Archive for Staff Issues
Five Core Values Of A Church In Decline May 11, 2011
#1 – Laziness - Most people/churches are not “stuck” or in decline because they do not know or understand what the Lord wants them to do…God speaks very clearly in His Word and through His Spirit. It’s just that God’s work always requires people to take a step of faith! Remember, God promised the Israelites the “Promised Land,” but they actually had to go in and fight the battles. A church that refuses to do whatever it takes and embraces laziness will eventually settle in the desert until that generation dies off.
#2 – Fear of Man – God has called His people to set the world on fire; unfortunately, too many church leaders today waste their time trying to put fires out and make people happy! Scripture pretty much sums it up in Proverbs 29:25! If your first question is always, “what does our biggest giver want” and “not what does God want” you church is stepping into the casket!
#3 – Pride – When a church and/or it’s leaders are not willing to admit a mistake OR that a method that used to work just doesn’t work anymore…it’s over.
#4 – Staff Abuse – This is something I’ve written about a lot lately…but I will say it over and over again, when a leader cares more about what his staff does than who they are becoming then he will begin to push them to put in 70-80 hour weeks on a consistant basis…and when they begin to show signs of being pushed too hard he will accueses them of being “disloyal” or “not bought in enough to make things happen.” When a leader begins to do this (and other “leaders” sit by passively and watch it happen) then the quality of staff members the church is about to attract and keep will decrease significantly.
(One note on this…many times a pastor/leader who leads like this is lazy! They often wait until the last minute to do things and then expect the entire staff to change and rearrange everything they are doing to accomodate his lack of planning. Changes DO happen in ministry, heck, we had to switch up our entire Easter services at the last minute. BUT…this should be the exception and NOT the norm. AND…when it really is the exception the staff will always respond with passion and excitement because there is a consistant track record of loyalty TOWARDS them!)
#5 – Loss of Focus – When a pastor/leader (or group of leaders) become more obsessed with their “ministry platform” and begin to dive into other “ministry opportunities” and do so with such frequency that they cease to love the people that Jesus has called them to minister to…disaster is right around the corner because the church will become nothing more than a resource for the pastor to promote himself rather than a group of people whom God has brought together and given him responsibility over to love and lead.
Web Developer Job Opening At NewSpring… February 21, 2011
We’re looking for people who want to change the world and leverage technology to its fullest capacity…here’s more specifically what we’re looking for…
You are a curious, quick, meticulous front-end web developer who can take Photoshop or Illustrator files, wireframes, or Sharpie sketches and craft them into web pages. You are passionate about Jesus and His Church. You care about the web and its users. You’ve been hand-coding HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP for about 3 years and are well-versed in cross-browser compatibility techniques. You believe code is a craft and can be beautiful. You enjoy working in an open, collaborative environment, can make accurate deadline estimates, and have architectural familiarity with ExpressionEngine and CodeIgniter.
Bonus points are awarded if you’re familiar with version control (we use Git), social web APIs (like Facebook and Twitter), and user experience and mobile web design. Small, nondescript trophies await you if you’ve dabbled in typography, color theory, and layout.
This position is full-time and onsite at our campus in Anderson, SC. Send links to your portfolio, your resume, and a cover letter. If you don’t have an online portfolio, this job will not be a good fit for you. No phone calls or faxes please.
Please contact the Central Operations Team with any questions.
Seven Gut Check Questions For Staff Members January 26, 2011
I shared these questions with our staff here at NewSpring Church in last weeks staff meeting and thought it might be helpful if I shared them here on my website.
#1 – Would I attend this church if I were not on staff? If the answer is “no” then you should resign…immediately. God hasn’t called people in the ministry to work with a half hearted effort…and if you don’t believe in the vision/mission of your church enough to say that you would be there if they were not paying you then I am afraid your hearts isn’t there anyway.
#2 – Would I volunteer in the area I am working in if I were not on staff? This question speaks to motive…if you would not volunteer to do the job you are being paid to do then, once again, you’ve got to ask if your heart is really there. (If you do not LOVE what you do then you are not going to be able to do what Scripture commands in Philippians 2:14 and Colossians 3:23-24).
#3 – Do I feel entitled? There is nothing worse than a staff member (including a senior pastor) who has an entitlement mentality. These people believe the church has latched on to them and would sink if they were to leave (which is never the case.) Reality is the church doesn’t owe anyone…she’s God’s Bride and we (volunteers and staff) are the ones who latched on to her in regards to our gifts being pulled out of us and developed for HIS Kingdom.
#4 – Am I a tither? If you are not tithing and giving generously to your church…your heart isn’t there. Don’t argue with me…JESUS said it! (Matthew 6:21) Also…how in the world can someone who claims to have integrity work on a church and spent the tithe money of other people when they are not actually giving any themselves?
#5 – How clean is my office/work area? The answer to this question determines how well a person is willing to steward the resources that God allows them to use…AND how they feel about the church as a whole. (And…a staff member CAN and should be held accountable for this.)
#6 – How much do I complain about my job? A staff member who is always complaining most likely is not operating in their area of gifting. I’ve told my staff, “I KNOW your job is hard…it’s ministry, we’re on the front lines. A marine on the front lines in a way is never surprised when someone shoots at him…he doesn’t begin to whine and tell people how hard his job is. Ministry is, hands down, the hardest job you will EVER have!
#7 – Am I concerned about my particular area/team…OR about the church as a whole? Staff members need to be willing to have uncomfortable conversations with people if they ever perceive something to be “off mission”…even if it is not in their direct area of responsibility. A staff is a team…and everything impacts everything else. Staff members who fail to realize this will eventually create silos that actually begin to compete with other departments on staff rather than partnering with other staff members to kick satan in his cookies and advance God’s Kingdom!
Do You Want A Loyal Staff? May 12, 2010
If you want loyalty…then GIVE IT! The leader that demands it but does not offer it often leaves a wake of abused and neglected staff members. Here are a few things that I try to do…
When a person isn’t performing their job in an adequate fashion…TALK TO THEM, don’t just cut them loose! They are real people, with real lives…and sometimes they actually have REAL problems. A leader who only loves his staff when they are performing at maximum potential but will “cut them” at the first sign of struggle is pathetic.
Don’t buy into the “fire a certain percentage of your staff every year” philosophy. I have heard that line taught at leadership conferences and I just don’t buy it. Why? Because let’s say you are on staff…and you hear your leader say, “I fire BLANK percent of my staff every year.” Uh…does that motivate you to be loyal…or does it scare the heck out of you? Staff members should be motivated, not intimated by their leader. AND saying that people are going to be fired “just because” will NEVER bring about an environment of loyalty.
Hang out with your staff. It’s sad…but many leaders have bought into the “you can’t be friends with the people you lead” lie. Personally, I think you can’t be friends with the people you lead if you are an insecure leader. I love the fact that the people I lead with I also do life with. They see me in an environment outside of the church…which allows them to trust me more (and I trust them more as well.) The leader who wants to be a celebrity to his staff may be effective in getting them to kiss his butt…but they will never be truly loyal to him.
Have integrity! The people on staff (and in your church) always need to see that you are smokin’ what your sellin’! In other words…we can’t preach a value if we are not actually living it out.
I’ve alluded to this before…but believe the BEST about them. Don’t listen to every negative word and story you hear about the people you work with an immediately receive it as true…but actually sit down and have a conversation with the person that works with you. A staff member that NEVER gets the benefit of the doubt from his leader will eventually never offer them that same benefit.
Don’t think that just because someone questions a decision that you made that they are automatically against you and are in the process of leading a rebellion against your leadership. God has used some GREAT staff members who had sincere questions to direct me away from making some REALLY bad decisions…and if I had dismissed them as “disloyal” then I would have been both wrong AND stupid because I would have followed through on a wrong decision.
How To Get Buy In From Your Staff – Part Two of Two January 28, 2010
Continuing my thoughts from yesterday…
#3 – LISTEN TO THEM!
One of the greatest mistakes I’ve ever made as a leader is to make a decision that impacts a group of staff members without allowing anyone from the group that was being impacted any sort of input on the decision. We do this as leaders because it is easier and faster…but what is easy is hardly ever what is right! (AND…if you are always obsessed with the quickest and easiest way to get something done…the “end” is a lot closer than you think!)
Today there is hardly EVER an instance where a decision is made around here that someone from that area isn’t allowed the opportunity to dialogue with our leadership team through the decision.
- Why would I make any sort of decision about youth or children’s ministry without actually talking to our youth or children’s ministry team?
- Why would I make any sort of decision about programming without actually talking to the people who serve on our programming staff?
- Why would I make any sort of decision about our volunteering process without talking to people who serve with volunteers?
I could go on…but you get the point. When a staff member feels like they had an opportunity to be involved in the conversation and ask the questions that were on their mind they are WAY more likely to buy into the decision that was made, even if they don’t agree with it.
(By the way…some people call people who want to be listened to “disloyal!” I call those who want to be listened to “leaders!” You can have leaders or followers around you…and only a secure leader is willing to answer questions from his staff that will clarify the vision!)
#4 – Say “THANK YOU!”
One of the things I have realized is that MOST staff members aren’t looking for a ton of recognition and/or huge monatary rewards…they just want to be told, “thanks!”
Reality is this…if we are not careful as leaders we can CRUSH the enthusiasm of a staff member…because…we all have people on our staff that ONLY get recognized if they screw something up. (Sort of like an offensive lineman in football!) BUT…if they show up, get their job done and do it well, then for some reason a leader thinks he can just allow that to go unnoticed…and this is an incredible de-motivator to a staff team.
Leaders…trust me, we CANNOT underestimate the power of saying “thank you.” I’ve heard leaders say, “well, I’m not going to thank them for something they are supposed to be doing.” That statement is both foolish and irresponsible. A leader who is QUICK to recognized “the bad” in a staff member but never stops to recognize “the good” is irresponsible. (Or maybe he/she is unaware! Trust me…”thank you” is HUGE!!!)
#5 – Lead With Integrity
If you want your staff to buy into your leadership then integrity HAS to be valued, pursued and encouraged. Because once a person sells out their character it undermines the platform that God gave them to stand on.
AND…leaders…if we do not make integrity an issue…then one day it WILL BE AN ISSUE!
Staff member cannot buy into a liar. At the end of the day they’ve GOT to know that you say what you mean and you mean what you say.
- This means when we screw up…we admit it.
- This means that when we don’t do our part…we admit it.
- This means that when we are struggling with something…we admit it.
- This means that when we declare direction…we are the first to step in that direction.
Leaders…at the end of the day all we really have is our integrity. Either people believe what we say or they think we are full of crap…the latter will always result in shattered dreams while the former will always result in a team of people who are on FIRE and CONSUMED about the reality of what could be and should be, and will never stop short of the vision that has been declared.
Interested In An Internship? January 7, 2010
There are currently two openings for paid internships here at NewSpring Church. These interns would be working directly out of my office and the hours are flexible, with the exception of Sundays–which is an all day requirement.
I am looking for two people who are…
- Incredibly positive
- Radically dedicated to Jesus
- Have a servants heart
- Organized
- AND who have a GREAT attitude!
If you are interested in applying for one of these positions then please email Lindsay Taguba (Lindsay.Taguba@newspring.cc) to request an application–the deadline for turning those in is Wednesday, January 13th.
10 Choices A Leader Needs To Make About His Staff January 6, 2010
#1 – Choose to believe the best about the people on your team rather than always assuming the worst about them.
#2 – Choose to trust them to make decisions that matter without having to run every minor detail by your for your approval.
#3 – Choose to believe that when they ask particular questions that they aren’t being disloyal but rather seeking clarification.
#4 – Choose to believe that they really do love the church and want to see it thrive.
#5 – Choose to lead through inspiration and revelation–NOT intimidation, humiliation, condemnation and manipulation.
#6 – Choose to listen to them before making a decision that will directly impact them.
#7 – Choose to value them as a human being and NOT just a person who can perform a task.
#8 – Choose to take a few extra minutes to coach them through the “why” of a particular decision so that they are equipped/empowered to make the decision on their own the next time.
#9 – Choose to allow them to present the solution to the problem they are telling you about. (A great leader will always have a solution to whatever problem they are bringing to your attention.)
#10 – Choose to point out all of the things they are doing well instead of just focusing on the areas they are messing up.