From
time to time people will ask me what to look for in a good church working
environment. In order to answer this I
have created two lists: 10 things to look for in a church you attend and 10 things to look for in a church where you work. If you are in transition
for whatever reason, here are 10 things to look for in a local church where you
might work.
1. Integrity: Are the
stated values of the church shared and defined?
Do people act on these or are they just thoughts that no one really
lives by. Are people held accountable to
the shared values? Does the senior leadership
submit to these values or are they “above the law?”
2. Commitment
to following Jesus: Does the leadership talk about their
relationship with Christ? Is this part
of your staff meetings? My current boss asks me weekly how my personal
relationship with Christ is going weekly.
In 15 years of full-time ministry he is the only boss to ask me this
consistently.
3. Care for
staff families: Is the church relationally intelligent? Do they care about their staff’s
families? I have one friend who works at
a well-known mega-church whose boss routinely calls home to his wife to see if
there is anything he can do to help his family.
He asks about workload, time commitments and financial support. This shows great care for the entire
family. It will serve to keep great
staff longer and motivate staff even deeper if they feel they are more than
just part of a ministry machine.
4. Developing
vs. Using staff: Does the church value the developing of
leaders as part of their mission? Do
they have a process for this? Funding
for education? Is there upward mobility
or will you have to leave the church if you feel God is calling you to another
type of ministry? In a meeting with
David Browning, Senior Pastor of Christ the King Community Church, he told me
that he believes that the future success of CTK will be based on how many
leaders they can grow. “I realized a
number of years ago that I had to stop looking at it like they work for me and
had to approach it like I work for them!”
Is your senior pastor insecure?
Will he limit the success of those below him if he feels threatened by their
gifts and leadership abilities?
5. Work-Life
balance: Quite simply, does the church demonstrate a
biblical theology of work-life balance?
All of us should be motivated to expand the kingdom, but not to the
detriment of those closest to us, our families.
Some pastoral friends of mine work in cultures where they are required
to work 6 days a week. Some have job
descriptions with 65-75 hours a week. Is
that healthy? Is it biblical? Does the church teach work-life balance to
their members but expect quite the opposite from their staff?
6. Freedom: Will the
church allow you the space and resources to accomplish the work you have been
given? Is there a culture of trust or
suspicion?
7. Pursue vs.
Protect mentality: Is this church looking to the past or looking
ahead to the future? Are they protecting
past success or dreaming about what God has next. Is the ministry built for those who are not
here yet or for those who have been here for 20 years?
8. Heart: Why does the
church exist? What is the
motivation? Is it a call to reach those
far from God? Train leaders for the
future? Is it success? Ego? The legacy
of the Senior Leader? Make sure you have clarity on this before
you join in.
9. Leadership: How are the
staff meetings? Does staff look forward
to them? Are they a celebration? How does the staff honor each other? How does the leadership receive
feedback? Is honest and loving critique
well-received by leadership as a tool for growth and development? Is the leadership secure or insecure?
10. Conflict
Management: All relationships have conflict. How does this church handle conflict when it
arises? Is there a process? Is this handled with integrity? I recommend calling the last three people who
left that church to ask this question as well as the previous 9!
Now is volunteering considered as working too ?
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