contributed by William Vanderbloemen
We are all interim pastors.
Unless we are the pastor when our church closes, or we happen to be the pastor when Jesus returns, we are all only in our churches for a temporary stay. And I believe the most critical task for a church leader is to do all he can to secure the long-term future of the church.
"because we are all interim pastors."
Today, a fabulous resource for churches looking at a transition releases.
I’m recommending that every one of our clients read, Transition Plan
Bob Russell, the previous pastor at Southeast Church in Louisville, KY has written an account of the hand off that he, Dave Stone (the current pastor) and the church leadership planned. Their story is perhaps the best known story of a successful transition, particularly in a larger church.
While every church has different needs, and every transition plan should be hand crafted around their particular situation, this book is a must read.
Why? Because we are all interim pastors. And the call to care for Christ’s church extends beyond our temporary stay.
What is your church doing to plan for the next chapter? We’re constantly learning, reading stories, and working on tailor made transition plans and would love to hear your story.
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PS – A while back, my colleague Tony Morgan interviewed me about the need for succession planning in churches. More and more frequently, our firm is getting calls from churches asking us to help plan and execute the transition from one pastorate to the next. Read the interview, and if you all need help crafting your own plan, contact us. We’d be happy to visit with you.
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By William Vanderbloemen
Resumes should be clear and concise, but they must also be compelling. And the single most compelling thing you can tell me is that you will bring a return on the investment of my money.
Every hire in an organization is an investment of capital. In the church world, that’s capital that comes out of offering plates and widow’s cupboards. Particularly in a lean economy, this makes every hire at the same time questionable and precious.
So how can your resume justify you as a good investment of precious resource? There’s an old adage in management that says, “the best predictor of future performance is past performance.”
“the best predictor of future performance is past performance.”
Showing me your prior successes will encourage me to believe in your future success. It’s almost a Jerry McGuire way of “showing me the money.” Try incorporating the following into your resume, and it will become a competitive advantage for you:
1. Show me the ways you have met or exceeded the expectations of your job.
2. Show me an initiative you started or helped lead
3. Tell me the results of your leadership
4. Show me something you did that you weren’t asked to do.
5. Show me the ultimate profit margin in church work.
When you show me these things, you are essentially showing me the money. If you will remember that every hire is an investment, and show how you are a good investment, your resume will stand out, and may even be a difference maker in the hiring process
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(this post was submitted by William Vanderbloemen)
A while back, the phone rang. It was a super talented candidate in ministry who wondered if I had a few minutes for career counseling:
“William, how do I ask for a raise without losing my job?”
Great question from a great guy. He loves his church and his job, but really needs to know if there’s any chance of providing for his family a little better. So what’s a guy to do? Ask the wrong way, and you’re on the wrong side of the boss. You might even end up with no raise and a cardboard box.
We talked for a while, but the bottom line of our talk was two fold:
Do your homework and remember who’s the boss.
During my work as a senior pastor, in human resources, and now in executive search, I’ve come to believe that these two points are key to effectively asking for a raise.
Homework
Doing your homework before the meeting can make all the difference:
- More than anything, study and rehearse how and why you deserve a raise. What value have you added to the organization? How is the mission of the church better off because of your participation on the team. Be prepared to clearly and efficiently articulate why you are making a difference.
- Benchmark your salary for your job. Before you go into a meeting to ask for a raise, you need to know if you deserve one. There are numerous resources online that can help you understand where your pay falls into the national averages.
- Talk to colleagues. Church salaries can be particularly tricky to get an online average pay, as the “industry” is rather unique and there are often jobs that don’t fall into one neat category.
- Learn your organization. The longer I work at helping churches and ministries find staff, the more I realize that every church pays differently. Some are below market and proud of it. If that’s your situation, you should set lower expectations for a raise. While you shouldn’t expect to know what everyone in your organization makes, you can probably get a general idea with a few sensitive quesitons.
- Learn how and when to ask. Timing can be everything. Many churches have an employee handbook that will outline how and when raises and bonuses are given.
Respect
The Bible reminds us to respect those in authority over us. That includes your boss, even if you don’t like him. Compensation meetings can be your prime opportunity to show respect (without being fake). Never forget who the boss is. Meetings that back your supervisor in a corner will usually end poorly.
- Do all you can to honestly seek your boss’ approval before you ever get to the meeting. See Michael Hyatt’s must read piece on this.
- Make a list of ways you have helped the organization, especially ones that are not in your job description. What initiatives have you undertaken that weren’t necessary? What are you doing that you were never asked to do?
- Show your passion for your job. In donor development, we always say that “dollars follow vision, not guilt.” Show your boss how much you believe in what is happening at your church, and how much you want to be a part of what’s going on. Raises follow those who are sold out to the vision of the church.
- Avoid the pity party. Just as you cannot guilt people into long term generosity, you cannot guilt your boss into a raise. Usually, just the opposite is true. A pity party forgets that your boss is your boss, and plays on his emotions. It usually causes bosses to see employees as needy at best, and a liability at worst.
- Never, ever say “If I don’t get a raise, I may not be able to stay here.” At this point, the employer is no longer the employer. You have essentially held your boss blackmail. Most bosses, if they are smart, will take you up on your offer to leave the organization.
- Be specific. With a well researched opinion, be prepared (if asked) to give a reasonable amount of increase that you believe you deserve. Don’t be guilty of “not having because you never asked.”
I hope this helps you, and would love to hear your stories, opinions, or additions to this list. What would you add to the conversation?
- William
The Vanderbloemen Search Group is a retained executive search firm that helps churches find their key staff. Searches for large, fast growing churches with a focus on reaching the un-churched has become an area of particular expertise for our firm. Should your church need assistance in this sort of search, feel free to contact us.
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We are pleased to announce the conclusion of a successful search for Willow Creek Community Church for the leader of their Willow Chicago campus. Willow Creek is one of the largest congregations in the United States, and has become internationally known as a pillar in the landscape of Christendom. The work in downtown Chicago is central to their mission in the coming years.
Greg Hawkins, Executive Pastor, Willow Creek
“This was the first time a search firm has been able to help us identify the right candidate for a senior leadership role. I am grateful to William for his partnership with Willow on this important search.” Greg Hawkins, Executive Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church.
Helping Willow find just the right person for this role was an honor and a unique challenge. Willow Chicago is located right in the middle of the city. The atmosphere is a highly unchurched, and many who live there are skeptical of organized religion. Ministry there requires a local knowledge, love for the city, and a unique approach. Navigating the urban, unusually diverse environment, working with city officials, locating space for events, and navigating the use of an historic theater are just a few of the myriad of complexities that required Willow to find a world class leader for the new leader of Willow Chicago. The Campus Pastor reports directly to Bill Hybels, and will work closely with Executive Pastor Greg Hawkins. Finding the person with the right leadership skills who also knows, understands, and can fit in and broadcast the Willow DNA was essential in the search.
When asked about the search process, Greg Hawkins said,
“William was very professional, listened carefully to what we were looking for and did a very thorough search. He surfaced several good candidates, one of which we hired to lead our downtown Chicago campus. This was the first time a search firm has been able to help us identify the right candidate for a senior leadership role. I am grateful to William for his partnership with Willow on this important search.” Greg Hawkins, Executive Pastor, Willow Creek
Jon Klinepeter, Campus Pastor, Willow Chicago
Jon Klinepeter has been selected as the new Campus Pastor of Willow Chicago, and begins his work this summer. Jon comes to Willow most recently from his ministry in Minneapolis at the Upper Room church. He has a deep love for and understanding of downtown Chicago, as well as a high degree of familiarity with the Willow DNA. And on top of all that, he’s just a class act. It’s been a pleasure getting to know him. We would encourage you to follow him and the important ministry Willow is doing in the middle of a global city. It’s unlike anything else they are doing, and Jon’s job is a big one. Pray for him and for Senior Pastor Bill Hybels as they work together to make an impact and launch a movement in the center of Chicago.
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