Let’s say you’re the pastor of a growing church. The church has just brought in a new minister to assist you in leading the congregation. He/she might be a worship pastor, minister of music, student minister, or in charge of education or pastoral care.
One of the best things a pastor can do with the incoming minister is to make him/her aware of your expectations. You will want to think them through and write them out, then share them after you both have agreed that God is leading him/her to your church. Give the person the printed copy and don’t lose your own. This may be necessary if the time comes when you have to deal with a rebellious or lazy staff member.
In sharing these, do it graciously, not dictatorially as though you are going to be looking over their shoulder all the time.
You could even follow this by asking for their expectations concerning you. I guarantee you they have them. They will expect you to deal with them as ministers of the gospel, to give them room to do their job, to pay them well and protect them on their off days, and to support them when the criticism is unfair. If the new staffer is expecting something from you which was not spoken and never implied, you want to know that up front before you get too deeply into the employment process.
What follows are things I shared with our staff members in six churches over forty-two years. Some of them evolved, while some of them were there from the first. The list is not complete, but only things I recall at this vantage point…