Growing Pains

Last week I had a random conversation about HR in the church.  Someone was telling me that their church is growing at a rapid pace. As a result of the growth, they’re experiencing growing pains.  The growing pains they’re experiencing are going from a small church to a medium-sized church.  Some of the issues the church is facing involve salaries, the size of the staff, hiring people as contractors vs. employees, the church’s leave policy and does the church have an HR handbook.  They were excited about the growth of their church.  They want to make sure the church’s human infrastructure is strong and equipped to move forward.   

A church is only as strong as its human infrastructure.  The employees and volunteers need to be in the right place, at the right time, and adequately compensated and supported.  As church leaders it’s your responsibility to make sure you have qualified employees and volunteers. 

In order to have qualified employees and volunteers it’s essential that you have clearly written job descriptions.  Yes, you should have job descriptions for volunteers.  Everyone needs to know what they are supposed to do.  Clearly written job descriptions set expectations for leaders, employees, and volunteers.  

Every job description should be specific.  A generic job description may not include the specific duties that your church needs from someone in a particular position.  Make sure you tailor each job description to meet the needs of your church.  

Once the job descriptions are written the next step is to bring in the right people for each position.  Not so fast, before you start hiring employees and volunteers you need to have a strategic HR plan.  A strategic HR plan is designed to help the church meet its strategic goals through its most important asset, human beings.  A strategic HR plan is based on the mission and/or vision of your church and is designed for long-term success.  A strategic HR plan will help you address the issues of salaries, the size of your staff, hiring people as contractors vs. employees, developing a leave policy and ensuring the church has an HR handbook.