Articles on Staffing
Whether you have a staff of 3, 30 or 300, your staff leads the way in growing the church in your community. Having the “right people on the bus, in the right seats” is important for the health of your staff and church. Are you treating your staff right and helping them grow in their abilities and spiritual walk?
Teacher Salaries
Hey Fletch—Why do you utilize teacher compensation data for comparison data? I don’t necessarily believe they are compensated very well on average. Fletch—Some folks don’t think teachers are paid a fair and living wage. [...]
Avoiding Succession Sins (or Potholes)
What has changed since Covid on Pastor Succession? What are the biggest mistakes and traps that do-it-yourselfers in this process tend to make? The webinar will address these topics and: How a church can [...]
Compensation: A How-to from the Salary Guru
Fletch knows church salaries! He will walk you and Mike through how to set compensation for your church staff. This will feature the just released Salary Forecaster 2025. The Forecaster is free and has [...]
Is There Life After Ministry?
Helping Staff Transition To What's Next A question that lingers in the hallways of church offices and in the hearts of some pastors is, "Is there life after vocational ministry?" We know ministry work [...]
When the Ground Shifts: Understanding the Magnitude of Ministry Transitions
Growing up in Southern California had its constants—the eternally pleasant 75-degree weather, the ever-congested freeways, and the notoriously high cost of living that always seemed to outpace a pastoral salary. It also had its [...]
5 Ways to Protect Against Being a Bad Boss
There was a recent study that showed that two Walgreens stores had completely different success metrics and employee retention even though they were close to each other, had the same clientele, had the same [...]
Unleashing the Potential of Performance Evaluations
Performance reviews: Everyone knows they’re necessary. Almost all organizations have the expectation that employees will participate in at least an annual review—a few attaboys or some harsh scolding—that will motivate that employee through their [...]
Is There Life After Vocational Ministry?
When I was a pastor, I would have days where I thought I was the luckiest person on earth. Standing in front of a couple renewing their wedding vows, preaching a message I was [...]
Sabbaticals—Sayonara or Siesta?
Leading a church can be a 24/7 role. Even when taking a regular day off, stress can accumulate over the months. Many churches have instituted sabbatical policies to help their key leaders get needed [...]
The Two Biggest “Misses” in DIY Senior Pastor Succession Plans
Pathbreaker Pastors and their churches deserve to see ministry momentum multiplied through a planned pastor succession process. Sadly, that rarely happens with churches and pastors that do it themselves. Why is that? Dave Travis [...]
An Important Ingredient in the Hiring Process
Long before I entertained the idea of being on staff at a large church, I was asked by our Executive Pastor to go to dinner with a candidate for our open Children’s Pastor position. [...]
The Power of a Restorative Sabbatical
Pastor, could God use a sabbatical to re-energize your passion, realign you with His direction for you and your church, and restore your soul towards sustainability in the next season of serving? Let me [...]
This is the Perfect Season to Add a Residency
When resources are tight, and getting tighter, it could be the perfect time to add a residency to your staff team. Residency is a two year ramp towards full time employment that gives you [...]
Managing Creatives
Creative types are leaving the church. Many feel overworked, burned out or had unrealistic demands. The creative person is essential for your church and has a huge role to play in Christ’s kingdom. Some [...]
Letting Your Pastor Go: Without Destroying the Pastor or Your Church
Church transitions are difficult, but they don't have to be destructive. No one gets into church leadership to scatter the sheep. They often want the best for the church and its members, but the [...]
Marketplace Team or Ministry Family?
If you knew there was someone out there who could tell you your future, wouldn’t you want them to tell you? In my book Transitioning Well, I give a glimpse into a possible future and [...]
Residency Programs in Churches
As a church leader, you might have a clear vision of your church’s next steps. Do you have the team that will help you get through those steps and each level beyond? Maybe you [...]
Seamless Succession Planning
Pastoral Succession has been a taboo topic for far too long, but the truth is that every pastor is an interim pastor. Whether you are ready or not, succession is going to happen. Will [...]
Senior Pastor Smart Succession
Lots of Senior and Lead Pastors are thinking about succession. In the next five years, pivotal leadership in your church could change. How you approach a succession can be the difference between sailing on [...]
3 Job Description Misses that Might Cost You
How accurate are your employees’ job descriptions? Most places I’ve worked might present a job description during the application process, but by the time the employee is one year in, their responsibilities have morphed [...]
The ROI Of Employee Engagement
A New Way To Measure Your People Development Efforts According to Gallup’s recent State of the Global Workplace report, 85% of employees are disengaged in their work. But how do we measure improving that alarming [...]
Working Remotely Challenges
Apple’s director of machine learning (Artificial Intelligence), Ian Goodfellow, resigned from his role just four years after joining Apple and returned to Google. Why? In his email to his team he said the change [...]
Insights on Compensation & Inflation
Compensation has a huge question mark this year. With inflation and a changing economy, churches are wondering how to pay their staff. Tune in to learn about new high-level data that ChurchSalary has to [...]
Are Furry Coworkers in Your Future?
Normal working conditions changed considerably in the past few years. I’m not sure we would have envisioned executives in pajamas from the waist down with a cat in their lap and kids running through the [...]
Taxable Sabbatical Expenses
Hey Fletch ... Our elders developed a sabbatical policy that provides our pastors with benefits that includes normal salary and benefits. There is additional pay for activities like meeting with mentors, studying, developing relationships [...]
Compensation in 2022: Raises, Bonuses, Perks and Inflation
This year is a crazy year for compensation. Inflation is high and house prices are even higher! How can you give adequate raises to your staff? What bonuses and perks should you offer? Fletch [...]
How to Create a Staff Structure that Supports Your Strategy
Building a team that is aligned and achieving mission together is one of the greatest joys of leadership. But most ministry leaders right now are feeling the pain of staff turnover and leaner teams, [...]
Hiring For Things You Can’t Find On A Resume
It can be easy for a candidate to look good on paper, however most times, a resume just scratches the surface. A resume can reflect more of a candidate's ability to reflect themselves in [...]
5 Things Great Teams Do Consistently
What separates the good teams from the great teams? Everyone has different opinions, but Holly and her team at Leadr have done the research and have found the 5 things that every great team does [...]
Hiring In 2022 & Beyond
Attracting Top Talent With Flexible Staffing Solutions Hiring takes an average 36 to 42 days from an application submission to the first day on the job. The gig economy, and other unconventional hiring methods, [...]
Marijuana, Edibles and CBD Policy
Hey Fletch … Should our church have a policy on the use of cannabidiol or CBD oil? Our Lead Pastor is concerned about this. This stuff is legal in our state. We have a [...]
Org Charts that Work
Designing an Organization Chart that Aligns, Empowers, and Unlocks Your Team Building a team that is aligned and achieving mission together is one of the greatest joys of leadership. How do you effectively design [...]
10 Things Your Hybrid Church Staff Wish You Knew
It's estimated that by the end of this year, 53% of the U.S. workforce will be remote. For comparison and perspective, just five years ago in 2017, roughly 5.2% of the workforce was remote. We [...]
How Not to Take on Undelegated Responsibility
Some personality types, like mine, simply love taking on a challenge and taking on responsibility. It comes naturally, especially for leaders. Taking responsibility is a good virtue and it is celebrated in every sphere [...]
Burnout in Your Church: Recognize the Signs
As someone who has been burned out, I know it’s not a question of if your staff is experiencing burnout, but how many of them are already burnt out. Most people have no clue. [...]
A Rule of Life for Executive Pastors in 2022
As I write this, it’s less than three weeks until 2022. Budgets are, by and large, complete. The staff Christmas party is right around the corner. Staff members are wrapping up the last of [...]
I’m a Controlling Pastor
The following is an anonymous article from a pastor. It could be from a senior or executive pastor, or a pastor who leads a department. No solutions are given to working with a controlling [...]
When We Let Staff Members Go
What Is Ours to Do When We Let Staff Members Go? A blanket of sadness covered the office that Thursday as we waited anxiously to know whose names would be called. It was eerily [...]
Finance Director Role Description
Enjoy this sample role description for a Finance Director. Note that it has percentages of time for each area. Always include percentages so that everyone is aware of time expectations. When doing an annual [...]
Mosaic Employee Handbook
Mosaic, a Jesus-centered community of Littleton, Colorado, developed an excellent Employee Handbook. With their permission, we are sharing their thorough work. Use it as a sample only. Consult an HR professional to get specifics [...]
The Great Resignation … and What To Do About It
Back in May, we started a discussion with William Vanderbloemen. At that time, he said: We’re calling 2021 'The Great Covid Churn.' Now, that churn has expanded into what is being called The Great Resignation. This [...]
Board Fires Pastor
The line from the Apollo 13 movie comes to mind: Houston, we have a problem. Many high-profile minister failings can be traced back to the board not holding the senior pastor accountable. This isn't just [...]
Balance Before Burnout
Dealing with Significant Church Issues Covid is the current stress factor for pastors. At day 584 and counting, it has brought many pastors to burnout, more than any other event in our lives. This [...]
Creating a Legacy Life Plan: What most older pastors said they should have done sooner
Join Fletch and Dave Travis, Director of Strategic Counsel to Pastors & Church Boards at Generis, for this fascinating topic. Dave has a vast perspective on how to build a productive legacy season in [...]
4 Ways To Avoid Burnout
Are you ready to trust—and relax? Because to avoid burnout, you need to encourage your church employees to pour back into themselves a little each day – while you reinvest in yourself, too – [...]
A Theological Case for Sabbatical Policies
Every faith-based organization—especially churches—should set itself apart from its business and government counterparts by putting a sabbatical policy in place not as a perk or a benefit but rather at the heart of its [...]
Hiring in the Post-Pandemic World
There is and will be a great deal of turnover in staff positions in the post-pandemic world. What do staff searches look like in this new landscape? Some think that it will be “same [...]
Assessing Ministry Competencies
The free e-book, Competencies of a Ministry Leader, is for any ministry leader, from the best peak performers to those burned out and needing rest. Wherever you are on that continuum, this assessment will [...]
Helping New Hires Succeed from the Start
Launch: The First 90 Days When a new hire begins working at your ministry or organization, the first 90 days are a critical time for them to get onboarded and start well. Studies show [...]
Employee Handbook of Christ Community Church
Sue McKinney is the Executive Director of Christ Community Church of Milpitas California. She is also a student in the XPastor courses. While taking 101—Staffing, she worked on the church's Employee Handbook. In the [...]
Mosaic Church Selected Job Descriptions
Kirk Morgan is the XP of Mosaic: A Jesus Centered Community of Littleton, Colorado. He created some high level job profiles for the staff in his first year as XP. These are perhaps the easiest [...]
Succession Planning & Post-Covid Hiring
We’re calling 2021 “The Great COVID Churn.” Because of the exhaustion, burnout, and uncertainty people have experienced over the last 12 months, Churches are seeing an enormous increase in turnover and hundreds of pastors [...]
Senior Pastor Succession: What the Executive Pastor Can Do to Help It Along
The pandemic season has done two things for a Senior Pastor succession thinking. For many, some long-term senior pastors under 60 years old and now planning to hand over leadership over the next few years. [...]
Hiring for the Future of the Church
If going through this recent pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that it’s critical for churches to have an online presence and engage with our online community. Not to mention, engaging digitally can fuel [...]
Ministry vs. Business Resumes
Hey Fletch … I have an excellent black and white style business resume but I’m not getting much response. After looking at the Great Resumes on XPastor, I may know why. Are churches really [...]
Code of Conduct
Hey Fletch ... We are hiring a part-timer in the tech area. The candidate is a great person, well qualified and a new believer. The issue is that I think he is living with [...]
Bad News Can Be “Bad News”
We’ve all been there. We’ve heard bosses, supervisors and even friends fumble, stumble and ramble when attempting to bring bad or difficult news to someone. Whether it’s a team or an entire company, a [...]
Determining Staff Salaries & Benefits for 2021
Fletch, William and Sutton walk through the vital area of church compensation and benefits. In a difficult year, many churches have faced reorgs and/or budget cuts, which means compensation and benefits must be assessed [...]
Internship Applications and Checklist
David Middlebrook talked with Fletch in the webinar, "Federal Courts Adopt Pro-Intern Approach." A question came about applications and checklists for interns. Dave was so kind as to offer to make these documents available. Thanks to [...]
Communications Director, Westover Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, 2,200 in worship
Director, Communications Scope The Communications Director is responsible for leading churchwide communications efforts to both promote and strategically communicate Westover Church vision and ministries AND to creatively draw people to Christ through various media. [...]
The Next Big Trend for Churches Post COVID
Fletch talks with William Vanderbloemen about the next steps for the church. We are in challenging times and COVID-19 is here for a while longer. Perhaps the end date will be the arrival of [...]
Communications Director, Chestnut Ridge Church in Morgantown, West Virginia, 2,500 in worship
Communications Director Time Commitment: Full-time Reports To: Programming Director Summary Responsible for alignment and standardization in communicating the Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategy of the church in various social media, electronic media, print, and [...]
How Churches Can Benefit From The Remote Workforce
It's estimated that by the year 2020, 43% of the workforce will be freelance, 60 million people. That’s roughly four times the number in 2015 of 15.5 million. Moreover, businesses and churches are discovering [...]
Modeling Leadership Transition
Leadership transitions are crucial. A successful handoff propels an organization forward in its vision and strategies. Rocky transitions cause multitudes of ongoing issues, from which some organizations never recover. This is true for churches, [...]
New Law Requires Employers to Pay Certain Benefits to Employees
Michael E. Batts, CPA, is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., Certified Public Accountants. Along with partner Michele Wales, CPA, and CPA Kaylyn Varnum, they unpack a complicated new regulation from the [...]
Church Hiring Toolkit
Tiffany Henning has created a helpful guide in "The Church Hiring Toolkit." She goes from A to Z, with: Carve out position A. Analyze current staffing structure for options and fit B. Describe the [...]
Background Check Blueprint
When making personnel decisions including hiring, retention, promotion, and reassignment, employers and organizations sometimes want to consider the backgrounds of volunteers and employees. For example, some organizations might try to find out about the person’s [...]
An HR Professional’s Perspective on Reference Checks
Tiffany Henning is an expert in human resource issues. Henning earned certifications of Professional Human Resource (PHR) and Chartered Retirement Professional Counselor (CRPC). She created a non-profit human resource network called HR Ministry Solutions [...]
Fletch Talks with Vanderbloemen about Staffing
Fletch continues his discussion with William Vanderbloemen about staffing in the church. Hear this noted leader talk about staffing and how it impacts your church. William Vanderbloemen is the CEO & Founder @Vanderbloemen. William is [...]
Knowing the Health of Your Staff
Few staff members feel they can be completely forthright with their superiors concerning “tough situations.” This puts church leadership in a jam. How can leaders know how staff are feeling about their pay, work [...]
How to Hire the Right People for Your Church Staff
The most expensive hire you will ever make is the wrong person. So how can you discern who’s the right person? Staffing is one of the greatest challenges church leaders face. Learn how to [...]
How to Have Conversations about Church Salaries
Conversations about salaries are difficult, but they seem to be even more difficult in the church. Veteran executive pastor David Fletcher has over 35 years of experience with these types of conversations. In this [...]
The Comprehensive List of Interview Questions for Church Staff
Great interviews hinge on one key component: great questions. And most great and wise people are always on the lookout for good questions. Have you ever noticed how often the Bible says, “Jesus answered [...]
Questions for Reference Checks
Hey Fletch … Are there any limits to the questions we can ask in a reference call? I ask because I used to work for a para-church organization and was involved in hiring a few [...]
Hiring Questions
Hey Fletch … I have a question about hiring a new staff member. I am the lead pastor at my church and have never been on this side of the hiring process. I know [...]
Sabbaticals
Hey Fletch … After 60 years of our church’s history, 28 years on the pastoral staff, our leadership has granted a 12-week sabbatical for our Senior Pastor. We have the material and suggestions on how [...]
Questions for a Senior Pastor Candidate
Hey Fletch … We have a senior pastor candidate who will be visiting our church this weekend, Thursday-Monday. I am attaching a list of questions that I think the board of elders should ask. Do [...]
Questions for an XP Interview
Hey Fletch … I am interviewing for an XP role in a church in another city in Europe. I am part of the shortlist of 3 people. Can you suggest some answers to prepare? DRF—Congratulations [...]
Bullying and Harassment
Hey Fletch … An article on XPastor mentions a doctoral dissertation by Dr. Art Hunt, I Never Expected This Would Happen To Me. I would be very grateful if you could let me know how [...]
Top 10 Questions Employers Wish They Had Asked
Everyone has regrets, but after a bad hire, those “should have asked” questions pile up quickly! While typically an employer thinks ahead of time what questions they want to ask someone in the interview [...]
Free Church Hiring Toolkit
Tiffany Henning, the Chief People Person of HR Ministry Solutions, is making available to the XPastor community her Church Hiring Toolkit. This is an excellent 24 page resource. She says "Afraid of strings attached? [...]
Free E-Book on Smart Succession
Dave Travis has a great e-book on Smart Succession. This is available for a free download from this page. Dave successfully steered Leadership Network for many years and now is the Director of Strategic Counsel [...]
Is Pastoral Compensation over $500,000 Excessive?
Thursday, February 14, 2019 Hey Fletch … no names or cities on this one … Few in our church know this and it might be disturbing to many if it leaked out. I just [...]
Bonuses for Staff
Monday, February 11, 2019 Hey Fletch … Can you give some thoughts about bonuses for staff? We are toying with the idea and don’t know what to make of it. DRF—There isn’t must hard [...]
Want To Become an XP
Thursday, January 31, 2019 Hey Fletch … I am looking to make a career change and looking for Executive Pastor positions. I was referred to you and thought I'd reach out to see if [...]
XP Residency Program
Monday, January 28, 2019 Hey Fletch … I’m looking for a church that could train me as an XP. I’d like to get hands on training about how to be an XP. While I have [...]
Issues with Assistant for a Blind Pastor
Hey Fletch … Our church is processing what I learned at the workshop on Smart Money for Church Salaries. We are trying to come to grips with part-time employees not being able to volunteer [...]
XP Job Description
Hey Fletch … I've been asked to take on the role of XP at our church. Would you be willing to review this job description and provide feedback? DRF—Congratulations on the new role. I’m thrilled [...]
Should Our Church Pay for Passports?
Wednesday, January 16, 2019 Hey Fletch … I’m wondering if you have any guidance around paying for employee’s passport? It's not expressly written that employees have to go on mission trips through the church [...]
Benevolence Gifts for Staff Pastor
Thursday, December 27, 2018 Hey Fletch … How do churches handle Benevolence Fund needs when a staff member is the candidate? The Board is trying to find out how other churches handle benevolence for [...]
PEO to handle Church HR
Wednesday, December 26, 2018 Hey Fletch … I recently hired a PEO to handle most of our HR services. On the first two payrolls they issued, they collected federal and state unemployment tax. Historically, [...]
Resume for a New Job
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am currently the executive pastor and will be transitioning away from this church at the end of this month. I wanted to share my resume with you [...]
Maximum Contributions in Affordable Care Act?
Saturday, December 15, 2018 Hey Fletch … Our church requires any employee who uses our health insurance to pay part of the premium. I heard somewhere that there is a maximum that we can charge. [...]
Volunteer Hours for Emergency Relief
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m wondering if our non-exempt staff can put in extra hours during an emergency. Do they have to be paid for this? I found this online as it [...]
Not a Pastor, Can I Lead a Wedding?
Hey Fletch … What does the Bible say about who can perform a wedding? Are they any state or federal laws on it? I’m asking because I’ve been asked to do a friend’s wedding but [...]
Two Jobs Pending
Saturday, December 8, 2018 Hey Fletch … Believe it or not, there are two churches that have offered me jobs. One is still getting the offer letter together and I have the offer from the [...]
Is the Associate Pastor Title Still Used?
Monday, December 3, 2018 Hey Fletch … At the SoCal Smart Money for Church Salaries workshop, I noticed that the title Associate Pastor did not come up. You mostly mentioned the titles of SP, [...]
Data on Health Benefits for Pastors
Saturday, December 1, 2018 Hey Fletch … I read your column from Monday, October 22, 2018 on “Poll of Church Health Insurance Benefits.” As you have looked into this, were you able to find [...]
Asking for a Raise
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m in the process of asking for a raise. However I do not know what is appropriate for my job title, years of experience and location. I [...]
House Down Payment for Pastors
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 Hey Fletch … I was at the Smart Money for Church Salaries workshop in Washington DC. Michael Martin from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability suggested I ask you a [...]
The Role of Care Pastors
Hey Fletch … I want to ask you about the structuring of our adult care ministry. We are a church of two campuses, with our main campus having 3,000 people per weekend. We care/minister to [...]
Excessive Compensation
Friday, November 16, 2018 Hey Fletch … When it comes to excess/unreasonable compensation, is this something to monitor on a per employee basis or an overall budget basis? I had someone tell me that the [...]
Looking for Nine Years for a Ministry Position
Thursday, November 15, 2018 Hey Fletch … What if one has been looking for nine years and submitted resumes to over fifty different churches with very few interviews. What should I do? DRF—I’m sorry to [...]
Fell Off Church But Now Want to Become a Pastor
Monday, November 12, 2018 Hey Fletch … God has showed my calling to many and I’m starting to see it. I fell off church due to a bad relationship. I've been through so much and [...]
Paid Time for Classes
Saturday, November 10, 2018 Hey Fletch … If a church requires its ministry staff to attend a course, such as a discipleship class, after hours, 3 hours a week for 12 weeks, is the church [...]
Free Webinar: I Have Salary Data—Now What?
Pastors get swamped by the tedious amount of salary information now available online. Just a few years ago, there was little data available. The challenge now is sorting through the best information for your [...]
More Questions on Paying Salaried People for Hours Worked
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 Hey Fletch … Thank you for your earlier response to my question about how our church is paying salaried people for the number of hours worked. My church leaders are insisting [...]
Are Preschool Teachers Exempt Employees?
Monday, November 5 Hey Fletch … Our church has a preschool with part-time teachers. We have been treating them as exempt employees, as they are teachers. They don’t get paid for working after hours, home [...]
Could Someone Else Lead This Ministry Better?
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’ve been in my role at the church a long time. I suppose that I’m a little tired … never had a sabbatical or taken much of my [...]
Not Reporting All Hours on a Time Card
Tuesday, October 30, 2018 Hey Fletch … I hope your ongoing national workshop tour with Smart Money for Church Salaries is going well. I have a question for my church. We have a part-time [...]
Cancel the Job Posting
Monday, October, 29, 2018 Hey Fletch … We need to cancel our job posting on XPastor. We placed a job on XPastor for a three month period. Exactly three months to the date, we [...]
Interim Pastors
Saturday, October 27, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am an intentional interim pastor working with Interim Pastor Ministries. In the past 7 years, I have served 4 different churches, 3 of which had their [...]
Overtime for an Administrative Assistant on a Retreat
Thursday, October 25, 2018 Hey Fletch … We have a full-time youth pastor and a part-time youth administrative assistant. We have a youth retreat coming up and we are trying to figure out how [...]
Preparing for a Senior Pastor Resignation
One day, you may have the conversation. This is one of those ultimate conversations in your ministry life. It may come out of the blue. You may have some signs it is coming. You [...]
Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Update
California has recently updated the requirements for sexual harassment prevention training. Your state may have similar regulations. The bottom line---train all staff. Tiffany Henning at HR Ministry Solutions, XPastor's go-to resource for HR information, [...]
Can We Pay Exempt Staff for the Number of Hours Worked?
Tuesday, October 23, 2018 Hey Fletch … For exempt workers, is it required that they receive a regular salary payment, independent of the number of hours they work? If they work under 40 hours, we [...]
I Didn’t Get the Job
Saturday, October 20, 2018 Hey Fletch … The church decided to go with an XP from a really large church. So, I didn’t get the job. Do you have any thoughts for me as [...]
How to Determine a Salary at a New Church
Thursday, October 18, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am currently a pastor and am up for a new position at another church. I am going to have another interview with the Finance Committee soon [...]
Policy on Allegations of Staff Misconduct
Monday, October 15, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am doing research to update our policy manual and personnel handbook. What policies can you point me to that pertain to allegations toward a staff person about [...]
Pastor Doing Outside Consulting Work
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 Hey Fletch … Do you have any articles that deal with pastors doing freelance work? This might be coaching or consulting that is outside of their formal church work. How does [...]
Gifts for Retiring Staff
Monday, October 8, 2018 Hey Fletch … We have had some long tenured staff who are going to retire. With previous people who have retired, we have awarded gifts in varying amounts from $3,000-$5,000 [...]
Hiring an African-American XP
Saturday, October 6, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m a Senior Pastor and we are looking for a proficient African-American XP. We don't know where to go to find good candidates. Can you help? DRF—It is [...]
Thoughts About Moving On
Hey Fletch … I have been feeling that I should move on from this senior pastor position. I’m not a pushy person. But to stay, I will have to be quite forceful with several leaders. [...]
Church Hired Someone Else
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Hey Fletch … After a long process, I learned that the church is not going to hire me as the XP. The are hiring someone else. The church wants to [...]
3.5% Raises Every Year
Friday, September 28, 2018 Hey Fletch … Our church has been giving annual raises every year for a long, long time. They are 3.5% for every staff person. The thinking is that everyone is [...]
Supervising a Friend
Thursday, September 27, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have a dilemma. It’s a strange problem and I’m struggling with it. As the XP, I am both a close friend and supervisor to a staff [...]
Plan for a New Hire
Monday, September 24, 2018 Hey Fletch … As a Senior Pastor of a new and growing church, I have a staff member leaving. The role is the 10 hour a week, director of the [...]
When to Apply for an XP Position?
Saturday, September 22, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am looking to improve and learn additional skills to become an XP. In the mean time, is it appropriate to apply for an XP position? DRF—I [...]
Comparing Benefit Costs
Friday, September 21, 2018 Hey Fletch … In prepping for a personnel committee meeting next week, the question arose as to the way we cover health insurance for our employees. We currently pay 100% [...]
360 Reviews for Senior Pastors
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 Hey Fletch … Do you have any experience or connection with a church that has employed a 360 type evaluation of the Senior Pastor? DRF—While I have done 360 reviews, [...]
How to Become a Pastor
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am becoming more and more interested in becoming a pastor. I am not sure what the best route would be. What do you advise? DRF—This is [...]
Questions for a First Interview
Saturday, September 15, 2018 Hey Fletch … Hey I have a first interview for a position on Friday. Any tips? What kind of preparation should I do? What questions should I ask them? DRF—Before I [...]
Who is Exempt on the Church Staff?
Saturday, September 8, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am confused about exempt and nonexempt employees. My understanding is that an employee paid an hourly rate is not exempt. Are there exceptions? I’m under the impression [...]
5 HR Myths that Can Self Destruct Your Ministry
You heard the calling. You received the commission. You found the location. Your team is now gathered and serving the community, and God is moving in amazing ways! But then, you receive another call. [...]
Reviewing the Senior Pastor
Monday, September 3, 2018 Hey Fletch … Can you point me to resources Boards may use for setting up a system to evaluate the Senior Pastor? DRF—The best place to start when considering a review [...]
Senior Pastor Just Resigned
Thursday, August 30, 2018 Hey Fletch … I just resigned as Senior Pastor. Unfortunately the situation here has become unworkable. The most caring choice I can make is to move on to give a chance [...]
HR Functions in a Church Database
Saturday, August 25, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have a guy who has asked about HR functions and their integration with software like Church Community Builder. Do you know of processes for reviews, strategic [...]
Need Help on Developing a Salary Matrix
Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Hey Fletch … We are developing a salary matrix where each tier of employment has ranges from low to max. I have been working on this, but wanted to know [...]
HR Policies
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 Hey Fletch … Do you have toolbox of what are the most essential Human Resources policies to have? DRF—That’s a big question. Unfortunately, there are many policies that a church [...]
Fletch and Monty Kelso Talk on Retirement Income
Fletch and Monty Kelso shared a conversation about salaries and retirement. Monty is the President of SlingShot Group. Slingshot guides churches with staff searches and helps many with compensation issues. Fletch and Monty took [...]
Template for Job Descriptions
Monday, August 13, 2018 Hey Fletch … Do you have a resource or a template for writing job descriptions? DRF—In churches there are three types of job descriptions. They can all look fairly similar, [...]
Pastor Buying a House in an Expensive Location
Saturday, August 11, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m really looking forward to the Smart Money for Church Salaries workshop! Perhaps you’ll cover this there, but can you share insight into how churches in affluent [...]
Staff Evaluations
Monday, August 6, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am a new XP to the church I serve and staff evaluations are coming up. My previous experiences at churches are either too formal (a graded [...]
How Important is the Leader of Evangelism?
Thursday, August 2, 2018 Hey Fletch … How important is the leader of evangelism? What are the top three areas that the leader should be driven to succeed? DRF—There are many titles for people who [...]
Health Cost-Sharing Ministries
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have a question about rising medical costs for employers. There are several Christian-based health cost-sharing ministries, such as MediShare, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and Samaritan Ministries. On [...]
Pastor Told to Retire at Age 65
Friday, July 20, 2018 Hey Fletch … I just got out of a meeting with my XP. He told me that the church has a policy that pastors have to retire at age 65. [...]
Hiring a Care Pastor
Thursday, July 19, 2018 Hey Fletch … I was in a class of yours in the Doctor of Ministry program at Dallas Seminary. As Senior Pastor of our church, we’re hiring a care minister. [...]
Church Musicians: Employees or Independent Contractors?
Are the musicians your church pays to perform for worship services and other church events employees or independent contractors? Contrary to what some churches may believe, whether a musician paid by a church to [...]
Giving a Pastor a Sign-on Bonus?
Saturday, July 14, 2018 Hey Fletch … We are paying a pastor a sign-on bonus that has filed their 4361 and at the same time has a W4 with the church. What is the church’s responsibility [...]
Is My Resume Top-Notch?
Thursday, July 12, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have been in management for over 25 years and now feel God’s call to move into an Executive Pastor position. I would like your help with making [...]
Are Employment Applications Necessary for Churches?
Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Hey Fletch! We are a small but growing church that typically hires from within our own membership. We are considering adding an employment application but don't know where to begin. [...]
My Boss Wants Me Out
Monday, July 9, 2018 Hey Fletch … My boss wants me out. She came into my office last week and essentially said “You are done here.” What should I do? DRF—Often there is a [...]
Thinking about Applying for an XP Position
Friday, July 6, 2018 Hey Fletch … I was thinking about applying for the open XP role at our church. Then I found out the church quickly and quietly hired an insider. Is this typical? [...]
How Do Pastors Pay Federal Tax?
Wednesday, July 4, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m new to working in a church and think that our business office got my taxes wrong. They said that federal law requires the church, as the [...]
Time Cards for Pastors
Friday, June 29, 2018 Hey Fletch … Are my people working hard enough? Should we use time-cards for pastors? DRF—This is similar to yesterday’s question about administrative assistants. People work incredibly hard when they have [...]
How Do You Treat Administrative Assistants?
Thursday, June 28, 2018 Hey Fletch … How do you treat administrative assistants? DRF—Sometimes email is remarkably incomplete. There must be a huge story behind your question. Let me share a couple of thoughts [...]
Worship Leader Resume and Reel
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m beginning to write the script for my worship reel. What do you think are the most important things to hit on in that video. What subjects [...]
Smart Money for Church Salaries: Michale Martin Interviews Fletch
Salaries for pastors have unique challenges and quirks that need to be addressed. In this podcast, Michael Martin of ECFA interviews Fletch on this hot topic. Tune in to make sure your church obeys the [...]
What Others Say About Smart Money for Church Salaries
Dan Busby President of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Establishing a fair and legally compliant compensation structure for your church is critical—and it won’t happen by accident! The new, one-day [...]
Senior Pastor Is Going to Burn Out Soon
Friday, June 22, 2018 Hey Fletch … Thank you for checking back on us. Our lead pastor is an amazing preacher and leader. However, we all fear he does too much. He is micromanaging the [...]
Does a Church Pay Social Security on a Pastor’s Salary?
Thursday, June 21, 2018 Hey Fletch … For a pastor that has been licensed by the Board of Elders, my assumption is that the church should not withhold any Social Security or Medicare tax, [...]
Is a Senior Pastor Transition Just a Holding Pattern?
Wednesday, June 20, 2018 Hey Fletch … Our senior pastor is leaving soon. It looks like we will have a 12 to 24 month transition period. It that just a time for ministries to [...]
ECFA Podcast with Fletch on Salaries
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability recently said, "XPastor to the Rescue with Church Salary Workshops." Compensation can be a murky issue for churches. Few resources are available that are both approachable and accurate. Michael [...]
Big Announcement at Meeting’s End
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 Hey Fletch … I met with our volunteer drummer last night. We talked for an hour about life and ministry. At the end of the time, just as we were about [...]
Thursday is Think Time
Friday, May 25, 2018 Hey Fletch … I have all Thursday called #NMT (No Meeting Thursday) and set it aside to do just that. I only do strategic planning. I don’t do any other [...]
Pay Staff to not Take Health Insurance
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 Hey Fletch … Thanks again for such a great XP-Seminar. It is truly run with excellence and is so helpful to me. Here’s a quick question for you or whoever [...]
XPastor Course Syllabus
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 Hey Fletch … is there a syllabus available for the XPastor Staffing Course, Operations 101? I took your Generosity Course and enjoyed it! DRF—I’m so glad that you enjoyed the [...]
Part-Time Pastor Ready to Burn Out
Saturday, May 12, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m a church planter. We have a part-time pastor on our staff. Her husband makes a good living and we would love to pay her more. However, [...]
Compensation Survey Data
Thursday, May 10, 2018 Hey Fletch … I noticed that some of the data in XPastor’s Compensation Survey seems dated. I'm sure if you made a plea to all the XP viewers they would [...]
Worship Pastor Salaries
Wednesday, May 9, 2018 Hey Fletch … Do you have any data on salaries for worship pastors or music directors? I’m interested in both full and part time. DRF—There are a number of sources [...]
Leading Through a Senior Pastor Transition
Monday, May 7, 2018 Hey Fletch … Just wanted to say thanks for this XPastor.org article: Leading Through A Senior Pastor Transition. DRF—Chuck Olson, one of the XPastor Community, wrote that article. I’m so [...]
Key Salaries in a Church
Saturday, May 5 Hey Fletch … Where should I email the compensation survey questionnaire I filled out for you? DRF—XPastor has a Compensation Guide available for $49. You can get a $15 discount if [...]
Paying Teenagers at Church
Friday, May 4 Hey Fletch … Quick question for you. What is the best way to pay teenage minors who do occasional child care work for the church? DRF—Whether they are occasional or not, [...]
Can I Use the Online Employee Handbooks?
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 Hey Fletch … Is it ok if I use the employee handbooks on XPastor to create my own? I didn't see anything that states they are copyright protected, but wanted [...]
Torn Between Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor Roles
Friday, April 27, 2018 Hey Fletch … Hi again! Been a couple years. Followed your advice. Finished my MBA. Started and currently running my own business. And this year began taking night courses for [...]
Sample Church Employment Application
Churches have asked for sample Employment Applications. Use this as a basis for your own application form. XPastor supplies this information for education purposes only. Consult an attorney or labor specialist to determine the [...]
Hiring Church Staff
Friday, April 20, 2018 Hey Fletch … Here in Nigeria I have a question. I would like to know if there are templates on church staff recruitment decision making … like a decision grid. [...]
Worship Pastor for 30+ Years Wants to be an XP
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Hey Fletch … I've been on the phone with a friend where my son is on staff. He suggested that I reach out to you. I've served 30+ years in [...]
Key Selection Criteria for Hiring an XP
Monday, April 9, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am just working to word up some Key Selection Criteria and interview questions to present and get signed off so we can move to advertise the [...]
I’m a Paid, Professional Christian
Tuesday, April 3, 2018 Hey Fletch … I feel like I’m a paid, professional Christian. I work in a church as a pastor and it is feeling like a job. The joy is begging [...]
Ministry Jobs & ‘Seminary School’
Friday, March 23, 2018 Hey Fletch … Seems it is quite hard to find a job at a church unless you have gone to Seminary school. I live in Austin, Texas. Is there a [...]
One Size Fits All Retirement Plan
Saturday, March 17, 2018 Hey Fletch … My question is regarding retirement and employer contributions. We've had a one size fits all approach but now our staff has grown in numbers and levels of [...]
Working 65 Hours and Not Getting It Done
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Hey Prof … I’m about maxed out in my job at church. I’m putting in 65 hours a week and still not getting it all done. My wife is fussing [...]
Four-Wall Discussions
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’ve heard you use the term “four wall discussions.” Could you define that for me? DRF—I call certain meetings “four-wall discussions” to signify that what is said [...]
Scaling Wages As the Church Grows
Monday, March 5, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m in a small church with a few part-time paid staff. We are hoping to grow them into full-time positions over the next 2 years, plus expand [...]
Validating Information About Staffing
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Hey Doc … I’m in XPastor’s class on Staffing. The class is going well! Most is fairly straightforward and there are nuggets of insight that I am able to pull [...]
Evaluating Senior Pastor Salaries
Saturday, February 24, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’m using the XPastor Compensation Survey. We are beginning the process of hiring a Senior Pastor and the Board is wanting to evaluate all salaries. We have [...]
Expediting an Unpaid to Paid Staff Role
Thursday, February 22, 2018 Hey David … I will become an Assistant Pastor within three months. Initially, this will be an unpaid position. It will become paid once the church can afford me. How [...]
HR Policy and Best Practices
Tuesday, February 20, 2018 Hey Doc … Our church isn’t of a size to yet need an HR person on staff. Yet, I need help on HR policy and best practices. Our state has [...]
Lifetime Salary from a Church
February 16, 2018 Hey Fletch … A guy just told me that he has a lifetime salary from his church. What are your thoughts about that kind of retirement plan? DRF—In a GuideStone presentation [...]