Firing a Church Staff Member (part 4)
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?
May 18th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Jeff- Thanks for speaking on this topic. I know there have been 2-3 people I have worked with in the past that needed to be “fired” from either a vocational or volunteer positions. By leaders, in these instances, not stepping up, the ministries were somewhat compromised. Thanks for your honesty. I can always look to you for a truthful and blunt perspective. By the way, I mean that as a compliment.
May 21st, 2007 at 7:35 am
That’s one of the things I like about you as well. Congrats on the vote. Can’t wait to get you guys back in good ole Oklahoma!
September 16th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
WOW I am so saddened that you being a christian ( I am guessing here) would see that firing and or miligning thier character would be the God thing to do. Maybe it is your leadership that bewilders, oppresses or devalues them. If you are the Godly leader that you are supposed to be then maybe they would respond in kind. I am tired of senior pastors who think just because of their position, they can treat people any way less than how Jesus would treat them. You sicken me. Stand up and be the humble servant( yes, even to your staff) that you are called to be.
September 16th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Sharon, I have a couple of questions:
1. Do you think it is un-Christian to fire someone for a legitimate reason?
2. How did I suggest maligning someone’s character was ever appropriate? I did say to tell the truth about them, nothing more.
3. It would be best if you knew me before you began maligning me don’t you think?
4. Did not Jesus speak truthfully to His followers and those that wanted to follow Him? He told His followers that they were small in faith, that they were prideful, and more. He told the Pharasee’s that they were a brood of vipers, like whitewashed tombs, lyers, thiefs, etc.
5. Would it be Christlike to recommend someone to another church who did not honor the Lord in their service at the church they were serving?
I’m sorry if I have disappointed you. That was not my purpose. Honestly, my purpose in writing about firing someone is due to the inappropriate ways and for the wrong reasons people have been fired from churches. It was also to speak honestly about the responsibility we as leaders have to steward those that serve alongside us in ministry.
I believe that if you spoke to those on my staff, and those that I have fired, you would find that I treated them in a Christlike manner. In fact, I’m still friends with some of them.
October 21st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
I just have a queston. What if the person that needs to be fired is the pastor? Then what? Who makes the decision and what law is in place to protect the church if any?