5 Ways to Develop Better Interns

I’ve recently thought about the use of interns, which happens frequently today in many churches. I know why: it’s a win-win. The intern gets experience, churches get more hands and (let’s face it) cheap labor, and everybody benefits.

That is, except if we violate some of the most basic tenets of good people management.
In light of some things I’ve observed recently and over the years, here are five ways churches can commit to creating internships that work well for everybody:

1) Commit to mentoring them. When you accept an intern on your staff, don’t just use the person to accomplish a task. An intern is not a traditional employee. Your commitment must include mentoring and coaching. It’s a commitment to a process, not just a project. The goal is to shape this individual into a more effective, productive future employee, not just get something from him or her today. That happens through a relationship, which is what an internship is about.

2) Commit to a specific time period. Unless the intern is stealing, lying, or doing something else worthy of dismissal, stick with the person for the duration of the internship. Don’t let someone go halfway in because they’re not meeting your expectations. Coach the person toward your expectations. If it still doesn’t go well, chalk it up to experience. Refuse to offer a recommendation. But don’t cut the individual loose. That’s desertion, not good management.

3) Commit to a clear road map. Begin the internship with something in writing. Take a lesson from academics. Our course syllabus included what we’d study and what we were expected to know when the course was over. An internship is no different. It’s a teaching-learning situation. State what the intern will be exposed to, how the intern will be used, what the intern is expected to produce, how the intern will be evaluated, and any other important behavioral boundaries. Without such a start, the intern will be aiming for a target that he or she cannot see.

4) Commit to ongoing and constructive feedback. Your time is an investment in someone’s future, not simply a way to accomplish a task you would otherwise need to complete. Spend time with the intern talking about the environment, the career, the challenges, and the rewards. Talk with the intern about their performance, correct their mistakes, and most importantly, address any issues that would otherwise lead the intern into trouble when he or she gets into the real world. You’re often the intern’s last stop before he or she enters the workforce. Will this person leave your internship better prepared, more organizationally savvy, and more self-aware than when the internship started?

5) Commit to success. Set the intern up for this. Make sure this person has adequate training to do what is asked. Provide appropriate supervision, the right equipment, and all the information needed to accomplish the work. Stay close to the person. As I said, interns are not traditional employees. You might give other employees lots of rope or keep them at an arms-length, but interns, by definition, ask for—and require—a closer relationship than normal.

An internship that’s properly structured and managed well should seldom fail to produce at least some positive results. When we accept interns, we bear the greater responsibility to be sure it does. I’ve seen some great interns come through and seen a few that I never would hire. But I remain friends with all of them because even if the technical transfer of experience and training wasn’t the best, my commitment to them as a person of potential was communicated throughout.

Where You Work Best

Can church employees work at one church and worship at another? Off the Agenda recently explored this question on our sister site, BuildingChurchLeaders.com with mixed feelings. Blogger Tim Avery asked these follow-up questions in response:

• If the church can't meet all of your spiritual and relational needs, do you expect it to meet the needs of others?
• Does your role impede your ability to relate to the community because you are placing too much weight on your responsibilities?
• Can you really fulfill your role well without being fully involved in that community?
• Is your perception of the church as employer something that needs to be fixed or fled from?

While Avery ultimately objects to the idea of having two church homes—one for work, one for growing—there are some church administrative assistants who would advocate for this situation.

A few of our readers find it very difficult to work as an administrative assistant and worship at the same church. Here are their concerns:

“Sometimes I miss out on fellowship because I am running around helping.”

“It’s difficult to worship uninterrupted at church.”

“At first I didn’t find it hard to attend worship on Sundays, but as time went by people started seeing me as ‘the secretary’ anywhere they saw me. As it became a problem, my pastor talked to the Deacons, Elders, and other church leaders to get their support. I am learning to just ask them to call me in the office on Monday, e-mail me, or leave a voice mail. It continues to be a challenge at times to balance my work life with worship.”

While many have legitimate concerns about working at their home church, others feel they are able to minister more effectively because of the position they hold in their church office. Church administrators that belong to the church where they serve often have a better gauge on leadership and congregational issues facing their church, as well as a deeper investment in supporting the church’s ministry efforts.

No matter how you’re divided on this issue, unique problems exist for both groups of church administrators. Dr. James Cobble, the former editor of Church Office Today newsletter, offers the following tips to reduce potential problems with respect to your membership and employment status.

If you worship where you work:
One of the greatest problems for administrative assistants who work at their own church is “role confusion”—knowing when you are at work and when you are not. Your tendency is to initially take on every job and responsibility regardless of time or location, but this quickly leads to burnout and even bitterness toward your church and its members. To prevent this from happening, develop strategies to create boundaries in your work. Use the following seven strategies as a launching point:

1. Clarify your responsibilities. Make sure you and your boss understand your job description.

2. Understand who can assign you work.

3. Learn to say “no” without feeling guilty. You are not expected to do everything for everybody.

4. Educate your congregation to communicate work concerns during your regular office hours or through written notes, or an e-mail rather than contacting you at home, or during worship.

5. Recognize that your pastors are human and may make mistakes.

6. Maintain strict confidentiality on matters involving congregational members.

7. Since it can be difficult to seek counseling on personally sensitive issues from a pastor who may also be your boss, build other nurturing relationships that are available if the need arises.

If you do not worship where you work:
Two common problems that exist for those of you who are not members of the church where you work are staying informed on issues and concerns that arise during church services or events, and getting to know the people and culture of the church. Here are five tips to help you feel more in-the-loop at your workplace:

1. Develop an informational network. Be active in collecting information and getting to know those in charge of ministries.

2. Make visual connections with callers. If the church has a pictorial directory, use it every time a member calls whom you do not know.

3. Read whatever is available concerning the history of the church.

4. Attend some social functions at the church to deepen personal relationships.

5. Maintain neutrality if divisions arise, and stay focused on your service to the entire church.

Where do you stand on this topic? Do you feel it’s better to worship where you work, or can it be beneficial for church administrators to have a second church where they feel free to worship uninterrupted?

To stay connected to issues related to the church office, be sure to sign up for the free, twice-monthly Church Office Today e-newsletter.

Lindsey Learn is assistant editor of the Church Management team at Christianity Today International.

How Churches Can Re-think Money and Giving

1) What connection exists between organizational theory and funding as it relates to churches?

In the for-profit world, money is the measuring stick of success. Increasing the bottom line by growing revenue is the driving factor behind business decisions, and they have developed sophisticated approaches for doing so, such as new products launches, market segmentation, customer retention initiatives, brand loyalty programs, and more. Businesses are also willing to look at strategic, long-term investments for the future, spending money today on something that might not pay off for two or more years.

For the church, financial resources are not the end but a means. The mistake that some churches make is to take a very simplistic approach to money as if it’s a dirty word. For example, we talk about discipleship strategies to move someone from a not-yet-believer to a fully devoted follower of Christ. We assume that their financial giving will grow as they mature, but perhaps we should have more explicit strategies in this regard. Or perhaps we should consider using cash reserves for an “investment” that is likely to bring in new members, people whose giving will “pay back” this investment in future years.

I am not suggesting that a congregation’s decisions should be run through the same financial filter as a business. There will be many decisions with no expectation of financial return, such as a low-income medical clinic or a ministry to college students. I am, however, suggesting that we could grow the resource base that is available for ministry if we learned from the corporate world.

2) Would you support a move away from traditional funding methods for churches in exchange for the practice of for-profit enterprises operating for social good (e.g. Tom's Shoes)? What impact would a shift like that have on church culture?

I believe that traditional funding methods should, and will continue to be, central to the financial structure of churches. By traditional funding methods, I am referring to giving by members from their income (and assets) to support the church budget, and the periodic special appeals/campaigns (e.g., missions, building program). There is enormous potential for growth in giving if members get serious about what the Bible teaches on stewardship and generosity. In our materialistic society, this is a vital part of discipleship, and churches should not be fearful about teaching these principles.

At the same time, churches should be creative in the ways they think about potential sources of funds. Many in our society have wealth and “want to do something good.” They might be reluctant to give to a church (especially if they’re not a member of the church), but they might give generously to a cause. Our churches should be creative and flexible enough to think about how they might tap into this trend. For example, I know of one church that has opened a coffee shop and each month gives the profits to a different cause (such as child immunization, clean water). By promoting this, they are able to tap into a different pool of resources than their membership base.

3) Is it appropriate to treat church members like shareholders and offer them a ministry plan to "invest" in? What are the strengths and unintended consequences of this strategy?

I think it’s dangerous to treat church members like shareholders. Shareholders have a singular focus—investing their money wherever they believe they will get the biggest return. If they’re not happy with a particular investment, they don’t hesitate to move their money elsewhere.

Church members should have a much higher level of connection and commitment than a corporate shareholder, but churches can still learn something from this business concept. They should realize that loyalty (to a denomination or a specific church) is a thing of the past. If congregations expect giving to flow out of loyalty or a sense of obligation, they’ll almost certainly have a dwindling stream of resources. They need to offer a compelling, God-ordained vision for the future of the church, and call for members to “invest” in it. Members want to feel that their contributions are earning a return for the Kingdom.

What about the member who wants to contribute to a particular ministry? For me, this is a difficult question that is handled on a case-by-case basis. A couple of questions that I ask in making this decision: Is the ministry in question part of our vision? If not, will our efforts become fragmented if we accept the contribution? Is the donor making a positive or a negative statement? Positive as in “this ministry is a priority and needs more support.” Negative as in “I don’t agree with the overall budget/direction but I do want to support this ministry.” Will accepting this contribution encourage others to direct their giving? And if so, how might the church budget be affected? If too many make gifts to missions, children’s and youth ministry, and so on, will there be enough money to pay the maintenance and utility costs?

4) In your opinion, what is the most undervalued leadership or organizational management principle by church leaders today? If this principle were executed well, what change would it have on church funding?

Within churches, we have been talking for years about the importance of vision, but I still see a lack of bold, focused vision as being one of the biggest challenges for congregations today. Many congregations have vision statements but their decisions and resource allocations don’t reflect this vision. Or the visions have a nice “motherhood and apple pie” feel that gives little focus for the church.

A second leadership principle that is missing in churches is nimbleness or agility. The best businesses make bold decisions about their priorities, but they have also learned to make adjustments quickly if external conditions change or if they find that a particular initiative isn’t working. Churches take a long time to set their direction and even longer to change it.

The impact on funding from both of these principles is obvious. People want to be part of an organization that is “successful” and that is going somewhere. When they sense a bold vision and a willingness to make appropriate changes in their churches, their financial support will follow. But when they sense organizational inertia moving toward mediocrity, they may find other organizations to support.

This article first appeared on ChurchGivingMatters.com. Reprinted with permission.

Should Churches Increase 2011 Budgets?

Christianity Today, our sister publication, recently asked several financial advisers, researchers, and other observers to weigh in on whether churches should increase their operating budgets next year. Here are their responses:

"What we see is cautious optimism on the part of our church members. Donations seem to be trending upwards somewhat. Some of them are still down five to 10 percent compared to a year ago, but there is increasing optimism on the part of churches as we see some positive trends in the giving."

Dan Busby, president, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and an Editorial Advisor for Your Church

"The years of prosperity concealed underlying internal issues that are the real reason giving is down at some churches. During the time the economy was good and offerings were increasing, statistics say the offerings were not increasing on a per-giver basis. … They were growing their operating budgets by growing numbers of people. When the lean resource environment sets in, scarcity begins to clarify everything. For some of these churches, it clarifies that they haven't been healthy for a while, and the abundance of money was just covering it up."

Jim Sheppard, CEO, Generis

"Our church will not. In October 2008 there was a tsunami that hit Wall Street, and almost overnight there was crisis. That did not happen to churches. Churches do not experience tsunamis, but they are experiencing rising floodwaters of financial challenges. It isn't like bam, they all got slammed; it's like people aren't giving as much. Some of our people are out of work. There's not any one cataclysmic event, but rising floodwaters of economic difficulties that are more and more affecting churches."

Brian Kluth, founder, Maximum Generosity, and a Contributing Editor to Your Church

Read responses from Crown Financial Ministries' Chuck Bentley, The Financial Seminary's Gary Moore, Barna Group's David Kinnaman, Leadership Network's Chris Willard, LifeWay Research's Scott McConnell, and Generosity Monk's Gary Hoag at the full article here, then tell us what your church anticipates for its 2011 budget.

A Look at Christian Household Finances

Three out of four Christian households experienced stagnant or declining income levels during the past year. However, many of those households have managed to keep debt levels under control, according to results from the second annual View from the Pew, a constituency survey of 1,029 Christian households conducted during the first half of 2010 by Maximum Generosity and Christianity Today International.

Only 23 percent of households saw their family’s income increase from the previous 12 months. Meanwhile, as the U.S. economic recession continued, 44 percent saw their income stay the same and 33 percent saw their income go down.

Challenges with income did not necessarily result in higher levels of debt, however. The primary debt obligation for 64 percent of respondents was a home mortgage, according to the survey; only 35 percent of households reported car payments, and 70 percent said they actively pay off their credit cards in full every month.

“It’s a sign that a growing number of people are learning to actively eliminate and avoid debt,” said Brian Kluth with Maximum Generosity.

The View from the Pew results are consistent with ones uncovered earlier this year through the second annual State of the Plate, another constituency survey conducted by Maximum Generosity and Christianity Today International.

“Nearly 40 percent of churches across the country experienced a decline in giving and offerings in 2009, marking two consecutive years of declines,” said Matt Branaugh, editorial director with Christianity Today International’s Church Management Team. “It’s not surprising to see that the economic pinch in Christian households coincided with the giving trends reported by church leaders.”

In an encouraging sign for churches, 78 percent of those surveyed in the View from the Pew said they continue to give 10 percent or more of their income to local churches and ministries. When asked when they learned this practice, 60 percent said it was before age 30.

“This shows tithing and generosity start young and become a lifelong practice,” Kluth said.

The View from the Pew results may help church leaders as they work to further understand the financial situations people in their church face--and how those situations influence weekly giving patterns and budget plans. For an Executive Summary with media charts/graphs and access to the complete research data, go to http://yourchurchresources.com.

Impact of Health Care Reform Issues for Nonprofits

Editor's Note: Richard Hammar reviews the 2,500-page health care reform legislation that President Obama signed into law in March 2010 in the feature article of the July/August issue of Church Law & Tax Report. Rich's health care reform analysis also is available for individual purchase in Health Care Reform: How the new laws will affect your church--Feature Report.

H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act, P.L. 111-152), is a massive overhaul of the U.S. health care system affecting nearly all taxpayers, many employers, and many elements of the health care industry. The Reconciliation Act modifies legislation signed into law on March 23, 2010 that contains the bulk of the health reform law, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Health Care Act, P.L. 111-148).

The federal health care reform law and other recent tax acts will have a substantial impact on churches and ministries. Here are the main issues you may wish to consider:

1. Which organizations are subject to the employer mandate to offer "minimum essential coverage" under a health plan? Only an "applicable large employer" (employing an average of at least 50 full-time employees during the preceding calendar year) is subject to the requirement to offer coverage beginning in 2014. Most small organizations, since they have fewer than 50 employees, are thus exempt from the employer requirement.

2. Keeping the same coverage. Employers will be able to avoid some of the law’s requirements by keeping their coverage the same after the law’s effective date (March 23, 2010). Unfortunately, it is unclear at this time what kind of minor changes will alter coverage, or keep it the same; this will be clarified in later regulation.

Changes that must be made to all plans include:
* waiting periods for coverage must be less than 90 days;
* no lifetime benefit maximum limits;
* dependent coverage for adult children up to age 26; and
* no annual limits on certain types of benefits (unless permitted by later-issued regulation).

3. New benefits and other plan changes. If an employer does not keep its coverage the same, employers will need to make additional changes such as:
* extending 100 percent coverage for preventive care;
* removing any prior authorization requirement or increased cost-sharing for emergency services (regardless of whether the services are provided in or out of network);
* no pre-existing limitation for children under age 19; and
* coverage of routine patient costs in clinical trials for life-threatening diseases.

4. FSA/HRA/HSA changes. The law also will require changes to these types of accounts. In 2011, employees will no longer be able to receive pre-tax reimbursements from their FSA, HRA or HSA for non-prescribed over-the-counter medications, and the excise tax for nonqualified HSA withdrawals will increase from 10 percent to 20 percent. In 2013, employee contributions to FSAs will be capped at $2,500 annually, with the cap adjusted annually to the Consumer Price Index. Existing plans should be revised for the applicable changes.

Planning opportunity: Most churches and small-to-medium nonprofits do not have a properly established plan to reimburse out-of-pocket medical expenses. Even though FSAs will be capped at $2,500 annually in 2013, the benefit of offering an FSA to all staff members on a salary reduction basis is significant. For example, a staff member with marginal state and federal taxes, including social security, of 40% could save $1,000 if they have $2,500 of out-of-pocket medical expenses that are covered by an FSA.

5. Employee notification of value of coverage and exchange information. Effective in 2011, employers will need to start reporting the value of the employer-sponsored coverage to employees on their W-2s. And in March 2013, employers will need to begin notifying employees about state exchanges and the availability of premium subsidies and free choice vouchers, all of which will be available beginning in 2014.

6. Issue 1099s for corporate service providers. One important change made by the Act unrelated to health benefits requires employers beginning in 2012 to provide an IRS Form 1099 to all corporate service providers receiving more than $600 per year for services or property. Currently, 1099s need only be generated for non-corporate service providers and only on services. This provision will create a significant paperwork burden on many organizations. A bill has already been introduced to repeal this expanded reporting requirement (H.R. 5141).

7. Simple cafeteria plans. Beginning in 2011, employers with an average of 100 or fewer employees may establish a simple cafeteria plan. These new plans satisfy the nondiscrimination requirements of a classic Sec. 125 cafeteria plan.

8. Tax credits for small employers. In 2010 through 2013, certain small nonprofit employers (no more than 25 full-time employees with average annual compensation not greater than $50,000) may qualify for a 25 percent tax credit for health insurance premiums. The credit offsets payroll taxes. If the credit exceeds the payroll taxes of the organization during the calendar year, the credit is limited to the amount of the payroll taxes.

9. Payroll tax holiday. This provision eliminates social security (but not Medicare) taxes on wages paid to employees hired between February 4, 2010 and December 31, 2010 if the newly hired workers were formerly unemployed. The new employee cannot be a replacement unless the replaced employee "separated from employment voluntarily or for cause."

From ECFA’s website, www.ECFA.org. Used with permission.

Is Your Church Giving Raises This Year?

An interesting post recently surfaced in the Church Admin discussion group hosted on Yahoo:

"Situation: Our church is currently very close to our income and expense budget for the current year (fiscal year end in December). Last year, the board chose NOT to give any pay increases, but this year, some of them want to do so in next year's budget.

One board member feels that since some of our congregants are out of work, that we shouldn't give salary increases, even though according to our budget projections, there is no financial reason not to. He is very vocal that we shouldn't even consider raising anyone's pay.

Is anyone willing to share whether or not they are giving pay increases, and the rationale behind their decision? I'm especially interested in hearing from churches who are doing okay at meeting their budgets, and whether or not they are considering pay increases."

The administrator's question is an interesting one. If the economy is beginning to thaw—and there is still debate about whether that's actually the case—then should churches currently meeting their budgets consider pay raises for staff? Our 2010-2011 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, which surveyed nearly 5,000 churches across the country, showed a small decline in salaries in 2009 (after a slight gain in 2008). This means many church staff members haven't received a bump up in pay in quite some time.

Here's how other church leaders responded to the question:

From a church in Oregon:

"For the previous two years we did not give pay raises but for the upcoming fiscal year (July) we are giving a 2% raise. During the previous two years we worked hard to reduce spending and this fiscal year we are well ahead income versus expense."

From a church in North Carolina:

"Our church has not given any raises for the past two years, even though we did fine as far as revenue to expenses by year end (had a slight net income); however, we did not make budget. We actually reduced spending to approximately 95-97% of approved budget for both years. I know our Staff-Parish wants to recommend a slight increase for 2011, but is going to wait until the fall to make that recommendation. Even if a 2-3% increase is approved, we will most likely wait until year end to see if we can implement the increases."

From a church in Minnesota:

"We also froze salaries last year, but will do everything we can to give raises this year.. In my opinion, the notion that church employees do not get a raise because some of the members are without jobs is a little weak. Even if your local/regional employment rate is triple the nations (30%), it still means that 70% are still employed and probably got raises. I don't know of any company around here who froze salaries for more then one year. In addition, as you fall behind in comparison to the surrounding job market, it will be harder to attract replacement staff and for the budget to recover to accommodate comparable salaries into the future. It may be an easy way out to not give salary increases and appease those that think we shouldn't pay church staff that much, but I think we need to do a better job of educating our congregations that during tough times we count on church staff even more. Giving them less and expecting more is not the best way to keep staff motivated and feeling valued."

From a church in Maryland:

"We have, for a long time, felt that staff deserve-at the very least-a cost of living raise.then add any merit increases on top of that. Then hard times hit. In '07 and '08 we gave just cost of living (no merit increase). Then in '09 we gave no raises. Finally in '10 we reduced staff compensation by 4.1%. In return, we furlough staff one day per month. Given the offering income for the first six months of '10, I don't foresee any justification for even restoring that 4.1%. Consequently, I'm anticipating that we will eliminate at least one full time staff position (out of 9 full-time and 4 part-time)within the next 12 months.

Lest we feel that the large churches are unaffected by this, I just read a piece in the Washington Post that reports that the National Cathedral in D.C. has laid off 100 of 170 staff and reduced its annual budget from $27M to $13M. They're even considering selling off some of their rare book collection (might as well since they've already gotten rid of the curator).

As to your issue, if you have the money, I don't see how you can justify giving your staff anything less than cost of living increases."

From a church in Indiana:

"We are blessed! For the first time in the 14 years I've been handling the finances here, the staff did not receive wage increases in the fiscal year just ended. While we fell slightly short of budget income, the staff had worked so diligently all year at containing expenses that we had a significant fiscal surplus. Our Board of Administration very generously voted to use a portion of that to give all of the staff a fiscal-year- end financial gift. We also received small increases for the coming year."

How is your church handling this question in 2010? Are you behind budget and facing no increases? Are you meeting--or exceeding--budget and wrestling with how to handle raises?

Designing Print for Big Impact (On a Tiny Church Budget)

If the word frugal conjures up images of your matronly aunt’s used tin foil collection, or the carefully washed plastic bags drying in her dish drainer you’re not mistaken, but being frugal is also simply being a good steward with the resources we are given.

When it comes to a church’s design budget, however, maybe we should be thriftier and less frugal. Though frugality is used with the best intentions, it has a negative connotation linking it with an effort to be simple, plain, and well, cheap. Simplicity in design can still be a great element in your creativity tool belt, but it is important to familiarize yourself with your cost-cutting options in order to stretch the limits of what’s available to you. Your design doesn’t have to suffer because of your lack of dollars.

A church has so many demands on a limited or fluctuating income that the budget for print communications, such as bulletins or flyers, is often minimal at best. How can you be creative and keep costs low for your print needs?

Investigate your local print options.
Using a local printer gives you the additional perk of investing in the lives of people living within your community, and it saves you money by eliminating shipping costs accrued from an out-of-town printer.

Search for a local printer who is eager for your regular business more than your money. This type of printer is more willing to discuss cost-cutting options with you, such as arranging for you to pick up the project instead of being charged for shipping or delivery. Additionally, if your bulletin and flyers are picked up unassembled, you may decrease costs of folding, stapling, or even hand packing (insertion of flyers).

Note: If this is an available option, you will need to pick up your project early enough so your church office group can assist with completing the assembly each week. You could also enlist a reliable small group to perform the task as a church ministry. Show your appreciation by arranging for snacks and fellowship to make the time more enjoyable and meaningful to those who participate each week.

How many colors can you afford?
Have your printer quote the following print options for the quantity you need:

1) Full color (which will likely be too expensive)
2) Full color cover with black and white interior pages (bulletins over 4 pages only)
3) Black & White plus a designated spot color
4) Black & White Only

Often the black and white plus a spot color is a nice middle-of-the-road option that people forget about. The spot color will often be pulled from the church logo. For instance, if your logo is a black cross with a brown crown of thorns shedding drops of blood. Your spot color will either be the brown of the thorns or the red of the drops of blood. Use your choice as an accent color throughout your publication in various percentages. Ask your printer for advice on how to do this with the software you will be using.

Don’t bleed off the page.
Keep your design items from bleeding off the page. By keeping all items within your printer’s requested safety zone for your print size (often at least .25 inches each side) it ensures that you have less paper waste and trims the cost from your printer.

Use your own photography.
Tap into photography talent that may exist within your church family. Find one reliable contact or initiate a small group and send them “on assignment” to events. Regularly create a list of photos you anticipate needing and give them as much time as you can to get the photos back to you. If you need to take photos yourself, and you are feeling untrained, search online for “photography tips” or “photography tutorials” and you’ll find plenty of information to get you started.

Use cheap royalty-free stock photography.
Sites such as istockphoto.com and stockxpert.com are great sources for quality photography at an affordable cost. Purchasing the quality/size you need for print (300 dpi) can be as cheap as $9 - 25 per image (less for online quality if you have website photo needs). Your photography club could even help the church earn money by selling their best photos on these sites and donating the funds from their commissioned photos. Crossdaily.com is an additional resource for selling and buying Christian photography. (Note: The difference with this site is that there is a tiered membership fee and not a pay-per-image system.)

Be creative with design and text.
Study magazine layouts at your local library and make photocopies of layouts you like. Even analyze the junk mail you receive and start an idea file. Examine why you like these design elements, and use the best of these design principles in your church’s publication.

Tip: I recommend designing many sections of your bulletin the same or similar every week. This allows readers to easily reference information. Leave a few areas flexible to allow for some creative freedom each week that will keep people interested in reading each issue.

You have to be thrifty to stay within a small church budget, but remember that the purpose of your printed materials is to communicate. Make sure all of your copy is legible and the writing is engaging. After all, your goal is that church members will enjoy becoming better informed about the activities going on at your church. Sticking to your budget ensures those activities will remain possible, thanks to your continued efforts to saving on print and design costs.

Editor's note: If you do have a little bit of a budget for special communication pieces at your church, you could go the route of using software like Quark Promote. It's a free, downloadable software that allows you to customize a professional looking template that you choose from the website. The software and design templates are free—the only cost is for the printed materials. This is a nice alternative to hiring a designer to do the work for you, even at a small price. Ideally—if you want a professional look at no cost—you'll want to look for a designer who attends your church who is willing to volunteer some time for special communication pieces, and those pieces can be printed at the church.

Part 4: Doing Staff Reorganizations Well

Editor’s Note: Paul Clark, the Operations Pastor at Fairhaven Church in Ohio and a Contributing Editor to Your Church, recently underwent a major staff reorganization. In a four-part series that started three weeks ago, he explained what Fairhaven sought to change, and the first step for making that change—the dissolution of the executive team. Two weeks ago, he addressed the establishment of new title structures. Last week, he explained how Fairhaven created a Management Team. In today’s concluding article, he explains how Fairhaven created a Lead Team.

Step Four: Creation of a Lead Team

The final step involves how Fairhaven sets the vision and direction for the church. The new Lead Team is comprised of a mixture of individuals who are invited to participate based on their experience, gifting, vision, and their strategic role in the broad scheme of ministry. It includes both men and women, ranging from Boomers to Gen X. It's an eclectic group, each representing a unique vantage point on Fairhaven and culture.

The Lead Team deals with four strategic questions:

1. Where are we going? This involves the vision and values of Fairhaven Church. It encompasses who we are and how we believe God wants us to present the Good News to our community and our world. It's an understanding of the church’s DNA.

2. How will we get there? This second question deals with the strategic plans and initiatives that must come into being for our vision and values to become real. It's laying the tracks upon which the ministries will run, to insure that we remain who we believe God has called us to be. It's macro instead of micro. It's stays at the 30,000-foot level, leaving the details of implementation to the Management Team.

3. What are we saying? The voice of Fairhaven is established through the Lead Team. The messaging, the preaching, and the communication are coordinated at a macro level within the Lead Team. Our Communication Team director sits on the Lead Team. The team helps David Smith, the Lead Pastor, take the pulse of the congregation and identify the needs that should be addressed and the shape of our communication.

4. What's beyond the horizon? We love to plan and we believe that good planning always pays off. Though God can (and does) surprise us, good leadership necessitates good planning. The Lead Team handles long range issues like multi-site, demographic venues, facility expansion, and personnel planning.

The Lead Team is led by our Lead Pastor. He values lively discussion, a free-flowing exchange of ideas, mutual respect for one another, and relational integrity. Meetings are twice each month and last no more than 90 minutes. The team has unquestioned authority, even if for no other reason than it's led by the Lead Pastor. But because it has delegated most of the implementation issues to the Management Team, thus sharing power with another group of staff leaders, it has broadened the number of people with a voice in shaping the future of the church. Sharing power and decision-making has infused life into our staff and created the foundation for accomplishing the goals stated at the beginning.

Our former staff structure lasted five years, which doesn't seem like a long time. But the changing generational landscape of church staffs requires that we keep a careful eye on our organizational structure, not only to be prepared for future growth, but to be sure we retain a healthy and engaged staff.