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Preventing Dis-ease Among Staff

Five things pastors can do to prevent staff infections.

The church is a center of healing and recovery. However, infections among staff associates can threaten the congregation’s vitality and its ability to function as Christ’s body in the world.

Dis-ease among the church staff can be a fatal disorder. Early detection and treatment can keep staff relationships alive and healthy. Here are five things pastors can do to prevent staff infections:

1. Conduct a complete personality physical during the candidating process. Use a personality inventory that analyzes work styles and forecasts predictable areas of conflict (e.g., Myers-Briggs, Taylor-Johnson, etc.). The shadow that clouds good intentions will be easier to detect, allowing you to no longer consider this person at the candidating phase. Or, if you desire to hire this person, you might determine that occupational therapy needs to be enacted from the beginning of the new staff member’s ministry.

2. Practice preventive health by requiring a precise daily regimen. An associate’s job description should be detailed beyond what seems necessary. Uncommunicated expectations generally translate into unacceptable performance.

When I interview staff members, I make sure job descriptions include office procedures, weekly time minimums, weekend and evening expectations, and an accountability structure. The demands of a job description can be relaxed when trust is earned. Knowing what is expected also relieves employees from the anxiety of wondering if they are doing too little or too much.

3. Make frequent office visits and house calls. Drop by the new staff member’s office or home for regular visits and program reviews. These visits establish a natural relationship that allows face-to-face discussions and reduces the risk of rejection. Weekly staff meeting checkups are a must to maintain a common heartbeat, evaluate and plan, and pray together.

4. Check blood pressure often. Unexpressed anger and resentment cannot be allowed to build. Monitor what you are feeling toward your coworkers. If you detect uncharacteristic distancing between another staff member and yourself, is it possible he or she misunderstood something you said or did?

5. Assume health unless there is just cause for concern. Don’t continually look for employee problems. Most people want to do their best. They are motivated by opportunities for success and affirmation.

—Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois. Adapted from The Time Crunch (Multnomah) by Greg Asimakoupoulos.