It's usually around budgeting time each year when the importance of the sabbatical is reconsidered. At first glance, providing a pastor with a sabbatical is not a very good idea. Right? The pastor is gone for an extended period, resulting in needing replacement speakers or meeting the ministry's needs in the pastor's absence. In most cases, the church provides some form of a stipend to allow the pastor to do … [Read more...]
A Year In The Life Of Staff Development – Part Four
A Four-Part Series From Phil Taylor At Backstage Pastors
Individual Level One On One Meetings With Direct Reports I meet with each department leader (director level) at least once a month formally. These times are used to catch up on what that team member is working on in their area of responsibility. Because our team is such a hardworking and self-motivated group, they don’t need much more than encouragement. But occasionally, there is a corrective need or a small … [Read more...]
A Year In The Life Of Staff Development – Part Three
A Four-Part Series From Phil Taylor At Backstage Pastors
Smaller Group Level Directors Meetings Department Leaders meet twice a month to get on the same page and hear from each other on needs and issues we need to be thinking through. Renaut and I lead these meetings and it is a space where we restate the mission and vision, again and again, to keep everyone moving in the right direction. Department Meetings Each department does its own development based on the unique … [Read more...]
A Year In The Life Of Staff Development – Part Two
A Four-Part Series From Phil Taylor At Backstage Pastors
Big Group Level Monthly Basis: All Staff Gatherings Once a month (taking certain months off each year around holidays or summer) we do an all-staff gathering that spouses, interns, and residents are all welcome to attend (Lay Elders are also invited, but due to the daytime schedule, it’s hard for them to attend). These gatherings run from 10 AM to 2 PM on a Tuesday. Here are the components of these gatherings. … [Read more...]