Whether you have a full-time staff, a part-time staff, or volunteer staff, it’s important for you to clarify their roles and goals. People drift into complexity and pick up lots of responsibilities that don’t necessarily add value to the church. That’s why you’ve got to embrace your role as the CHIEF CLARITY OFFICER.
Everyone on your team needs to know two things.
- Their Roles. Roles are bigger than titles. They describe the one thing a person does to add maximum value. You need to answer the question: “Where do you need me most?”
- Their Goals. Everyone on your team needs 3-5 ministry goals or objectives. You don’t want people managing regular duties – you need them headed in a specific direction, set out to accomplish a specific goal. Help people set goals and then ask them what they need to reach them.
Download and complete the Roles and Goals Worksheet. Involve your team in defining this (that’s good leadership!) and help everyone stay focused. This is one of those documents you should review periodically in front of everyone. In this case, everyone really does need to know everyone’s business.
There are a couple of other resources you might find useful as you lead your team. First, here’s a staff culture guide. This describes what it’s like to be on staff at your church. Use it as a guide and customize it with your own values. Secondly, here’s a staff evaluation form. We recommend you do this at least every six months (quarterly is better) with each person. It might be awkward to do it the first time, but if you make it a regularly scheduled event with your team, you’ll build clarity right into your culture.