Once you’ve made a decision about who to appoint as your new pastor/member of staff, there are still a few things to talk through and agree with them. These may be things that you already have planned for and stated in adverts and communications but you still need to be sit down and work these things through with the candidate before any contracts are signed. In fact, these are the things that need to go into a contract.
It is worth saying at this point that contracts matter. We have talked about how relationships matter and about how the person coming is more than just an employee. It might feel at times like this is just paperwork and we may worry that the law will get in the way of the relational aspect of the call. However, if you are going to pay someone, if they are going to look to you for their support (and someone who is giving themselves to you full time should be able to), then they are an employee, they may be more than an employee but they are not less than.
Secondly, whilst the Law can feel like a pain at times, in many respects, it is there for good reasons. It’s there to make sure that employees are treated well. You may be tempted to say “let’s just sort things out as friends/brothers and sisters.” However, when you go through challenging times, its exactly because you have employment contracts that you can relax about he relational aspects of things.
So, what kinds of things do you need to consider? First, there’s the small matter of pay. We hae talking about money don’t we? But if the person is coming to work for you, then you do need to deal with this. Now, I’ve seen a lot of discussion recently on line about how terrible pastor’s pay is and speculation about whether or not this is off putting to people going into the ministry. On the other side are those who argue that if the pastor is concerned about pay, then he is a hireling and to be avoided because he is a lover of money.
Well, it is worth saying that no matter how much you set aside, you are unlikely to be competing with what many men could be earning in other careers. It’s fascinating that often, you see adverts where churches say that the pay is linked to the teacher’s pay scale. This raises a few questions, first why the teacher’s pay scale, why not engineers, or train drivers or the medical pay scale. Secondly, I wonder what exactly they mean by the pay scale. I worry that what this means is you match the starting pay for newly qualified teachers and then you stick with that. However, in terms of experience and responsibilities, is your pastor really being asked to do the same level of work as a new teacher? Furthermore, a scale suggests that there will be progression so that they should know what they will be earning in 1 year, 3 years and 5 years. Will they? Is the church even in a position to make such a commitment.
Secondly, you need to think through the implications for the pastor if they are having to worry about pay. You need to consider whether or not you want them to be dependent on a second income or even to be finding additional support from outside.
Now, there’s a lot that could be said here but the crucial principle in my view is that this works best when the church are willing to be as generous as they possibly can and the pastor is willing to be as sacrificial as possible, where both sides are saying to the other “don’t worry, we are trusting God to provide.”
You also need to think about hours or work. Remember that from an employment perspective, the law limits you to a 48 hour working week. In reality, a pastor will often do what is necessary. Having said that, I think that in normal time 40 hours is plenty of time for gospel workers to be visiting the sick, preparing sermons, doing outreach etc. Think about what it means to give them a day of each week too. What day will work best for them and their family. How will you protect their time? Don’t forget about pension contributions either!
Very few churches offer accommodation now. If you are not in a position to do so then you need to make sure that they are able to afford somewhere to live and that this is factored in. Be careful though if you are offering a manse. This can sometimes be marketed as a benefit and part of the total package. However, remember that this means that you are limiting where they can live. Remember too that whilst this may cover living costs during their time with you, it doesn’t provide for what happens when they retire and finish. Where will they live then? My view is that even if you are providing a house, you still need to factor in that they may want to buy a house somewhere for the long term in your pay and conditions.
Do you see sabbaticals as a good thing? Not everyone does and I’m not going to take a line on that here. However if you do think they are a good thing, then plan then in and be clear well in advance about the expectations for a sabbatical.
How long is the contract for? Some churches offer fixed term contracts for 2-3, 5 years. By the way, I think this is a terrible idea, it encourages short term mentality. Further, you have plenty of protection for things going wrong through normal notice periods. However, if you do go with a fixed term contract, remember that you can’t always keep on renewing things. From memory, it is after 4 years and one renewal, then the contract becomes a standard rolling contract. You can’t give then another 5 year term and another after that.
You need to also think about how grievances will be resolved, sick pay etc. Furthermore, you need to consider things like discipline and potential termination of employment. Are you ready for things to go wrong.
However, you need to have clear agreement about more than just the technical aspects of employment law. Other things that you will need to talk through with your potential employee include job titles because how the person is known in the church and outside matters. Then there are questions about decision making structures and what authority and responsibilities they have.
This means that you need to think about your expectations for them. How much of the burden of visitation are they expected to carry? How often are you looking for them to preach? Do you expect them to get involved in wider bodies to represent the church?
It is best to work out all of these kinds of things up front rather than making assumptinos and discovering later on that you weren’t on the same page.
Faithroots 