There seems to be an increased amount of traffic from people searching for topics related to church administration, so I thought we might explore the broader topic of human resources and church responsibility. While there may not be a direct connection to church funding, it deals with trust and integrity–two incredibly valuable assets when it comes to building trust with leadership and lay segments of your congregation. And you won’t fund your budget without a shared sense of trust and confidence among both segments.

I recently met Kayla Barrett whose professional career in human resources has included mega churches and big business. She shared with me how surprised she was that even very large churches are not fully aware of some of the legal landmines churches must wrestle with. I’ve asked her to share three over the next several days.

Legal Landmine #1: Consistency.

Without clear guidelines, staff will interpret their understanding of what is expected. And let’s face it, we’re human. That interpretation will likely be different from person to person which makes it impossible to manage consistently and fairly across the board. That alone is the starting point for potential legal issues.

Kayla’s rule of thumb is: As long as your ministry is led by people, you need structure.

This discipline doesn’t mean your ministry becomes a time card machine, but it is important that a clear set of protocols is in place so everyone knows the “rules”. Those guides may include expectations for arrival, paid time off accruals, childcare guidelines, and how to engage congregation leadership.

Question: Do you have documentation to support the internal people structures and systems you have in place that can serve as an objective voice when discrepancies arise?

More about Kayla: Kayla is the president of Organization Impact, LLC providing training and consultation services in the area of human resources and professional development for corporate and non-profit ministry organizations. Having served in both environments, she has a unique perspective in how to help ministry groups tackle the sometimes difficult task of connecting biblical principles to practical real-world application.

Note: This article is provided as information only and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. Always check with an attorney on these important matters as laws vary from state to state.