Yesterday I was asked to write an article for a magazine – they want it to focus on HR-related issues within the church. Here were some thoughts the editor gave me:
- Hiring and firing
- Conflict resolution
- Staff management
Before I begin writing, will you give me your thoughts? If you are a church staffer, what are the HR-related issues that you would like addressed? Leave me your comments, including your slant on why it’s important.
I’ve always thought that there a very fine line between the church being a workplace and the place where a person serves, worships, and builds relationships. This is especially true when it comes to the question of what counts as work time, and what counts as ministry/ volunteer time. This may not be an issue for salary employees nearly as much as hourly employees. Who really makes that distinction? What guidelines should be set up to prevent any misunderstandings?
Another possible HR issue unique to the church deals with tithing. How many people do you know that give no less than 10% of their income back to their employer? As church staff, we obligated to do what God asks of us, and obviously the failure to do so should be handled appropriately, but what should HR procedure be? If someone were to dispute dismissal because of their failure to tithe, how should that legally be handled? This question could also be asked of any sin issue. I don’t know of any other workplace that would fire someone because they had an affair, didn’t tithe, beat their wife, etc.
Responsibility with authority – releasing the mavericks…
Anne, was that confession?
Watch The Office Season 2 episode titled “Conflict Resolution” just for some funny relevant material on HR issues with “real” people in a “real” office…
Can you hire people that don’t need to be “policed” with stricter staff guidelines?
Would you rather have a staff that desires to give / tithe, serve, worship? Or a staff that gives / tithes, serves, attends services because they are required?
I realize everyone would probably rather have the second… so doesn’t it always happen. You wrote a recent article that briefly touched on this and I thought would be good material to expand on.
What’s the part about managing the staff is your favorite part? Your least favorite? The part your best at? The worst?
By the way, great hook for this blog on Twitter… it caught my attention enough to read.
Well done! Good luck boss.
Drew, I laughed out loud about The Office! Great episode. I hope to lead as well as Michael Scott one day!