4 Resolutions for a Healthier, More Productive Ministry Team
I’ve never really been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. Who wants to wake up on January 15 and feel like a failure? Even so, I often tell myself (and no one else) that I will be making some changes. This year … I’ll go for timely dental check-ups. I’ll communicate more effectively with those who are close to me. I’ll clean and organize my refrigerator BEFORE the smell of forgotten leftovers reminds me of last month’s linguini carbonara. Do I keep these promises to myself? Like most of us, my success rate on resolutions is often less than encouraging.
If you have responsibilities for ministry staff or volunteers, you might understand what I‘m talking about. You know certain changes are needed, and that there are areas or people requiring directed attention, but implementation is easily stalled by your day-to-day responsibilities and the inevitable “putting out fires.”
Let me suggest the following impactful (and attainable) resolutions for 2023.
√ Conduct a policy/processes check-up.
Thoughtful and well-written policies and processes create a framework for setting expectations and addressing any issues that arise. Ensure you have the “people policies” you need and that they are clear, consistent, reflect HR best practices, and comply with legal requirements. Implement an anti-harassment policy designed to protect your people and your organization. (See my post for more on this.) Review your performance and disciplinary action processes, to ensure they are consistent with each other and provide clear guidance to your leadership. Is dating within your staff team creating chaos? If so, consider what expectations might be effective in reducing disruptions.
√ Effectively communicate expectations to your people.
If you’ve updated and/or created policies and processes, or if you’re less than confident that your staff and volunteers understand what is expected, it’s time to implement professional development for your people. Engaging, interactive training, tailored to your specific ministry environment and challenges, is essential to bringing your organization’s culture and people to where they need to be. (See more here.)
√ Address lingering or potential concerns, BEFORE they impact everyone in the ministry environment.
From time to time, every organization has issues (or people with issues) that impair the mission. At best, these situations create stress for staff and headaches for leadership. At worst, they result in deep distrust, staff turnover and public denigration of the ministry. It’s worth having difficult conversations with your leadership, and with anyone who has raised concerns, to pinpoint what needs to be addressed, and create a realistic plan for resolution. Even if hard choices need to be made (such as the removal of a staff member or key volunteer), doing so may be the best, or only, way to ensure your ministry workplace is healthy and productive for everyone.
√ Seek outside help when you need it.
If your team is stuck on a hard decision, or is simply in need of subject matter expertise and an objective outside perspective, investing in the support and experience brought by a consultant or other professional can be invaluable in “moving the ball forward” and generating positive change in your ministry workplace.