Human Resources

How to Hold Team Members Accountable to Project Deadlines

A challenge that most project managers face is leading a team of people who don’t directly report to them. In other words, the project manager isn’t their boss, and each team member has their main job responsibilities that take priority over project tasks. This makes it more difficult to hold people accountable to deadlines. Fortunately, there are several ways to help team members see the importance of deadlines and be able to meet them. Tip #1: Get Input on Deadlines As you draft the project plan, work with each team member to identify tasks and establish reasonable deadlines. Ask about their other work responsibilities (such as Sunday service prep) and confirm they’re offering deadline suggestions that take the rest of their workload into account. When a team member is the one who provided the deadline, they’re less likely to be annoyed when you remind them a task is due soon. Plus, they should be able to complete the task on time since they kept their regular workload in mind. Tip #2: Provide Reminders We’re all susceptible to forgetting about tasks that aren’t in our regular routine. Project team members are no different. To help them keep up with deadlines, provide a reminder about tasks that are due within the next 2-4 weeks. If the project management tool you use can do this automatically, use that functionality to send the reminders. Tip #3: Be Proactive As you offer reminders and meet with team members, ask if there are any obstacles or potential issues that may prevent them from meeting a deadline. This could be a new job responsibility that their boss added to their plate, a family emergency they dealt with recently that has put them behind schedule, or even waiting on another team member to complete a task before they can start. Discuss those issues and work to remove obstacles or resolve them ASAP. Tip #4: Share the Big Picture Sometimes team members think missing a deadline won’t be a big deal because they don’t know how that task impacts others. To prevent that issue, share a high-level view of the project timeline with the team. Point out key milestone tasks that, if delayed, could derail the entire timeline. Tip #5: Manage the Workload Before the project starts, talk with team members about their current workload. Discuss what tasks they’ll have for the project and how those will integrate into their workweek. Talk with church leadership about team members who may be overloaded. See if they can adjust priorities or delay other efforts so team members can reasonably complete their tasks on time. During the project, periodically poll the team to see if any individuals have capacity to help a team member who’s struggling. Share the workload and reassign tasks if needed. Projects such as planning a big outreach event, launching a new small group ministry, or renovating part of the church building are all additional efforts for an already busy staff. Keep this in mind as you create project plans and set deadlines. Work with church leadership to understand where this project fits in relationship to other efforts – is this a higher or lower priority? Those factors will help you establish a realistic plan and communicate priorities effectively to the team. All of this plays a role in how well the team will respect and meet deadlines.

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Church Salary Resources to Help You Make Important Payroll Decisions

When it comes to deciding church staff salaries, money matters. Whether you’re in the middle of annual budgeting, preparing to hire a new employee, or reviewing current staff pay rates, there are church salary resources available to help you make those important payroll decisions. Here are five church salary resources that show what other churches are paying their staff.   ChurchSalary: A Resource of Church Law & Tax ChurchSalary offers the largest church-specific compensation database available online. This comprehensive tool allows you to compare specific positions with other comparable ministry and non-ministry jobs. Additionally, you can see the cost of living impact in your area, and review the primary influences that determine pay rates. You can purchase single reports or pay $99 for an annual subscription with unlimited reports. 2018 Southern Baptist Convention Compensation Study In 2018, state Baptist conventions, GuideStone Financial Resources, and LifeWay Christian Resources conducted a study on compensation trends. They focused on Southern Baptist churches across the nation. They collected data from ministers and church staff in 40 states, totaling 11,000 respondents. This salary study offers customized reporting so you can view data from churches of similar size and budget to your own. Another great feature of this study is its price: Free! Leadership Network Large Church Compensation Report The Leadership Network’s report focuses on large church ministries. Conducted by Warren Bird, Ph.D., this study offers insight into the biggest questions large church leaders have on compensation for their staff. Find out the most recent annual pay raises for specific positions, what percent of church budget goes to staffing costs, and how church growth impacts pay rates. For the comprehensive Large Church Compensation Tables, a more tailored look at compensation for your specific church, costs are $199 per table. MinistryPay Owned and operated by The Church Network, MinistryPay is a custom reporting tool used to gather data for compensation plans. To use this feature, you must first subscribe to TCN. As a subscriber, you’ll have access to pay data from over 100 job titles in a wide range of churches. You’ll also be able to view customizable reports. Costs include unlimited reports for 12 months and range from $140 for members of The Church Network to $180 for non-members. Participants in the compensation study will receive an $85 discount. XPastor’s Compensation Survey XPastor’s compensation survey compiles church salary data from hundreds of churches across the country. Though data is posted anonymously, churches are grouped based on location — Midwest, Northeast, South, and West. You can compare data to similar-sized churches in your regional area. For one-year access to this compensation survey, XPastor charges $49. Don’t go into your budget planning without a clear idea of how to compensate your church employees. After all, they are the ones you rely on to grow your church’s mission. Fair pay breeds loyalty and encourages retention no matter the workplace.

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5 Key Components of Church Job Descriptions

Church job descriptions tend to fall into one of three categories. Obviously, you’d prefer to have job descriptions that fall into the first category. Job descriptions, when written well, can be powerful tools for staff development, recruiting, and evaluating potential candidates. Here are five key components of church job descriptions: #1 – Job Title The job title should be the first indicator of what’s involved in this role. Keep these clear and simple such as, “Office Administrator,” “Finance Director,” “Marriage & Family Pastor,” etc. #2 – Overview In this section, provide a high-level summary of the role. #3 – Essential Responsibilities List the tasks that are central to this role.  For example: Is this person responsible for planning all outreach events, maintaining the offices and grounds, producing monthly financial reports, etc.? What tasks does this person perform daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and/or annually?  For a role in your Finance Office, this may include providing monthly financial reports and analysis.  A Ministry Director might manage an event calendar and develop goals for that department. #4 – Educational Requirements Does this role require a college education?  If so, what degree field(s) would be the best fit?  Should a candidate have a seminary degree? Are any professional certifications required such as a CPA? #5 – Experience Include a list of specific skills and experience someone would need to be successful in this role. Considering each role and documenting the items listed above can help you identify what success looks like for each member of your staff.  If you don’t already have job descriptions, it’s worth the investment to start developing them.   The process of creating job descriptions will encourage conversations between you and your staff about expectations. It will also help when you need to hire someone new as you’re communicating the position and evaluating candidates against a single set of criteria. If you’d rather not start developing job descriptions from scratch, join The Church Operations Toolkit and get instant access to job descriptions for church leadership roles and volunteer positions.

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