Minimizing the Negative Impact of Organizational Changes Within a Church
How can a church navigate the complexities of a reorganization while minimizing the negative impact it could have on its congregation?
They collaborate with a trusted partner to establish a robust crisis communications strategy and action plan that honors employees and church members.
The Challenge
Outside forces often have a direct impact on giving, the primary income for most churches and many ministries. While some organizations see few changes to their budget, economic or cultural shifts can result in other congregations finding themselves facing a serious shortfall. When this happens, churches often have little choice but to cut jobs and reorganize responsibilities.
The leadership team of one Texas congregation found themselves in such a position. Before the pandemic, they were aware they needed to make some modifications for the long-term health of the church. Then COVID-19 hit and escalated the need for a reorganization. When restrictions eased, they realized that attendance and the landscape of the church had changed. To best steward their gifts, they needed to eliminate several positions and reassign certain responsibilities. Reorganizations are never easy, and the church wanted guidance on how to graciously part ways with full-time and part-time staff. In particular, they wanted to clearly communicate that the challenges they faced stemmed from the ongoing pandemic (and not from the arrival of their new head pastor). They sought Guardian’s help on how to minimize the impact of the reorganization on their staff and congregation, and how best to honor the departing employees for the time and talents they invested in the church.
The PROCESS
Guardian began by working with leadership on how best to communicate their difficult decision to the impacted employees and the congregation. We offered counsel about how to communicate the financial and congregational impact of the reorganization, and created a timeline for the announcements to limit disruption. We drafted talking points to distribute to various audiences, empowering leadership to appropriately communicate their sincere sympathy and love for the affected pastors and staff. Finally, we drafted reorganization letters to employees and counseled leadership on communication regarding separation agreements that balanced the needs of the church with the needs of employees and their families.
The results
Following the reorganization, the ministries of the church were able to operate in a way that made more sense moving forward and positioned the church for future growth. The church was also able to publicly honor their former employees authentically, offer their full support and maintain relationships with departing staff members.