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, XP, […]
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 more […]
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 need to […]
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 […]
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 personnel […]
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 hear that. […]
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 learned […]
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 required […]
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 we […]
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 visits […]
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 vacation […]
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 hourly administrative […]
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 have filled […]
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 pastor […]
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 to pay […]
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 may […]
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 currently […]
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 I’m stinging […]
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 and wonder […]
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 physical, […]
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 this […]
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 to retirees. […]
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 so nice […]
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, […]
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 keep me […]
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 doing hard […]
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 member. As […]
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 worship services. […]
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 applaud that you […]
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% of the […]
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, I’m not an […]
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 an exciting time […]
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 drafted my […]
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 our […]
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. The […]
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 of any […]
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 for […]
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 plans, job […]
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 if there […]
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 should have. Society […]
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 a […]
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, but need to […]
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 areas […]
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 lead the […]
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 the surface […]
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. I don’t […]
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. I’ve attached […]
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 perform […]
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 when […]
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 my […]
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. Can you […]
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 substantial backstory that […]
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?
DRF—I’m sorry […]
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 employer, to […]
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 a compelling […]
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 about this broad […]
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 do churches […]
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 law […]
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 XPastor Compensation Workshop […]
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 staff […]
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, right?
DRF—This question […]
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 be in […]
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 Martin, […]
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 ready […]
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 self work […]
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 you […]
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 Generosity Course. Let […]
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, as a […]
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 be […]
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 for salary data: […]
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 you submit […]
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, you need […]
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 to make […]
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 a Master […]
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 needs […]
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.
DRF—I’m not sure […]
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 Worship Ministry […]
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 XP position. […]
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 to fade […]
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 certain website […]
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 responsibility and […]
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 at me […]
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 should stay in […]
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 the staff. […]
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 some […]
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 do I […]
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 lots of […]
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 at the […]
