And then there’s that proverbial little old lady (or man) in the congregation who is always giving more than a tenth of her or his social security. This member has the right to be assured—though it will never be said this way—that the people on staff are working hard. I believe there’s an ethical responsibility here that not all staff members perceive. That’s why I think expectations need to be clearly written out, with a reporting system in place. And appreciation for diligent service needs to be shown!

What are your thoughts on this subject?