It’s common sense

At a recent training session for church staff, someone asked the presenter, “Why do you do what you do?” His answer has haunted me ever since, both as a word of encouragement and an ongoing reminder of what my heart should look like. His response was simple and direct: “I do this because I love pastors.”

Do we love our pastors? Do we recognize God’s calling on their lives? Do we accept their authority to speak God’s truth into ours?

Far too often, relatively insignificant issues break down relationships in the church because the starting point of those relationships is not one of obeying Jesus’ command to love one another. When we add the complexity of a pastor being both a leader and an employee in the church, the opportunities for misunderstanding and conflict seem boundless.

Let me suggest six human resource procedures that may help in creating, building, and maintaining positive interaction with our pastors. Although these are common sense, they’re often forgotten.

1. When starting the hiring process, define what you’re looking for.

   This seems so simple and logical. However, establishing the right profile for a pastor is far more difficult than it appears. The needs of a church ebb and flow, changing over time. This isn’t like having a toothache, which any trained dentist can fix.

   The process of calling a pastor to a congregation requires looking long-term. What goals does your congregation have and what skills and gifts will be best suited to achieve those objectives? When a church doesn’t have clarity in its hiring objectives and doesn’t know what gifts and abilities are needed in its pastor, the probability of a long-term relationship decreases dramatically.

2. At the time of hiring, put all the items you’d normally put in an employment agreement in writing so the intent of both parties is clear.

   Note and detail all remuneration. Identify what professional development you consider appropriate, what the church will pay for, what resources will be provided, what the work schedule will generally be, holidays, sabbaticals, and so on. Don’t assume these will resolve themselves over time. They won’t.

3. Provide resources.

   When you list responsibilities on a job description, be sure to hand out the authority to actually do them. Allocate sufficient resources to promote success. Don’t hand out a responsibility without giving your pastor the tools and freedom to get it done. You hired your pastor because you thought he or she was the right person to have an impact. Allow that person to express their gifts and be successful.

4. Define lines of accountability that go with the pastor’s authority.

   Ensure there’s a path for ongoing communication, where issues can be discussed honestly and openly. Also make certain there’s a process for more formal performance evaluations that are honouring, encouraging, correcting, and building. There are many good ways to conduct evaluations, so look for examples and advice on how to develop a process in which strengths are recognized and areas requiring improvement are dealt with positively.

5. Provide opportunities for training.

   Each of us has areas in which we’re not as strong as we wish we were. Many excellent pastors have been lost because they lack expertise in one area. Churches can create opportunities for pastors to work with mentors or coaches, take courses, or shift some duties to other staff or volunteers. These allow the pastor’s areas of weakness to be addressed without resulting in a personal loss of faith or the pastor giving up.

6. Live out the example of the Philippian church by being generous.

   Do everything you’re able to demonstrate a generous spirit, so your pastor will not be tempted by anxiety about how finances will be looked after. Be gracious in meeting your pastor’s needs.

Is your pastor perfect? No. Neither are you or I. But our pastors are worthy of the utmost care and respect. Do we love our pastors? I hope we all can answer with a clear and ready, “Yes, we do and we hope we’re a blessing to them as well.”

John Wiebe is CFO of the Canadian Conference of MB Churches, Winnipeg.