The following post comes from Allison Tennyson, CBF’s director of human resources. Feel free to contact Allison if your church has questions about human resources items.

Communication.  It seems so simple.  Just keep everyone informed.  And yet, communication tends to be one of the top issues running throughout our lives…in our relationships, in our homes, in our churches, in our workplaces.

When a church staff is communicating well within itself, the flow of ministry in and beyond the church improves.  Individuals who make up the church staff can feel more engaged, feel less segmented and have a better sense of ownership for the whole of the church’s ministry. 

The challenge lies in how, when and what we communicate.  It is important for our communication to be:

–          Consistent – Think though how to regularly provide information to your staff members.

–          Frequent – “One and done” doesn’t work with communication.  We need to be willing to share multiple times especially with valuable and important information.

–          Honest – Share what you can and be honest about what you cannot share or what hasn’t been determined yet.  Provide an explanation for what cannot be shared – is the reason personal, legal, ethical, or simply timing?

–          Timely – Share information when it is appropriate to do so.  Don’t delay in communicating information when you should.

–          Direct – “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”  This will help to avoid confusion.

–          Varied – Provide important information in a variety of manners.  We all learn and retain information differently.  Some prefer verbal communication, others written, others interactive.

–          Shared through the proper channels – No staff member should find out the pastor is leaving the church from a friend’s Facebook posting.  The impact of social media in today’s world can make this even more challenging.