Using Ushers in Emergencies (part 1 of 2)

Posted on May 19, 2015 Written by

There are a dozen emergencies that can happen in a church but there are three “big” ones: fire, weather, and active shooter. In every case, people should act differently. In fire, people in the church building need to get out; in violent weather, they need to hide in a low place; and with an active shooter, they need to get out of the building or hide behind closed doors.

 

It is not possible to train every member what to do in each distinct situation and expect them to remember. It is even hard to train staff members what to do. Most churches use ushers to welcome people into the building so use ushers to lead people to a safe place. Ushers are highly visible, they know the buildings and the people, and are usually trained in how to speak to and guide people. Use them in emergencies when you need to move people quickly.

 

This requires you to do some intensive and on-going training with your ushers. They need to know who will give them instructions to act and to stop. They need to know what kind of situation they are dealing with. They need to know where to tell people to go and who will sound the all-clear signal. They need to know how to handle panic-stricken parents or people with mobility issues. They need to know the names and faces of church members who are medical, fire, and police experts.

 

Please develop a well-thought out emergency preparedness plan in conjunction with local first responders (fire and police personnel). There are some guidelines available from your local emergency responders. Work with them to tailor a plan for your facility and your people. Use your ushers for more than just “ushing.”

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: buildings, church staff, facilities, leadership, planning, strategy Tagged: , , , , ,

Consolidation of Preachers

Posted on April 28, 2015 Written by

As a strategic thinker, I’ve got a prediction about a specific aspect of church life that will happen in the next 15-20 years. First, some context: consolidation of business is a historical reality in the US. We used to have scores of auto manufacturers and today there are a handful of US-owned car makers. The same is true of phone companies, office supply stores, department stores, and so on. For one reason or another, businesses merge till there are only a few. Call it survival of the fittest, or best, or biggest.

 

I predict some consolidation in churches. Technology allows me to watch via podcasts preachers from around the US. Technology allows my multisite church to have one preacher whose message is viewed in a variety of unique campuses. My prediction is that small and mid-sized churches will select one or more excellent preachers to deliver the weekly message while their on-site pastor focuses on pastoral duties. We are entering an age when there will be fewer but more excellent preachers and they will be on screens in worship venues.

 

Currently there are several outstanding preachers (Andy Stanley, Perry Noble, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, etc., etc.) whose messages are regularly above your average sermon. They also have large local churches but also national and international followings and even church presences around the world. These are global preachers who, through technology, can preach almost anywhere in the world.

 

A well-developed and delivered sermon requires about 15-20 hours of work. That is time that the pastor of a church cannot spend on other requirements of his or her job. What if churches allowed their pastor to preach less and focus more on being a pastor. The pastor would still preach periodically during the year so the church hears the vision and direction of the church.

 

But most of the year, sermons will be delivered on-screen by a selection of outstanding sermon-givers. That allows pastors & churches to focus on worshipping, caring, mission-doing, teaching, and fellowshipping (the main functions of the church). This gives the pastor 15-20 hours a week to meet people, train leaders, and give direction to the church. This helps the pastor have more family time and less weekly pressure “to produce.”

 

I know there will always be pastors who want to preach and that is fine – there will always be churches who want a “live preacher.” However, technology has the capability of letting churches hear more excellent preachers and help local pastors focus on doing what only they can do – be the local pastor.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: budget, church staff, leadership, strategy Tagged: , , ,

Personal Coaching-How (part 2 of 2)

Posted on April 14, 2015 Written by

Church work is harder than it has been in previous years and decades. I don’t want to get the reasons in this post but I do want to offer some advice to everyone in a leadership position at a church (on staff or a lay person). Everyone in church work needs a coach. Everyone means all ministers and church program directors. Learn from other people, carry out what they say if it looks possible in your situation, be willing to fail, and adapt quickly to “the new” (which seems a daily occurrence).

 

  1. Get a coach or a support group
    1. Find someone who has gone down the same path that you are on and who is willing to walk with you. That person will ensure that you avoid the pitfalls (and tell you about the experiences she or he had in that pitfall), see the rewards, and push you farther down the road.
  2. Meet monthly (at least)
    1. Monthly meetings give you time between meetings to implement what you discussed. Make these meetings a priority on your calendar and help your church understand how these meetings help you and the church.
  3. Talk strategically, not trivially
    1. Strategic items help you and the church do things more efficiently, more effectively, and more excellently. Be strategic in your conversations and actions. Think long-term about what you plan and need to. Be intentional about how you’re going to carry out these actions.

 

The flip side of this is that you must also be a coach to someone. You have valuable experience and knowledge which you need to use to help someone else. If you do not use your own expertise, then you are robbing someone else of your help. In short, make learning a life-long opportunity and routine AND also be a life-long teacher yourself.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: church staff, leadership, strategy Tagged: , ,

Personal Coaching-Why (part 1 of 2)

Posted on April 7, 2015 Written by

As I talk with seasoned pastors and leaders, almost all of them tell me it is increasingly harder to be a pastor due to the variety of demands. They need to know more, do more, and be more in the church while being an excellent spouse, parent, and civic leader. Pastors need someone to help them and a coach or mentor can help. A coach need not be a paid counselor; a coach can be something as simple as a good friend – but the critical issue is complete honesty.

  1. Set priorities
    1. All too often a pastor will place professional ahead of personal time and the family suffers. A coach can help the pastor determine which meetings he or she needs to attend and which family issues need attention.
  2. Be a release valve
    1. Pastors are really good at hiding. They have to be so that they don’t betray confidences. But at some point they must open up to someone or else they might explore emotionally. A coach can provide a gentle and confidential opportunity for a pastor to share things he or she can’t share with anyone else and then gain some perspective from another person’s view.
  3. Be accountable
    1. Who looks the pastor in her or his eye and asks for the truth? Other than a spouse, not many (if anyone). A coach can keep a pastor emotionally honest by asking and even demanding truth-filled answers, not shallow replies that pastors can sometimes get away with.
  4. Establish goals
    1. Someone needs to help a pastor determine his or her professional and personal goals. Staff and even a church personnel committee rarely understand the complexities of a pastor’s role. A mentor can challenge a pastor’s self-establish low-hanging goals and establish higher goals. The coach must then follow-up throughout the year on these goals.
  5. Be an understanding ear
    1. Sometimes a coach just needs to listen. Sometimes a pastor just needs to talk about what is going on in his personal and professional life. Sometimes a coach doesn’t need to coach but just hear. Sometimes pastors need someone who has been there and is isn’t critical of what is happening. Sometimes a coach just needs to be a pastor.

 

A coach provides detached distance, non-emotional advice which is needed so much today for pastors and frankly for everyone in leader roles. If you don’t have a coach, get one and listen.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: church staff, leadership, strategy Tagged: , ,

Church Cuts

Posted on January 20, 2015 Written by

Churches spend money on three things

  • Staffing: church personnel form the heart and brains in leading the work of the church
    • If you cut staff, you may need to replace with untrained volunteers
  • Buildings are the skin and skeleton of the church that holds everything in place and in its place
    • If you cut buildings, you save on infrastructure but it is expensive to tear down and re-build
  • Programming is the blood and muscle of a church; this is what gives the church energy and motion and dynamism
    • If you cut programming, you end up with staff sitting in their offices and nothing to attract people and give the church a mission

 

Where does a church cut its budget when it desperately needs to cut?

 

My first answer is, nowhere. Instead of cutting, the very first thing you do is to raise income. Do all you can to encourage generosity among your members, show them the results of what they’ve done in the past, help them experience the joy of giving, and let them see the people who have been helped by their tithes and offerings.

 

My second answer is, everywhere. IF you absolutely must cut AND you have really tried to raise funds, then you are at a critical point in your church’s future.

  • It may be time to close the church down. Seriously – if people are not willing to give more to help the ministry of the church, then perhaps it is time for the church to close its doors. Think about it – actually, you probably already have thought about closing down the church.
  • The other option in the “everywhere category” is to cut a staff person, and the programs overseen by that person, and shutter the rooms used by that ministry area (lights, AC, heat, cleaning, etc.). This is an “All of the above” strategy.

 

Often churches cut everything by 10% or 20%. That won’t resolve the crisis because you keep doing the same ministry and programs with the same staff in the same rooms but now you’re trying to do it on the cheap. Ministry on the cheap results in cheap ministry. That is no way to do ministry. Death by inches is what people do when they are afraid to lead.

 

When gangrene sets in and antibiotics don’t stop it, sometimes the only option is amputation. It is dramatic, traumatic, painful, and requires learning a new set of skills. But you can get a prosthetic limb. It won’t be as good as the original but it will give you much (not all) of the same functionality you had before. Churches need to be willing to sever some staff & programs (and close down building wings). Cutting one or two of the three isn’t enough. Decide what is the main focus of the church and provide staffing, buildings, and programming money for that. Anything that isn’t a part of the Main Thing is removed. It might be replaced later but if it is not needed now, it is done away with.

 

Before you cut, raise money. But if you cut, cut strategically and not indiscriminately.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: budget, church finances, church staff, leadership, strategy Tagged: , , , ,

The New Age of Résumés

Posted on December 30, 2014 Written by

Second career-seekers are sending out their résumés and making some mistakes. Here are some that I’ve caught. Please be careful with the content of what you say about yourself but also about the formatting. Formatting can tell a lot about you, too.

 

  • Do not send out your résumé in Word format. Save it as a PDF. Word docs can be changed; PDF’s cannot. You don’t want anyone to be able to change your information.
  • Do not include references. If the potential employer is interested in you, you will be asked for references. BTW, employers regularly scan Facebook and other social media to see what future employees say “privately” – be aware of what you post is public and permanent.
  • Do not put your address on your résumé. Put only your phone and email. Addresses can be used to search online for private information. For instance:
    • Google Street View: “drive by” a prospective employee’s home to see if the yard and home is maintained or littered with stuff. That tells a lot about the employee’s work habits.
    • Zillow: look up how much the person paid for the house to see what standard of living the employee has and that might indicate salary expectations
    • Taxes: look up public tax records to see if the person is current in their taxes or has had problems keeping up with that which could indicate whether the employee can handle money well
    • Other ways that are unimaginable to me and you

 

It is a different age now of searching for work than when I began in the pre-internet days but we must learn to adapt.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: church staff Tagged:

When A Church Member Pays Staff Directly

Posted on December 16, 2014 Written by

I recently received an email with this question:

Several years ago our church was having budget issues and cut salaries, including the organist. Apparently a member started giving the organist a monthly ‘gift’ to make up for the loss of pay. The church just became aware of this because the member didn’t give a check last month and the organist is looking for her monthly gift. The church knew nothing about it and that was between her and the member that the church was not involved. The church presumes the income is not being reported. Our question is can the church get in trouble for this?  Our thought is no because it is a ‘gift’ and the church is not involved.

My Response

Let me dissect this:

  • If the donor gave the money for the organist and the donor received tax deduction credit, then you have a problem.
  • If the organist got the money in a church check and it was not reported on the W-2, then you have a problem.
  • If the organist got the money in a church check and it was reported on the W-2, then you have a problem with #1.
  • If the organist got the money directly from the donor and the donor never got tax credit and the money never went through the church’s finances, then you are fine (no problem).

Going forward:

  • You still have time to change the tax deduction statement for the donor and the W-2 statement for 2014.
  • You can restate the organist’s W-2 for the prior years (however far back that goes) and quite frankly, that should be done, It will be a headache and it may trigger an IRS audit (BTW, the IRS rarely does a church audit for tax deduction purposes anymore but they are heavily into payroll fraud and will do a payroll audit in a heartbeat).
  • It will almost certainly cause the IRS to issue a penalty and interest statement for unpaid employer FICA.
  • I would also re-issue the donor tax deduction statements for the prior years. If the IRS audits the donor, then the donor can choose to show the IRS the incorrect statements (which were sent out years before) or the newer/corrected statements.
  • Someone needs to have a conversation with the financial assistant.
  • AND (strongly encouraged), get the financial assistant some continuing ed.
  • Everyone should have continuing ed since laws & taxes change.
  • It’s required in some professions (lawyers, doctors, CPAs) and should be required in every profession

Whether or not it is a gift is inconsequential. It is income to the organist and thus should be taxed: Federal, State, and BOTH employee and employer FICA. What matters is whether the gift went through the church’s financial system for both the donor and organist.

As to your financial assistant: at the least she needs some continuing education and training; at the worst she should be terminated. Either way, this incident should be documented and placed in her personnel jacket.

 

The good news in this case is that evidently the money was not going through the church but going directly from the member to the organist, circumventing the church. But that is also the bad news – there is a church member going rogue and funding his or her own favorite thing.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

 

Filed Under: church staff, leadership Tagged: ,

Background Checks

Posted on November 18, 2014 Written by

Background checks are one of the many things in the past few years which have changed the way we do church. It is a legal necessity and not doing them can put a church in a legal hot spot. The best question to ask is the prudent person rule: What would a prudent person do in this situation? That is the rule of thumb I’ll use to answer the following

  • Frequency

o   There is no legal requirement for how often a background check should be done. A good rule is to do them once every three years. Every five years is too infrequent and every year is too expensive.

  • Cost

o   Basic background checks cost $10 to $15 for a social security number check, sex offender, criminal check, and address confirmation. However, some state, county, or city governments do not put their information online which means the background check companies spend extra money to obtain that info and they’ll pass that cost on to their customers. These additional fees can push a check up to $30 or $35.

o   There are more extensive background checks which cost more money but those should only be done if there is cause.

  • Who

o   The scope of who gets a background check must be defined clearly. The recommendation from a professional in this field is that your “average” volunteer have a basic background check. If something is uncovered, then a more extensive background check could be done or using that information, eliminate the person immediately.

o   Minors cannot have a background check without the permission of their parents. Typically I do not do background checks on minors. However, minors can be charged with adult crimes. For instance, I did a background check on an 18 year old woman who, the year before, had been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

  • How “deep”

o   Most background checks are pretty superficial and that is sufficient. You don’t want to go prying into someone’s past. That is not what a prudent person would do – do just enough to get the necessary info without being intrusive.

  • Who receives the reports?

o   There should be one responsible person to receive and review the background checks. Never share this information unless it is absolutely necessary and typically it is not.

o   If something is discovered, it is best to meet with the person and explain what was found and how, if at all, that will affect their work at the church, whether as a volunteer or employee. The person already knows the reason for the visit but it is good for them to know that the church knows, too.

o   For instance, I have a three-year rule for traffic citations but DUI citations are a lack of good judgment which require more time to elapse (about 5-10 years).

  • Sharing the information

o   The data in the report is personal and confidential. Only a very few people at a church should have access to this information. The person on whom the check was done can get a copy of their background check – that is perfectly acceptable since it is all about that person. I’ve even given the background check to an employee who volunteered in another organization; he gave the report to them and saved them the cost of a background check.

  • Finance Office Staff

o   Those with access to the church’s money have a higher threshold. For this staff I recommend an annual credit check. That is more expensive but it means that once a year, someone is reviewing a document which will reveal if a person has undue debt and is thus open to embezzlement to take care of their financial problems.

Always be sure that you can, with integrity, answer this question:

“Can you stand in front of a judge and tell him or her that you did everything that a prudent person did to protect the children who were in your care?”

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: church safety, church security, church staff Tagged: , ,
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