There seems to be an increased amount of traffic from people searching for topics related to church administration. 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 through. I’ve asked her to share three.

Legal Landmine #2: Discipline.

If discipline or worse, a termination must occur, the steps leading to a decision provide the backup if those decisions are contested.

Kayla’s rule of thumb is: Performance coaching and discipline are a part of life – even ministry life.

A huge trap for a ministry leader is the tendency to avoid those difficult discussions with staff members who are struggling with performance. Even though your staff leadership are involved in the ministry because of God’s calling on their lives, that calling alone does not mean unmet expectations don’t sometimes occur.

As a leader – and regardless of your ministry focus – it is important to set clear expectations and provide the necessary coaching to keep everyone on track. Simply “praying about it” doesn’t automatically correct problems. Capturing those conversations in some way is important as well. Sure, coaching is done through a spiritual lens but it must occur nonetheless.

Question: Are you prepared to “fire” or “let people go” for various reasons with the same amount of integrity and intentionality as you hired them?

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.

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Legal landmine #1: Consistency