You are being asked to participate in an annual review of the church staff. This is necessary and helpful in promoting the health of the church.
Many who are asked to participate in the church’s annual staff review will find the task difficult.
1. You are being asked to review someone’s performance whose work is outside of your area of expertise.
2. You may not have a clear understanding of what a pastor or other church employee does during the day.
3. You are being asked to review someone’s performance whose work is often unseen.
The task is difficult, but not impossible! This paper is provided to guide you through a helpful process.
Step One: Do a Collegial Review
The review of a pastor is not a review of someone who works “under” you, but “along-side” of you. You are not the boss or supervisor of the pastor, music director or youth worker. As an elder, you are a colleague in ministry. So as a first step, take a collegial approach.
Meet with the staff member and ask questions such as these:
1. How are you and your family doing? Are there any joys or concerns you would like to share with our committee?
2. Have there been any changes in the financial needs of your family this past year?
3. What were some of the goals that you had for your family last year? How did the Session or church interfere or assist you in meeting those goals?
4. What are some of the goals you and your family have for the coming year? How can the church be helpful in allowing you to meet these goals?
5. Did you take all of your vacation this year?
6. Did you take your continuing education leave this year? What did you study?
7. How are you growing as a Christian? How can the church help nurture you so that you can nurture us?
Step Two: Do a Performance Review.
This is difficult, because as we’ve said, you are must review someone whose work is outside of your own training and experience. There is much the pastor, youth director, and secretary will do at work that elders do not witness.
Most importantly, review the church employee, not the church congregation. “We’re not growing,” might be a valid comment, but is that due to the pastor’s work or a reality of the neighborhood.
“We don’t have a strong youth group anymore,” might be true, but is it due to the fact that most of the youth group were seniors and have now graduated and moved to college, or is it because the youth director failed to respond to opportunities?
How can your committee evaluate a church staff member’s work? It might be helpful to do these three things:
1. Ask the staff member for a self-review. This may be something that you have to do in your own annual performance review. By asking the pastor for a self-review, you will realize some of the important accomplishments and challenges of this past year.
2. Review the main points of the staff member’s stated job description. Using the job description will keep your committee on track and prevent your committee from basing a review on goals or expectations that were never expressed.
3. If the previous annual review stated any goals for the coming year, you can review these goals. Were they met?
4. Set some reasonable goals for the coming year. Remember to make them reasonable and focused on the pastor’s work.
Step Three: The Compensation Review
1. Cost of Living Adjustment - this committee should normally advocate for a full Cost of Living Adjustment for all staff members. If the church cannot afford a full COLA, that should be the decision of the Budget and Finance Committee.
2. Merit Increase – as the name implies, this is based on excellence in one’s work.
3. Bonus – one way to reward excellent work is to grant a one-time bonus at the end of the calendar year.
4. Expense Budget Increase – if it is warranted, an increase in expense budget is more cost effective for the church than an increase in salary as there is no additional costs because of payroll tax or benefit costs.
