Facility Costs in a Church Merger
Hey Fletch … Our church is talking about merging with another church. We would be the lead and adopt their church. We are a setup/teardown church, and they have a paid-off building. I’m working on […]
Not the Fun Guy on Staff
Hey Fletch … I’m not the fun guy on staff. Do you have any ideas or resources for doing some fun or creative or helpful activities together that might help us? I’m thinking eating and […]
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. During the […]
Talking to Visitors
Hey Fletch—We have a lot of people who visit our church but they don’t come back. We send out letters and emails to newcomers. Apparently these are not working. Any thoughts?
Fletch—I stumbled on an interesting […]
Prepping New Leaders
Hey Fletch … A woman wanted to start an outreach ministry activity. She has good character and a right heart for the target audience. Now she’s drowning under the weight of being at the helm […]
Benevolence Support for a Woman with 4 Children
Hey Fletch … I am an elder in a church plant. Sadly, a couple who joined our church at the beginning is now in divorce proceedings. The wife and four children attend church faithfully. 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 with […]
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 youth […]
Disposing of Church Assets: A computer, a cell phone and a 1932 Rolls Royce
Hey Fletch … We don’t have a policy for selling church property. Some staff have given furniture away, sold equipment, or sold things to family members. Do you have a recommendation on the sale or […]
Church Membership and Discipline
A church leader read XPastor’s article, Why Church Membership, and submitted the following thoughts on the topic. The individual suggests expanding the topic to include church discipline and gives examples from their church. This […]
Why Church Membership?
Hey Fletch … Why should people become members of a church and what are the tangible benefits of doing so? I need to give people a good reason, other than the spiritual ones, to become […]
The Equality Act
Hey Fletch … This week we had a leadership discussion around the Equality Act. Our senior pastor brought this topic up in an elder meeting. It raised some questions worth answering or trying to answer. Our […]
Sexual Harassment in the Church
Hey Fletch … I would like to bring our staff through some type of sexual harassment training and share our sexual harassment policy. Are you aware of any videos, articles or resources that you would […]
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 his […]
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 […]
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 […]
Numbers Based on Operating Budget or Total Revenue
Hey Fletch … Do you have benchmark data that documents total compensation as a percent of total revenue (restricted and unrestricted), not just of the […]
How Can We Do a ‘Love Offering’
Hey Fletch … We occasionally receive love offerings for our senior pastor and other staff members. How should we handle these gifts?
DRF—There are so many […]
Registered Agents with Our State
Hey Fletch … I would like to say that the XPastor website is awesome! My church has changed the treasurer for the church. Is it […]
Church Problems and a Senior Pastor Candidate
Hey Fletch … We have some serious problems at the church and are also […]
Building Campaign that Falls Short
Hey Fletch … Two years ago we launched a building campaign for our church, but we fell short of our goals. Now the board has […]
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 […]
Millennials and Discipleship
Hey Fletch … I’m a millennial and thinking about the call to prioritize and pursue discipleship in my own life, both upwards and downwards. Do […]
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 […]
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 […]
Bullying and Harassment
Hey Fletch … An article on XPastor mentions a doctoral dissertation by Dr. Art Hunt, I Never […]
45 Minute Meetings
Hey Fletch … I heard you say once that you often limit meetings with staff to 45 minutes. Can you explain that to me?
DRF—Your memory […]
Can a Church Pay FICA for a Pastor?
Hey Fletch … It’s been one month after I got your answer to my question. I still don’t have my head wrapped around this issue […]
Staff Budgets Are Cut
Hey Fletch … I’m been on staff at our megachurch for many years. Every year, I have to worry about the budget for my area […]
Staff Not Responding to Email
Hey Fletch … I send out emails to our staff and don’t get a response. What should I do?
DRF—First, make sure that your emails ask […]
Issues with Assistant for a Blind Pastor
Hey Fletch … Our church is processing what I learned at the workshop on Smart Money […]
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 […]
Wife Sees Me Differently Than I See Myself
Hey Fletch … I have taken the XP-Indicator […]
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 […]
Calls from Angry Church Members
Hey Fletch … I’m new to dealing with church relationships. Sitting in the Director of Finance chair, I receive calls from disturbed congregants. I struggle […]
Use of Movies and Trademarked Images in Church
Hey Fletch … This may not be in your wheelhouse but I know you have a lot of experience and knowledge! We are doing […]
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 […]
Automatic Rollover of Housing Allowances
Hey Fletch … At the Smart Money for Church Salaries […]
Where Was the Man when He Jumped off the Bridge?
Where Was the Man When He Jumped Off the Bridge?
DRF—Prof. Norman Geisler introduced me to this logic riddle. If you answer, “on the bridge,” the retort is “that was before he jumped.” If you answer, […]
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, […]
Don’t Hire Friends Because They Are Friends
Don’t Hire Friends Because They Are Friends
DRF–Hiring a friend often occurs because you know and trust them. You like them. These are great attributes—knowing, trusting […]