Church Staff Remix

by Mark Tidsworth, Team Leader

Ordained or no, this is a tumultuous time to be on a church or denominational staff. The volatility in our world cares little about length of service, prestige, work stressors, or giftedness. Workplaces and rhythms are shifting in every vocation known to humankind, including vocational ministry.

So, what are we seeing here at Pinnacle? What’s the view from here when it comes to staffs and teams in church? What does healthy church staff functioning and ministry look like now? Let’s consider two observations followed by two recommendations.

First observation: the pandemic is exaggerating and amplifying what was already there in staff teams. Those teams who tilted toward health are those who tend to support and encourage each other when the pressure of volatility rises. The pandemic is making a good thing better in these staff teams. They are rising to the occasion, synergistically engaging to discover helpful and effective ways to team and serve well together. The opposite is true as well. Those teams who tilted toward disconnection and dysfunction are finding it impossible to maintain their connection. The volatility pressure is stripping away the façade that could exist during less stressful times. These church staffs hardly speak to each other, coexisting and tolerating each other, just trying to make it through another day. The pandemic, plus the other factors increasing the volatility, are amplifying what was already there.

Second observation: the volatility is inspiring growth in church staffs. It’s interesting noticing three types of requests coming our way: staff restructuring, job description revising, and staff development days or retreats. These type requests are coming from churches who have growth mindsets. They are looking for how to live into their faith more fully given the radical change opportunities presented by exceptional volatility. They recognize their churches are changing, requiring their pastors and staff to adjust what they do and how they do it. These churches are sign-posts of the kingdom, using their growth mindsets to follow God’s lead toward vitalized church life.

Now to the two recommendations.

First recommendation: Let’s recognize this situation for what it is. We are living in fluid times. People in workplaces around the world are shifting and morphing as we speak. Do we expect the church to be different? So yes, let’s adjust those job descriptions and change seats on the bus. At the same time, let’s not grow too comfortable wherever we sit, since we are likely to shuffle around again. Recognizing the fluidity of this current situation can empower us to make a plan for staffing, yet hold it lightly.

Second recommendation: We recommend you do what growth mindset churches are doing – investing in staff development, support, and teaming. A personnel committee chair contacted us in late Spring, asking what kinds of retreats we can do for weary church staffs. Unsurprisingly, this church is fairly strong, moving forward in mission and ministry due to its growth mindset. We at Pinnacle have a long list of retreats and staff development experiences we can suggest for your team, as do some other organizations. Those with the eyes to see seem to be seizing this moment, investing in their staff teams to strengthen them for service on the front lines.

Church Staff Remix... the fluidity of this current situation. May we practice growth mindsets, recognizing the opportunities for transformation and investing in one another as we travel along in this rapidly shifting world.