Wow, dear readers. I went to a fantastic seminar on Effective Supervision in the Church, led by Susan Beaumont. It was sponsored by my denominational district and I have been eagerly anticipating it since I started my new call, where I am now the supervisor of a (relatively) large program and administrative staff.
The room was packed with dear colleagues, which was extra fun because those of us who have known each other for a long time could compare notes and marvel at how much we we wish we had received this training in seminary. The thing is, when I attended seminary, congregational culture was different. Times have changed. Even as our institutions are facing decline and cultural irrelevancy, I believe we must steward them well and attend to their strength as seriously as we ever have, as a home base for living out a missional faith. To put that in less jargony terms, if we (ordained, lay and staff) don’t do a good job running our churches, we will not have the clarity, the skills and the systems of accountability in place to accomplish the building up of God’s realm beyond our congregations.
What I heard Susan Beaumont say, loud and clear, is that clergy supervisors fail in our responsibility to our churches when we approach supervision with a primarily pastoral ethos, placing a premium on personal relationships rather than effectiveness and accountability.
Throughout the entire day, I and others around me were going, “Whoa.” WHOA. Because who more than pastors are more susceptible to the accusation that we’re not being “nice” enough or “supportive” or “loving” or “forgiving” enough on the job? I encourage every single one of my readers to take this training or one like it. It was a great help to be able to examine the particular emotional and political complexities faced by clergy supervisors. I don’t know Susan Beaumont and she doesn’t know me, so when I tell you that she does a fantastic job, it’s not because I’m getting anything out of it. She’s top notch.
We learned how to write a good job description. We learned about core competencies, essential functions and how to set reasonable and clear outcomes. We learned how to do feedback. We studied painfully hilarious case studies of dysfunctional staff dynamics that each of us recognized on some level, and we role-played. We learned how to do a performance review and annual evaluations, and the difference between the two.
Another valuable take-away: if you don’t have the authority to hire and fire employees, you have no real authority as a supervisor. You’re bound to get tangled in systems of accountability and lines of authority. Fix the system with your leaders.
I was well trained in the supervision of student interns, but was never offered a course in church staff supervision in either my MDiv or my DMin studies. I cannot encourage all of you to avail yourselves of an opportunity to get clear on best practices around church staff supervision. Bring some lay leaders with you if you can. Your church or religious institution will benefit GREATLY.
As I was doing my degree in management, it came to amaze me that pastors are equivelent to managers of small businesses but don’t seem to get any training in managing their staff. The HR practices I saw in the church were horrifying and were also not in line with how I think Christ would expect us to treat others.
Susan Beaumont rules. I don’t do much pastoring with staff, but I am susceptible to too much chumminess. I’m learning, though. And amen to the hiring/firing. I pushed really hard for this on my last assignment, and ultimately got it. In interim ministry, the extra shot of courage you need when you get pushback is the that you’re not just fighting for your own ability to be effective but your successor’s.
The newly elected Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts tells a pertinent story on himself in his third essay:
http://mabishopsearch.org/Gates_essays
I fear this is a fairly common problem in the public service arena as well. It is nice to work in a place that is forgiving and supportive but the mission of the institution is harmed when supporting and forgiving doesn’t lead to a positive change, a solution to the problem or a better outcome. I find myself reminding staff that liking someone and supporting them through difficult times is fine and admirable but it doesn’t fill the hole in the schedule or cover the service station or ultimately help the client, Sometimes we need to focus on the work at hand and not the feelings. The other issue that we all face is our volunteers – how do you fire someone who is free, how do you keep the volunteers’ need for social interaction in balance with your own need to get other work done??? Sounds like a great program – wish I could find something like it for my field!
For the past eight months, I have had a great experience volunteering with an organization that serves homeless families. (This is after years of volunteering for church, the YMCA, literacy tutoring – probably about 40 years of volunteering, if you count the stuff I did in high school.) One thing I’ve noticed that’s been a common thread through the best experiences has been a set of clear expectations: timeliness, reliability, appropriate behavior, and specific duties. Usually there’s been a formal application to complete and references to submit. This current organization had a mandatory training and has periodic refresher sessions. It’s a lot to set up, but as volunteers we know what we’re supposed to do, and we go ahead and do it week after week. Someone from the organization is available by email and sends periodic reminders.
As I said, not every organization has the resources to do that, but clear requirements and expectations are good for morale. I have a more-than-full-time job of my own, so I like things to be unambiguous when I serve outside my own workplace. The organization I volunteer for asks us to put in a set number of hours, no more and no fewer, so it’s easy to be consistent and reliable. We agree to a specific “job description,” so that work gets done consistently.
I think that you can “fire” someone who is working for free if you acknowledge that it takes time and resources to train and support a volunteer, and that the organization exists to serve its clients (not its volunteers). For me, the goal of volunteering was to gain the experience and knowledge that the job provides, and the agreement is that I abide by the expectations that are set. “For free” is not without cost if someone is demanding time and attention but not helping an organization serve its clients.
These statements might sound hard-hearted, but from my conversations with other volunteers, most people I’ve talked to appreciate focus and structure. My two prime reasons for not renewing my commitment to various boards, commissions, and committees (church and other non-profits) have been “mission creep” and unreliable colleagues. My thoughts and prayers go with everyone who has to function in an environment where clarity and structure are not supported.