7 Warning Signs Your Church Staff Is In Trouble

7 Warning Signs Your Church Staff Is In Trouble 

The caliber of your church staff is crucial to the long-term health of your church. Honing your ability as a leader and your church staff's ability to operate as a high functioning team takes work, but the payoff will prove beneficial for the development of your church's community. 

We sometimes have blinders on when we look at our own church staff. We're there day in and day out, trying to stay above water as we deal with the urgent matters before us each day. It may feel overwhelming to even think about anything but only what has to be done today. However, when you focus on developing the synergy of your church staff, you'll begin to see the power of how a great team can revolutionize your church. 

The team rebuilding process begins with the team leader’s awareness of the reality of how the team is functioning. When you drive a car, there are often subtle cues that tell us if the car isn’t functioning as well as it should. If we don’t pay attention to the rattle of the engine or the squeak of the brakes, we’ll see lights on the dashboard. The signals are there to protect us. If we ignore those signals, it’s at our own peril. 

In a team, there will be signals that will be subtle at first but will warn you that your team needs attention. 

What are some warning signs that your team is heading for a breakdown? 

1. One or more members of your team do not contribute ideas or thoughts during meetings.  

Pay attention and take notes. Who’s speaking up? Who’s being quiet? Who’s acting independently, and who seems to need handholding?  Observe Body language and facial expressions. Was there an opportunity for healthy debate that was missed? The way your team interacts with each other in staff meetings will help you take a temperature check of how they are interacting with other in the office. 

Ask yourself: Who isn’t speaking up in meetings? Should I have a one-on-one meeting with them this week to make sure their ideas and concerns are being heard?   

 2. Blame shifting is toxic.  

Are your team members taking responsibility for their actions or not? Are members of your church staff blaming a lack of productivity on another team member? Be quick to notice and address blame shifting, or your team members will quickly feel beaten down. 

Blame shifting can also contribute to a culture of gossip, which will cause division on your team. We’ll talk more about gossip below.  

Ask yourself: Is my senior leadership taking responsibility when our team experiences failure or is blame shifting happening? Is there gossip that is breaking down our team unity? Who do I need to talk to this week to address gossip before it’s out of control? 

3. Absence of healthy conflict.  

It is a misconception that healthy teams should never experience conflict. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite. Healthy teams engage in healthy conflict because they are striving to do what is best for the church. Thus, leaders should encourage a culture where team members' ideas, opinions, and concerns can be heard. A lack of healthy conflict could mean that team members have lost their passion for their role or the overarching vision of the team. 

Be sure to incorporate a diverse mix of personalities on your leadership team. You don’t want a table of “yes-men” who just say yes to everything that the leader says. Create a culture where feedback and constructive criticism is invited and encouraged at the table. You set the tone as the leader as to how feedback will be handled on your team.  

Ask yourself: When was the last time someone told me no, and how did I respond? Am I inviting my team to give me feedback and constructive criticism on ideas and initiatives before I move forward?  

4. Lack of trust and a fear of speaking the truth.  

Does your team trust each other? Are staff meetings a safe place? If you sense that certain team members are dominating the decision-making and others seem uncomfortable speaking up, lean into the root of the situation. The most effective teams trust each other.  

You set the tone as the leader of the team as to how you trust them. If you are micromanaging your team, you are showing them that you do not trust their problem solving ability. However, if you are too absent as a leader and make decisions without your team’s input, they might feel that you don’t trust or value their opinion. Be intentional about showing your team you trust them.   

 

If you do sense a lack of trust, consider planning a retreat or onsite where you can help build cohesion among your team. Team building doesn’t happen overnight, but there are tangible team building principles you can apply now.  

At our staff onsite, we have an hour dedicated to encouraging one another and building trust among our team. We chose someone’s name from a piece of paper in a bowl, have them stand in front of the team, and share words of affirmation with them about how we see them living out our company values on a daily basis. It has proven to build immense trust among our team, especially for newer team members. It allows people to feel noticed and loved by their colleagues.  

Another way to build trust is to do a team building problem solving activity. See if your city has an Escape Game location. It has become a popular and fun way for teams to build trust outside of the office. The idea is that you have a case to solve and only one hour to solve it. Everyone on the team is needed to solve the problem. Nashville’s is NashvilleEscapeGame.com, and Houston’s is HoustonEscapeRoom.com. 

Ask yourself: When was the last time our team stepped away from everyday work and intentionally spent time building trust with each other? Do I show my team I trust them or do I micromange them? 

5. Offline conversations about one or more individuals on the team.  

Gossip will destroy a team. As a leader, you must be clear that there will be a zero tolerance for gossip on the team and be the primary example of this no-gossip policy. Consider having your team write and sign a no-gossip covenant with each other to help establish expectations and build trust. 

Our client Dave Ramsey has zero tolerance of gossip on their team of over 400 employees. He understands the power gossip can have in deflating a culture of teamwork and cohesion when senior leadership does not address gossip early on.  

Ask yourself: Am I gossiping to my senior leadership team? What tone am I setting as a leader? Is it time for our team to sign a no-gossip covenant?  

6. Meetings to debrief meetings.  

If your church staff is constantly in meetings, then when is ministry being accomplished? If your team is overwhelmed with meetings, take a step back and ask your team why these meetings are necessary. There may be unhealthy reasons for too many meetings including micromanaging, a dominating leader, or an understaffed team. 

 As a leader, think about how much each meeting costs you. How many people are sitting in the meeting? If you break down each of those staff member’s salaries, how much are you paying them to sit in that meeting? Then ask yourself, “Is the return on this meeting worth the time and money I’m investing to have this meeting?” This will help you prioritize which meetings are more necessary than others.  

Ask yourself: What is the purpose of our daily, weekly, or monthly meetings? Are we seeing results come out of those meetings that make them worth it? Are there people in the meeting whose time would be better spent outside of the meeting? 

7. People take a back seat to productivity.  

If your church staff is placing productivity above people and ministry, then your vision needs to be revisited. Is your team giving people a back seat to productivity because they have too much on their plate? You may need to hire more staff. Are people taking the back seat because your church staff is ignoring them? Your staff may be burned out, or you may need to let some people go. 

Ask yourself: How have I instilled vision in my team this week that people matter? Am I continually pushing numbers, or am I focusing on life change?   

Have you noticed any of these characteristics in your church staff? Rebuilding a team is hard work, but it's crucial to the long-term health of your church.      

Adopted this edited it and shared it.. LEADERSHIP IS HARD. BUT ASA LEADER YOU SHOULD ALWAYS READ THE SIGNS THAT ALL IS NOT WELL IN YOUR TEAMOR ELSE THE FALL WILL FIND YOU UNEXPECTEDLY. PROPHETICALLY SPEAKING…..#MosesToday www.mosesnjoroge.blogspot.com or www.njorogemoses.wordpress.com on tweeter as @sesmoyd instagram as @moresaysgn on facebook I am moses Njoroge and on linkedin its Moses Njoroge