The Apostle Paul wrote, “And he [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”1 This means that the job of the church staff is to equip the church members for ministry. In other words, that is the staff’s primary ministry and job. In as much as prayer, preaching, counseling, hospital calls appear to be the job of the ministers, that is not the whole job for those called by God to lead the church. In addition, many people on staff in churches do their entire ministry alone and never get around to helping church attenders be the ministers in their neighborhood, work or family. One of the reasons this happens is because staff …show more content…
To this point, Justin Lewis-Anthony states, “There is a large, and increasing, number of studies in the secular, academic and business journals in which 'performance reviews', 'appraisals' and 'development interviews' have been severely criticized by practitioners and scholars.”3 He goes on to point out that large numbers of pastors are doing the same because they want a relationship with their staff. In addition, pastors feel as if performance reviews get in the way of the relationship building process.4 However, there are reviews already happening within the organization, the question is whether or not they are being formalized. In fact, several authors who contributed in an article titled, Let’s Not Kill Performance Evaluations Yet stated, “Performance is always rated in some manner. If you don’t have formal evaluations, the ratings will be hidden in a black box.”5 In other words, the staff member is being judged for his or her performance, but they have not been given an opportunity to grow and reach greater success. Yet, do not the staff deserve to know how they are doing and where they can improve? The answer is absolutely
The Ministry Staff Member by Douglas Fagerstrom, is an excellent book that is designed to help create a clear picture on the role and responsibilities of ministry leaders and volunteers (paid and not paid). The book is practical and relevant to every single person wanting to be involved in a church. I am currently a children’s pastor, and I found valuable information under every part and page of the book that I wish I had known about a year ago. Not only does this book contain content that is valuable and relevant, but it also highlights the importance of financial and personal integrity in ministry relationships.
I agree with Kitchens, Mead, and Roxburgh who all basically say in their own way that one change in ministry that we need to focus on more is the congregational life of the church. However, I think Mead explains it best when he says that the future church must be more intentional in the spiritual formation of its laity (Mead, location 919). According to Mead, the church is moving towards becoming a more missional institution that cares for the needs of the community. Therefore, oftentimes laity will be the ones on the front lines and will need the capacity to minister to people on their own without the help of clergy. In order to do this they will need more directed and intensive training to deal with...
Philosophy of Ministry: God's desires come first, I must always live my ministry God's way. I must live as a Christian (1 Corinthians 9:27) I must have a proper relationship of surrender to the Leader. In my personal life or in the Church I must understand that Christ is Head and Chief Shepherd (Ephesians 1:22, Hebrews 13:20). The “management” of Church is about relationships with God and Man, not just maintaining a social organization.
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
The performance assessment and appraisal forms are crucial within the performance management system (Aguinis, 2014). However, the appraisal form within the case study provided is designed for the supervisor’s use thus missing one vital factor throughout the entire process, employee participation. Thus, questioning the validity and reliability of the process. This is especially concerning as the bottom 10 per cent of employees are being fired and the top 20 per cent are being rewarded with $5,000.00 based on what their supervisor records on the form without consultation with employees. Thus, supervisors may not provide accurate scores as they do not have to justify their responses (Aguinis,
Every Christian has that job. A pastor is more than that. They have been given the task of leading a church in which they are to create a system in which people are taught how to be disciples. In other words, they and their team are called to lead in the development of a church-wide system that will make disciples who make disciples. Leadership (administration, as it is called in Scripture) is a responsibility that is broader than just discipling others or leading a small group.
For the past three years, I have led our stewardship campaign for the church that has seen an increase in commitments from parishioners as well as the launch of online giving. I, along with our Senior Pastor, lead each of our four worship services throughout the weekend to include a consistent preaching schedule between us. Within the past year, I have been asked to lead our congregational care ministry that oversees our assistant pastor to ensure that the pastoral needs of our members are being met. I have been blessed to serve with Senior Pastor James (Jay) H. Carey, Jr.
Tanyaturner (2013) Case 7-1 the Politics of Performance Appraisal Essay [online] available from [24 March 2014]
The idea of pastors being leaders within their congregation and community, while not outright condemned, is thought to be secondary. The role of manager of staff is likewise vilified. The authors rightly point to a complete lack of biblical imperative for any of the “secondary” roles. What is never addressed, however, is the complete lack of evidence for the role of pastor at all. They seem to argue that the role of pastor is closer to that of prophet than anything else.
Pastors can sometimes blur the lines and create confusion when they do not fully understand the role that they are suppose to assume in their church 's ultimate success and well-being. Albeit that no two leader possess the same leadership traits or values, but understanding the critical role you play in your organization success can differ slightly from church to church depending on the contextual environment that exists and the values that are present. Most effective organizational leaders understand that each scenario or challenge presented will at times require a leader to wear multiple hats in order to respond differently depending on the assignment that is before you. That said, I think that pastors and organizational leaders must also understand that there are some roles that ultimately a leader cannot assume, but must be delegated to team members who possess the tools that can help the church achieve the best optimal
Performance appraisal is perceived by most as a tool to reward or penalize employees for their good or bad work respectively by the end of a year. This notion is a challenge in itself to deal with. The whole exercise becomes dull for both supervisors and their subordinates and they tend to look at it as an additional responsibility which they have to finish. In the end, there is little or no value addition for either the employee or the organization. There are, however, better ways of looking at and conducting performance appraisals. It can give much needed feedback to both performers and laggards to improve upon and if done properly can even boost their motivation. More importantly, they provide a chance to employees to have a say in their goal setting and thus aligning it with the departmental and organizational goals. Also, the process itself has a value in team making.
Performance management: changing behavior that drives organizational effectiveness (4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: Performance Management Publications. Larry L. Axline., (1996). The ethics of performance appraisal.
Grubb, T. (2007). "Performance Appraisal Reappraised: It's Not All Positive." Journal of Human Resource Education. Vol. 1, (No. 1,): 1-22.
Although performance is a major objective at top organizations, successfully addressing poor performance is also a key focus. Although many employees feel or dread performance appraisals they are directed to enforce clarity with individual employees day-to-day work-load, performance appraisals develops responsibility while making employees accountable for performance expectations, reinforces future career planning, helps the organization with determining training needs, and provides a stem of documentation for legality purposes. Performance management in detail is much broader than many employers, and employees assume and necessitates so much more. Proficient appraisals should represent a summary of on-going dialogue. Focusing only on an annual performance evaluation leads to misrepresentation of the performance management process in its
Banner, D. K., Graber, J. M. (1985). Critical issues in performances appraisal. Journal of Management Development. Issue 4. Pp. 27-35.