Why You Might Not Want to Replace Your Departing Church Staff Member

The scenario is common.

A church staff member submits his or her resignation. Perhaps the person senses God’s call to another church. All is well, except now you need to replace the staff person.

Or do you?

Too many churches hire staff by routine and tradition. The process is predictable. We have a vacancy. Start the search process. Make tweaks to the job description. Find someone to do the same job as the previous person. Hire them. Done.

There could be a better way. Look at some of these considerations before your church gets in the rut and the routine of “we’ve always done it that way.” Here are seven key questions you might ask.

1. Can our finances truly afford to replace this person with little change in responsibilities? Perhaps the answer is a resounding “no.” Or perhaps the new person can take on additional responsibilities. Doing things the way we’ve always done them does not allow for financial and stewardship questions.
2. Have the needs of the church and the community changed significantly? For example, I am surprised how few churches consider bringing someone on the team to lead in evangelism and community outreach. Yet, it is an incredible need in many churches.
3. Can the position be replaced with part-timers, a virtual worker, or volunteers? This movement is growing. Don’t ignore it. Our friends at Belay are leading a revolution when it comes to virtual workers.
4. Does the open position complement the pastor’s gifts and abilities? If the church had an administrative pastor…