Great Expectations: Growing a Staff Of Leaders, Not Doers

Staffing plays a pivotal role in church renewal, but are your staff members clear about their roles? Do different team members have varying assumptions about how the church staff works? Do staff members have different expectations for themselves than the elders have for them?

This article is part of a mini-series about the roles played by the staff, the council, the laity, the visioning team, and the pastor. In the book Inside the Large Congregation, Susan Beaumont explains that these five systems must work together correctly in order for a church to thrive.

No matter what size your church is currently, it is important to set clear expectations for staff members. It is also useful to talk about how those roles might shift if the church grows as part of your church renewal effort. Below are some areas worth discussing.

The Role of the Staff in Growing Churches

A Commitment to Equipping

By default, many congregants might assume that the church hires staff members and pays them to do ministry on their behalf. This does not work at any size, but this approach becomes especially ineffective as the church begins to grow.
A staff of 7 people can never accomplish what a church of 300 can accomplish. A shift in mindset is necessary. By taking on the role of equippers, the staff can unleash the power of all church members, who are called to use their gifts to build up the church (Ephesians 4:12).

A Move Toward Specialization

Team members work as generalists on a smaller staff. This leads to a natural sense of camaraderie, as everyone supports everyone else all the time. Still, finding the point where one person’s job ends, and another person’s job begins can be frustrating.
As a congregation grows, the church begins hiring staff members because of their specialization (giftedness in a particular area like teaching, communication, or pastoral care). This shift can be difficult if you are unprepared for it, some may feel as if the spirit of teamwork is dying.

A New Meeting Rhythm

When the staff size is small, it is easy for every team member to sit at one table and make decisions. Everyone can speak into every issue being considered. Every staff member knows what is happening in every ministry.
As the staff grows, the all-staff meeting becomes too large for decision-making. Beaumont recommends that all staff members begin to meet together less frequently and for different purposes (vision-casting, encouragement, information sharing, etc.). Smaller meetings of 5-7 people must emerge to handle decision-making.

A More Complex Org Chart

In small church staffs, everyone reports to the lead pastor. The org chart is flat and easy to understand. Everyone feels connected to the pastor.
As a church grows, the time it takes to properly supervise employees becomes more than the pastor can handle (while also leading the boards, caring for the sick, welcoming new members, preparing sermons — all of which are growing in their demands as well).
A multi-level org chart with departments often emerges, where most employees report to a supervisor who reports to the lead pastor. Alternatively, an executive pastor is hired to give day-to-day leadership to staff members.

A Growing Commitment to Excellence

Members are ok with ministries that feel organic and home-spun in small churches. Audio problems may plague some worship services. The bulletin may not be professionally designed. The website may be outdated in parts.
As churches grow, though, the standard of excellence in all of these areas increases. Staff members with the necessary level of expertise are hired to ensure all ministries happen without distracting mistakes. They become accountable for professional results, and this shift in mindset can be difficult for those who do not understand how it is compatible with church ministry.

Turf Wars with Council

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, while the church staff is growing, church councils are simultaneously downsizing. To those who experience this change, it can feel like a seismic shift in power.
As churches grow, staff members begin making decisions about day-to-day ministry without consulting or even informing council members. This can send elders and deacons into what Beaumont calls a “tailspin.” The best way to navigate this change is by making expectations very clear (council members govern and strategize, while staff members manage and execute).

Which of these changes could be on your horizon? Are you overdue for one of these ideas to be implemented? When you begin making changes to the expectations of staff members, where do you expect most pushback, and how can you proactively deal with it?