25 Sep 4 Common Mistakes Churches Make With Job Descriptions
Church staff often wear many hats and juggle countless responsibilities. Create job descriptions to help keep church employees focused on the most important tasks that support ministry goals and objectives.
Working for a church is very different than working for a business in that much of what gets done in the church is tied to helping other people in times of need. This creates a unique dynamic not seen in many other organizations. For this reason, a church employee’s responsibilities may change often, depending on what the church is involved with at any particular moment.
Creating a church employee job description should not be overly complicated but should clearly define what is expected of the employee. It should also help the employee understand the priorities and how those responsibilities support the church’s mission.
Why Is A Job Description Important?
Job descriptions and employee goals should be used to communicate job expectations to employees but should also be incorporated into the annual performance appraisal process. Identifying which strategic goals or objectives need to be accomplished is an important step in developing an employee job description. Then, ask what type of person is needed to fulfill these tasks and who should be given this responsibility.
Every job description should be written to support goals that help fulfill the church’s mission. For example, if the organizational goal is to improve the volunteer experience, one step might be to create a volunteer program to support the approval and placement of volunteers. That goal can be used to identify specific job responsibilities.
What Should Be Included In A Job Description
A job description document should describe the purpose of the position, reporting relationship, and job responsibilities. This helps the employee understand who their supervisor is and what their job responsibilities are. Take the time to update this document as job responsibilities change so the employee spends their time doing those things that support the mission.
4 Mistakes Churches Make With Job Description
1. Not Aligning Job Description With Church Goals
Employees should have a good understanding of how what they do supports the church’s mission. Church job descriptions should include employee goals that are tied to strategy. These goals should be written in the job description and measured in the performance appraisal.
Spend time reviewing church goals and writing measurable goals for employees to help ensure targets are met. For example, if a church’s goal is to increase the number of volunteers, a recruitment responsibility should be written into a job description.
2. Manager’s Not Know What Employees Do
I’m always amazed when I speak to managers about employees and learn that when asked, they have very little understanding of what the employee does on a day-to-day basis. It is the manager’s responsibility to know exactly what employees do at work and to make sure all required tasks are documented in a job description.
Spend time observing employees and simply asking the question. You might learn that employees do things that take time and add no value.
3. Not Holding Employees Accountable
Managers are in their jobs to support employee efforts. Part of this oversight is ensuring that employees understand what is expected of them, how their work supports the mission, and how they are held accountable for job responsibilities. This is done by creating a structured process for managing employee performance and having an ongoing conversation about meeting expectations. For instance, include job responsibilities in weekly meetings with employees to ensure they know you will be interested in them sharing updates. Employees know when accountability is an option. Make sure your employees understand it is required.
4. Not Updating Job Descriptions
Job descriptions serve as a tool and guide to help employees prioritize time at work. Just as strategy and goals change, a job description should change as strategy and church goals change. Too often, employees perform tasks that may have been important at some point but no longer add value. Job descriptions should be updated once a year and should be part of the performance appraisal process.
Take the time to review job descriptions (at least once a year) with employees to ensure that what they spend their time on truly helps move the organization forward. Well-written job descriptions help ensure employees understand what is expected of them and how what they do supports the church’s mission. But more importantly, well-defined job descriptions are an important tool for helping churches achieve their goals, strategic plans, and, ultimately, their mission.
Original content by the Smart Church Management. This information is provided with the understanding that Payroll Partners is not rendering legal, human resources, or other professional advice or service. Professional advice on specific issues should be sought from a lawyer, HR consultant or other professional.