Transitioning staff off your team

(how to care for departing staff members)

Sometimes transition of team members is necessary. If it's time to say good-bye, we can help your church provide extra care and support to help your staff member transition to next chapter of ministry well.

when you are forced to layoff or terminate a church staff member, you need to care for and love them well beyond their last day on your payroll.

Cutting staff is never easy.  And laying off or terminating staff that have served your church is painful, both for you as a church, and for the staff member.  It is important that you care for your departing staff member during this time, and into their future.

Connecting them with a dedicated transitional ministry coach is one way to continue to support and love your former staff member, and help them land on their feet in their next endeavor. We can help by being an extension of your church’s loving arms. We will help walk with your former colleague and help them prepare for their next chapter in life or ministry.  

You don’t have to travel this road alone. We can help you assure your remaining staff, your board, and your congregation that you are doing all you can to provide love and care for your laid-off staff and that you’re supporting them and their families in finding their next place in ministry.

like it or not, all eyes are on you...

It’s been said that cutting staff is like operating on yourself with no anesthetic. Letting people go (whether for budgetary reasons, job performance issues, or overall fit) is one of the hardest things you will ever do in ministry. That said, sometimes it is necessary.  And when it is, you can count on one thing: EVERYONE will be watching.

  • OTHER STAFF will be watching to see how you and your church treat the outgoing staff member.  In the back of their minds, they know it could be a foreshadowing of how they may be treated one day.

  • THE STAFF MEMBER’S SPOUSE AND CHILDREN will be watching how their loved one is being treated during this time. In fact, how well (or badly) their perception is of this process can have a lasting effect on their ability to transition as a family to the next church or ministry role. It can also serve as an impetus to either increase or decrease their faith and spiritual journey.

  • YOUR BOARD will be watching to make sure that things go smoothly with this transition. They are the boots on the ground to hear complains when things do not go well.

  • KEY VOLUNTEERS will be watching to see how the church and leadership team treats the person and their family on the way out.  The staff member you are releasing has key relationships with many of your important volunteers. They will want to be sure that the staff member is treated not only fairly, but in a Christ-like manner.

  • YOUR CONGREGATION is watching. When change happens, they want to be reassured that your church is acting properly and caring well for those that have been released.

Our transition coaching process allows you to show love for the staff member after their last day by providing spiritual care and ministry/career counsel.

each engagement is customized, but here's a sample schedule:

We’re uniquely qualified to serve as an extension of your church’s love and support to your released staff member. His/her dedicated transitional ministry coach will provide weekly one-on-one support and care, along with spiritual and professional guidance through the next three months.

WEEK 1 – WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
No one expects to be suddenly without a job. Our one-on-one coaching helps your former employee work through processing his/her new reality.

WEEK 2 – WHAT NOW?
Your former employee will not be alone. We will help him/her set standards for their physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual health through this transition time.

WEEK 3 – WHAT’S NEXT?
We’ll work with your former employee to determine their ministry strengths and weaknesses, how to determine his/her passion in ministry, and what to look for next.

WEEK 4 – WHERE DO I START?
During week 4, we’ll start our six week job seeker bootcamp, giving group and one-on-one coaching in resume development, interviewing skills and more.

WEEK 5 – RESUME CREATION
Everyone can use a little help with their resume during this time. We’ll help update his/her resume to make the best impression possible to potential churches and ministries.

WEEK 6 – OPPORTUNITY SEARCH
Now it’s time to start his/her job search. We will help by helping him/her lean into their personal and ministry networks and job boards and how to connect with potential job opportunities.

WEEK 7 – INTERVIEW PREP
We will provide opportunities to do practice job interviews and provide coaching and advice on how he/she can make a better first impression on actual job interviews.

WEEK 8 – ONSITE VISITS
Our goal is to help him/her find a healthy long-term fit for their next ministry role. We’ll coach them on how to navigate the first face-to-face with a potential church employer.

WEEK 9 – ACCEPTING A NEW ROLE
When offered a role, we will give strategic advice on how to make sure he/she and the church are on the same page. We’ll walk them through salary, insurance, housing and more.

WEEK 10 – CHECKUP: FAMILY
We care for his/her family through the process as well, including two coaching sessions for their spouse during the transition. We want to insure that everyone is cared for.

WEEK CHECKUP: SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING
All of our coaches are pastors and ministry professionals. We care for the individual and family spiritually throughout the process, but focus on week 11 on spiritual vitality.

WEEK 12 – WHAT AM I LEARNING?
For our final week (in our 12-week program) we will deconstruct what he/she has learned about themselves personally, spiritually, and professionally.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. WE CAN HELP.

Are you in the process of transitioning a staff member? Let’s talk. We’d love to hear the specifics of what you’re going through and see if we can help you and your staff member transition well. Just pick a time from the calendar below to schedule a free 30-minute call to discuss options.