Dissagreements on a church staff can be challenging but a staff culture where everyone on your team is a "yes man" is not healthy either.  Kem Meyer is the Communications Director at Granger Community Church and she recently wrote on the topic:

I believe the BEST team members are the ones who communicate what they think. There is no penalty for disagreement. And, for the record, people on my team frequently disagree with me. I'm frequently wrong.

But, I don't take that personal.

And, neither do they.

I believe in (and thrive in) a culture that promotes honesty with each other about everything.

Not honesty in the context of negativity, irrelevant advice or directionless opinions ... but honesty in an environment that allows people to express what they see; even if that means they see something different than me.

No, make that especially when they see something different than me.

Because, when my team members feel free to be honest about what they see, it allows me to see the entire picture--the sum of opinions--to make decisions about what needs to be done.

And, at the end of the day, we all agree on what needs to be done. Because, we all care more about the success of the team than our own part or opinion. And, we're in this as a team. One for all, all for one.

But, I don't believe we could or would be as united without the room to disagree. This type of culture allows us all to wrestle with an idea, to see all sides and land on our feet to move forward better, faster and stronger* together than we ever could alone.

You know who else likes a team that's not afraid to disagree with him? Ed Catmull, Co-Founder and President of Pixar Animation Studios. And, he seems to have a pretty productive gig. Wouldn't you agree? It's ok, if you don't. I won't take it personal.

He talks about this concept and more in this Harvard Business Review article about creative collaboration.

Click here to read more from Kem Meyer

How do you know what you should be paying a new staff member? Or how do you determine if you should give a current staff member a salary adjustment?  Kevin Stone, from Executive Pastor Online recently posted some suggestions:

I am frequently asked how I recommend that a salary amount be determined for a potential candidate a church may be considering for a new position.

Here’s a quick summary:

In determining the amount a potential new staff member should be offered in terms of compensation, there are 3 primary considerations:

1. Market
2. Current Compensation Package
3. Internal Equity

Market
We do an annual market survey looking at “comparison positions” from our staff versus the national market.  We use the NACBA (National Association of Church Business Administration).  They have an online “salary survey” database that allows you to customize your search very well. Of course there are only a certain number of positions, so you have to pick something that it “close” to the Job Description you’ve created for the position.

Current Compensation Package
If the candidate to whom you are considering making an offer is currently employed, you have to consider where their “total compensation” is at their current place of employment and what it will take to get them.  If the person is coming from outside the church, this is often the biggest challenge.

Internal Equity
Obviously, you have to consider how the amount you are going to have to pay this individual will impact other people on your staff.  I know that salaries are supposed to be “confidential,” but my experience has been that people talk whether you like it or not.  So, you have to be able to “defend” anything you do when it comes to compensation should the need arise.  If nothing else, you have to defend it when you are gaining Management Team buy in on your annual salary budget!

Tim Stevens recently posted some reasons he feels people step up to serve in our churches.  Here are his thoughts:

Why would someone volunteer to work with kids, take out the trash, park cars, change diapers, duplicate tapes, mow the lawn, feed the poor or counsel teenagers?

Three reasons people choose to serve...

1. They see a real need. Someone has shared the vision of helping kids or serving others--and they caught the vision.
2. They have confidence they can do it. It's in an area where they have a strength, a passion, or both. They aren't being asked to do something that will embarrass them or expose a weakness. It fits who they are.
3. There's not someone already doing it. That means there are always roles available for new people to fill.

So, if you are a pastor or leader and you need volunteers, then you must do three things:

1. Make the vision clear. Tell stories of the lives being changed. They may just be sticking labels on a CD, but they need to hear stories of someone's life who was changed because of the ministry that is happening.
2. Help people determine their strengths and gifts. If they can find a place to serve where they are gifted, impassioned and excited--it will be a long time before they experience burn-out, and they will become your best marketer for new volunteers.
3. Always have open roles for people to fill. Don't ever say, "I'm sorry...we don't need anymore volunteers in this area." Train your volunteers at every level to be thinking about how to make room for more volunteers.

To read more from Tim Stevens, Executive Pastor at Granger, click here.

Gospel Today magazine recently released an issue that was sharing the stories of some women that pastor churches around our country.  Their joys, challenges, fears and dreams about ministry.  Apparently Lifeway Christian Bookstores wasn't interested and pulled this issue from their shelves:

Smiling women on the cover of a slick magazine. Sold from under the counter. Must request it from store clerk.

That’s not something a buyer would typically find in a Christian bookstore. Not unless it’s one of the more than 100 Lifeway Christian Bookstores across the United States, including about six in metro Atlanta.

Gospel Today, the Fayetteville-published magazine, was pulled off the racks by the bookstores’ owner, the Southern Baptist Convention. The problem? The five smiling women on the cover are women of the cloth — church pastors.

Southern Baptist polity says that’s a role reserved for men.

Teresa Hairston, owner of Gospel Today, whose glossy pages feature upbeat articles about health, living, music and ministry, said she discovered by e-mail that the September/October issue of the magazine had been demoted to the realm of the risque.

Source: The Atlanta Journal read more here...

The Digerati Team over at lifechurch is going to release a new free tool for churches to aid them in tracking attendance, giving, conversions, and baptisms.  Go to this website and enter your email to make sure you are up on the latest!