When it comes to one of the most important parts of developing infrastructure in the church, Defining Responsibility and Authority, the Job Description is critical. It, in addition to By-Laws, Executive Limitations policies, organization charts, etc., is the primary “responsibility” document.
Obviously, there are a number of different approaches to writing a job description. I have seen many, especially since becoming an Executive Pastor. In the church, job descriptions tend to contain information that I don’t believe should be in a job description. For example, an Arts Pastor should be “spiritual” and “above reproach,” etc. This stuff should be a given for any pastor on staff at a church. Evaluating a potential staff member’s character, spiritual maturity, doctrinal position, etc. is more appropriately covered in the recruiting and candidate evaluation process for every staff member.
I believe a job description should take more of a “just the facts Jack” approach. Job descriptions need to accomplish a couple of things …
- First, the job description should define duties, responsibilities, and qualifications for a position. This should be done in a way that fits within the overall organizational structure of church staff. In other words, one position should be easily compared to another based on the content of the job description. Of course rate of compensation, relative to others on staff, should also be determined based on the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of a particular position as documented in the job description.
- Second, a job description should provide the individual in the position with a good description of what the job entails and what they are supposed to do in the position. It should be specific enough to accomplish this but not be too specific as to create a “not my job” culture in the organization.
Here’s a list of links to all the Job Descriptions available to you here on Executive Pastor Online. Feel free to use anything here as you work to define responsibility and authority in your church!
Administrative Assistant
Arts Pastor
Assistant to the Executive Pastor
Assistant to the Senior Pastor
Associate Pastor
Bookkeeper
Campus Children’s Pastor
Children’s Pastor
Director of Human Resources
Executive Assistant
Executive Pastor
High School Pastor
Middle School Pastor
Operations Pastor
Outreach Pastor
Pastor of Pastoral Care
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Preschool Director
Preschool Lead Teacher
Producer
Production Assistant
Small Groups Pastor
Stewardship Pastor
Student Arts Pastor
Visual Media Producer
Volunteer Coordinator
If you have questions or I can help you in any way, please feel free to contact me.