OK…here’s one of my biggest pet peeves.  Sooner or later someone is going to call about the person you fired and ask for a reference.  What ever you do….tell them the truth!

I’ve seen former staff members lie through their teeth about someone just to get them off their staff.  They’d rather lie about the person instead of having enough backbone to fire them.  This might possibly help the person being fired, but also help the church where they are currently serving and the one where they might go to serve.

I’ve also seen staff members crumple under pressure when someone calls asking questions about the person they have fired.  What good does it do the next church if you let a person who is lazy, unproductive, insubordinate, ____________ (you fill in the blank) leave your church and go and do the exact thing at another church?

We as leaders need to “Think Kingdom” here.  Your honesty, and also your decision to fire the person, might be the exact thing God designed to mold them into the person He wants them to be. 

Don’t back down, stand your ground, do what is right, and speak the truth in love.

OK….enough ranting here.  Have you ever experienced this in ministry?

Now that you’ve let the staff member go, you have a few more steps you need to take.   You need to inform the rest of the staff and in some cases the church of the decision. 

Not informing the staff and or church will create tension, unrest, fear, anxiety, and erode your leadership influence with them.  This is one thing I learned the hard way.

Here’s some things you can share when letting someone go:

• Let them know that the person is no longer working.
• Tell them this has been a decision that has been made over __________ many months.
• Share with them that you have been working with them to improve the situation.
• Tell your staff that this is not easy for you and you know it’s not easy for them.
• Let them know that you’re not out for blood.  This is one situation.  That unless they have been informed that they are not doing a good job, there is no need to worry.
• Pray for the person.

Things you CAN’T do:

• Share specific reasons for letting the person go.  There are privacy laws that you need to observe and follow.  Keep it general as much as possible.  But, there are times when you might just need to get specific.  (I’d suggest seeking legal counsel before you go down that road)
• Demean the person.  This is never productive for them or for you.
• Spin the situation. 
• Lie about the situation. 

The last thing you want to do is lie to the congregation.  Yes, I’ve seen that happen and it is not good.  It erodes trust in leadership, stifles ministry, and creates distrust among the remaining staff.

In most situations, tell the staff and the church as much as you can while protecting the person that is leaving as much as you can.  Yes, they were inadequate while they were there, but God can and might use them again in a different situation.

Don’t destroy the guy(gal).  Let them leave with some dignity, if possible.  Unfortunately, some just won’t leave quietly and you may have to share the whole ugly story.

No matter what happens you can go through a situation like this and after it is all over feel good about what you have done and the way you did it.

In Part 4 I’ll discuss one last item in letting someone go.  This one REALLY gets me fired up.