Coaching for Church Leaders
Is it Wise To Hire Members?
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Coaching for Church Leaders
In congregations using Raising the Roof resources for learning, discernment and planning, leaders sometimes contract with Alice Mann for a series of telephone coaching conversations. Coaching can be helpful for:
- The senior (or sole) pastor alone
- Senior and associate pastor together
- A small clergy-lay team giving leadership to size transition efforts
Telephone coaching is most effective as a follow-up to a Raising the Roof workshop or seminar.
Leaders usually covenant with Alice for six coaching sessions at a time. While the schedule can be adjusted to the pace of work in the congregation, telephone conversations usually occur monthly and last an hour.
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Is it Wise to Hire Members?
When hiring staff, congregation leaders often ask this question. Hiring members has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that members are apt to be familiar with the congregation, committed to its mission, and used to working hard without pay. The drawbacks are that a former lay leader may have difficulty accepting supervision, and a minister or board that tries to fire a member may wind up in hot soup with the member’s friends and family. After experiencing such problems, some congregations resolve “never again” to hire a member for a staff role. But what if the best candidate is a member? Perhaps the safest policy is to exclude members from “support” positions but to allow them to apply for “program” positions, where the advantage of a candidate in sympathy with the congregation’s unique style and theology is likely to be most important.
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