XPastor tries to help churches out by providing some of the essentials for running a church—items like job descriptions, employment applications, employee handbook, review forms and policies. Below are the 2007 Family on Staff Procedures of BCF Church.
Below are our Family on Staff Procedures, for issues causing possible conflicts of interest or perceptions of nepotism. The following statements are in our current Personnel Manual. They do not address our current family on staff structure.
I. Open-Door Policy
BFC recognizes that Support Staff Members will have suggestions for improving the workplace, as well as complaints about the workplace. The most satisfactory solution to a job-related problem or concern is usually reached through a prompt discussion with your Department Head. Please feel free to contact your Department Head with any suggestions and/or complaints.
If you do not feel comfortable contacting your Department Head or are not satisfied with your Department Head’s response, please submit your complaint or suggestion in writing to the Executive Pastor. The Executive Pastor will review your written submission and provide you with a resolution. If this resolution is not acceptable, you may appeal to the personnel committee of the Board of Elders. This committee consists of the Chairman of the Board, an additional Elder, the Senior Pastor and the Executive Pastor. Their decision will be final.
While the Church provides you with this opportunity to communicate your views, please understand that not every complaint can be resolved to your satisfaction. Even so, BFC believes that open communication is essential to a successful work environment and all Staff Members should feel free to raise issues of concern without fear of reprisal.
II. Termination
A. Voluntary Terminations
If you decide to leave your employment with BFC, we ask that you give us at least two week’s written notice. This will give us the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments in our operation. Please return all property owned by the Church (e.g., vehicles, computers, keys, uniforms, identification badges, credit cards) prior to your departure.
B. Involuntary Terminations
While the decision to commence employment is consensual, the same is not always true when the time comes to terminate the employment relationship. As an at-will employer, the Church reserves the right to end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice. In the event your employment is terminated, please return all property owned by the Church to the Department Head prior to your departure.
C. Reductions in Force
While the Church hopes to continue growing and providing employment opportunities, ministry conditions, and other factors are unpredictable. Changes or downturns in any of these or other areas could create a need to restructure or reduce the number of people employed. In light of these uncertainties, please be advised that it may become necessary to conduct layoffs at some point in the future.
In the event that the Church determines to lay off any Staff Member or a number of Staff Members, the Church retains full discretion to select which Staff Member(s) will be laid off.
Our Current Family on Staff
Michelle is employed as a Director in Children’s Ministry and Lori as the Department Head of Women’s Ministries, World Outreach and Communications. Also, we have Robert Warren as daytime custodian and his wife Danielle as the Children’s Administrative Assistant.
The Warrens do not represent any need for special procedures since they are in completely different departments and there is no supervision overlap.
However, with Michelle (Executive Pastor’s daughter) and Lori (Senior Pastor’s wife), there is a need for clear steps of action if issues are raised by them regarding their employment situation or issues about them are raised by others.
If either of them have issues with their employment by the church involving supervision, pay, benefits or other employment matters, they should contact the chairman of the Board and request a meeting with the Elder’s Personnel Committee. They should not bring those issues to the Executive Pastor or the Senior Pastor. The Executive Pastor and Senior Pastor should not be involved in any of the discussions in the Personnel Committee meetings or Elder meetings if their family member is directly involved.
If issues about Michelle or Lori are raised by others, they should be taken to the Board Chairman who will convene the Personnel Committee to deal with them. He should not try to deal with them alone. Again, the respective Pastor will not attend those meetings.
