5 Lies About Ministry HR
Everyone has heard of HR. It’s associated with dull characters like “Toby” from The Office and words like “restructuring” and “evaluations” that only conjure up bad feelings in the pit of your stomach. But HR is significantly more encompassing and vital than that, especially for ministries. Here are five lies ministries are tempted to believe about HR:
Lie #1: “HR is only for big companies.”
HR is the backbone of a healthy ministry culture. Whether you have 1 employee or 1,000, you need to take the time to intentionally craft your HR, and therefore your culture, from day one. Starting early provides a solid foundation on which to grow your ministry. Starting healthy habits earlier is much easier and quicker than trying to correct unhealthy ones later.
Lie #2: “We have more important issues to deal with.”
Your people are your most important asset. There is nothing more critical than taking care of them. Setting them up for success with healthy and compliant HR practices now prevents major headaches later. Plus, many of the major issues you’ll have to wrestle with both now and later, have major ties (and solutions) within HR. Remember: healthy HR = healthy culture.
Lie #3: “Burnout isn’t an issue on my team.”
People who are passionate about your mission are most likely to burn out without strong boundaries in place. It is easy to confuse “doing for God” with “being with God”. You need guidelines, policy and procedure, and a healthy example for your team to thrive without running themselves ragged. And it starts with you.
Lie #4: “We’re not a ‘business.”
Sure, you don’t follow all secular business practices, but that doesn’t mean you buck all of them. Of all of them, HR is the most akin to ministry: it’s caring for people. It should be ministries that lead the field of best HR practices. Plus, you are still considered a business in the government’s eyes and therefore need to follow compliance guidelines including local, state, and federal laws.
Lie #5: “Most labor laws don’t apply to churches.”
Nope. Not even close. Most ministries we encounter have at least a few compliance violations that open them up to potential fines and lawsuits. You definitely don’t have time (or budget!) for that. Protect your mission and get compliant.
So what do I do?
Take the first step and begin transforming your ministry’s HR into what it should be: a thriving and compliant culture that brings structure and life to your organization. We can help. Our HR Audit takes an in-depth look at your ministry organization’s HR practices and provides a gap checklist identifying where your organization is non-compliant or falling short of industry best practices. Our Ongoing Services provide you monthly access to a ministry HR expert that can help you cross those items off your list and our Foundations Package helps you set up a strong HR foundation from the ground up.
Not sure where to start? Let our team help you uncover the truth about ministry HR.
Authored by the HRMS Team, a group of dedicated church HR experts who draw from extensive ministry experience to keep your organization compliant and healthy. Schedule a call and find out how we can help you simplify your organization’s HR here.