Staff-Parish Relations Committee Responsibilities

By Rev. Tom Choi, Hawaii DS

OVERVIEW

Functions of the SPRC:

______to the pastor and staff.(Pastor)

______between staff and congregation.(Liaison)

______committee.(Human Resources)

Discern, recruit, and identify ______for ministry and lay speakers.(Candidates)

Bottom Line: The SPRC sets the tone and contributes more to the effectiveness (or all too often, the ineffectiveness) of a church’s ministry than any other committee.

APPOINTIVE PROCESS – SEE THE APPOINTMENT EPISTLE

“Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match.”

The United Methodist Church practices an appointive style of assigning pastors to churches. The bishop, in consultation with the cabinet of superintendents, makes the appointments. The bishop’s appointment is final. Pastors and churches are consulted in this process.

Late Fall: The pastor and the SPRC are each given a form requesting their preferences for appointment for the next appointment year (July 1 – June 30). The choices are:

  1. Stay in current appointment
  2. Move from current appointment
  3. Open to either staying or moving.

Regardless of preference, there is a request to describe the type of pastor or appointment preferred if a change is made (preference is not a guarantee).

Through the appointment request form and communication with the DS, the discernment for the next pastor begins with the bishop and cabinet in January.

Specific requests for pastors are inappropriate.

DESIGNATION: The bishop and the cabinet, beginning in late February at the very earliest, and right up to annual conference (sometimes even beyond), will begin designating pastors for appointment to a particular church or ministry. The meaning of “designation”: the pastor will be appointed to that church or ministry unless there is a compelling reason not to appoint.

INTRODUCTION: this is where the pastor has a meeting with the SPRC with the District Superintendent. At this meeting, the decision to go ahead with the appointment almost always occurs. Recommendation: insist on an in-person interview with the pastor.

CAN YOU TURN SOMEONE DOWN? Almost always not. Be aware that ultimately, the congregation must accept whoever the bishop finally appoints.

WELCOMING A NEW PASTOR

BEFORE YOUR NEW PASTOR ARRIVES

  1. Have members of the church (certainly the SPRC) send notes, e-mails, or other expressions of welcome and support. They are greatly appreciated. This includes the pastor’s spouse and children, as applicable.
  2. The leadership of the congregation should send as much materials about the church as possible: the mission and/or vision of the church and any written or established goals or vision plans; a written history of the church; the most recent charge conference report; annotated photos of the church and members (a pictorial directory is particularly useful); membership directory; financial reports/summaries; information about the community around the church. If your new pastor is new to Hawaii, information about Hawaii and local culture is also very useful, such as our custom of removing shoes when entering homes.
  3. Check with the district office about travel arrangements, shipping of household and vehicle, and other details, such as setting up health insurance, etc.
  4. Find out some of the technical/practical needs of the new pastor: e.g., does he or she need a new computer? Broadband or DSL is a must for most clergy. This should be set up in advance.
  5. Make sure that housing is arranged and livable before your pastor arrives, such as securing a rental, painting and repairing the parsonage, providing necessary furnishings.
  6. At annual conference, have your delegates arrange for opportunities for meeting with the new pastor. It is very nice to arrange for lei during the introduction of new clergy at the district meeting.

WHEN YOUR NEW PASTOR ARRIVES

  1. Have as many people as possible show up for the arrival (e.g., the airport), with lei, if possible.
  2. Fill the refrigerator and pantry of the pastoral residence with some basic items, such as milk, juice, fruit, cereal, etc., plus some prepared meals (find out the dietary preferences/restrictions in advance; a pot roast is awkward for a vegan) for a few days. Flower arrangements are also nice, especially personally assembled arrangements.
  3. On the first Sunday, use the service for welcoming from the Book of Worship. Present lei. Gifts for the pastor’s spouse and children are especially nice.
  4. Arrange for a tour of the church campus including the clean and tidy desk. This should include where all the water mains, electrical panels, etc. are located. It is usually the pastor who is around when those things are needed to be found.
  5. Within the first three months (but as early as possible), arrange an all-church event where the history of the church is explained by the memory of the people (which is more important than what actually happened). An alternative is to have several smaller groupings which introduce the pastor to the membership.
  6. By the end of the three months or no later than the end of the calendar year, work with the pastor in developing goals and objectives.
  7. Important principle: the first three weeks sets the tone of the first three months which sets the tone of the first three years. Help identify possibilities for a “quick, easy win.”

WHEN YOUR PASTOR DEPARTS—some suggestions as situations vary greatly

  1. A farewell reception or lunch on the final Sunday.
  2. A love gift for a farewell.
  3. Farewell gifts to the pastor’s spouse and/or children.
  4. Memorabilia (preferably non-bulky).

HOW TO HIRE STAFF AND CREATE A HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND PRODUCTIVE ATMOSPHERE

The four “C’s”:

_CharacterAre they faithful people? Are they emotionally grounded? Are they appropriate in interpersonal relationships? Do they respect appropriate boundaries?

_Competence______. Can they do the job that is required at a consistently excellent level? Do the job requirements match the gifts and skills of the person? Are they self-motivated?

__Chemistry______.Are they able to work within a team concept? Do they command respect and affection?

__Commitment_____.Are they committed to your church and place it at or near the highest priority in their lives? Does their life situation permit a strong commitment to the church?

Vitally important at the hiring stage: check all references…make sure application includes permission to contact at least the three most recent employers. Include a background check. In Hawaii, contact the district office for suggestions.

Always interview a church hire in person or video conference (don’t do conference phone calls).

Always go for the “Homerun.” Hire slowly and carefully, and let go as soon as possible if it’s not working. Have every staff-person sign a job application form that contains language that states the person is being hired “at will.”

Always have a 90 day probation period, which you may extend an additional 90 days.

Caution: be careful about hiring members of your church. Recommendation: never hire a member of the church unless they are not only a homerun, but a grand slam homerun! Otherwise, you will potentially risk mediocre or poor performance that will hamper your church’s ministry for years that will be nearly impossible to rectify without some incredibly awkward and damaging situations.This is particularly true for a church secretary/office manager position. The temptation is to hire a church member because “they know the congregation.”

Get great musicians…they are always worth it.

Be generous and encouraging…it will almost always pay off in the end. Remember: one outstanding employee will always do more than two or more mediocre ones. (don’t be penny wise and pound foolish; good stewardship does not always equal least expensive).

Assign a liaison from SPRC to each staff-person. This is the primary “pastor” to the staff-person. When a pastor has a family in addition, it is nice to assign a liaison to the spouse (maybe even other family members if necessary and desired).

Set Goals Objectives and have clear job descriptions. Encourage annual evaluations of the staff, using self-evaluations as a guide (see sheet).

Adopt a Personnel Policies Handbook.

WHEN THINGS COULD BE BETTER—HANDLING DIFFICULT STAFF SITUATIONS

First, communicate to the congregation that the appropriate body to handle concerns about a pastor or other staff-person is the SPRC.

When concerns about a staff-person are raised, discern the validity of the concern, and how widely shared the concern is. For example, if a person comes up to you and says, “People have concerns about so and so,” find out what that really means. Often, “people” means “my spouse and me,” or “my close friend and me,” or “me, myself, and I.”

One way of discerning the importance of a concern: the “3-1-6” ratio:

3 are very supportive + 1 is very unsupportive + 6 who don’t have a strong feeling either way = satisfactory ministry. When the unsupportive ratio creeps higher or louder or when the supportive ratio starts to slip, it is time to be more concerned.

Use the annual evaluation as an opportunity to give feedback.

Suggestion: In the case of a non-appointed staff person (someone not appointed by the bishop), have an initial meeting with the staff-person in question, the pastor(s), the liaison, and the chair of the SPRC. If necessary, have a meeting with the entire committee.

Document, document, document.

Finally, the administrative council/board or other body serving in that capacity must approve an SPRC recommendation for termination of a non-appointed staff person.

In the case of a pastor, when concerns reach a certain level (earlier rather than later), the superintendent should be contacted and kept informed.

ANNUAL MEETING WITH D.S. – THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Complete the SPRC report plus other forms.

CANDIDATES FOR MINISTRY

Common misconception: in the old system, the first thing a candidate for ministry does is come to the SPRC and church conference for formal approval.

New system: candidates do not receive formal approval from the SPRC and church conference unless they have first completed the following:

  1. Written a letter to the District Superintendent and been assigned a mentor.
  2. Applied for candidacy with Nashville.
  3. Completed the Tier 1 Psychological Assessment.
  4. Received and worked through at least ½ to 2/3 of the Candidacy Guidebook with the mentor.

REVIEW OF FORMS – MINIMUM COMPENSATION – SALARY AND BENEFIT –

ACCOUNTABLE REIMBURSEMENT POLICY

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND SUPPORT