Don’t underestimate the power of effective communication.

Our church has some big staff and leadership transition items on the horizon. These changes impact both our children’s and youth ministries. Unequivocally important!

I was discussing these changes with my mentor this week. Specifically the strategy to release this information to the congregation.

For anyone who leads regularly, we know that when we discuss change, there will always be those who act as if the sky is falling. For our current situation, discuss items related to people’s children…high potential for next level sky-falling!

Decisions, decisions…

There’s a temptation (likely inside every pastor) to hold on to that information until the last possible moment, then tell everyone in one shot. Even better, just introduce the new leader or staff member on their first Sunday and say, “Surprise! Let’s welcome _____________!“

Don’t do with of those! It’s not worth it! Instead, try these three steps.

Step 1: Key Leadership

For our church, we have a Pastor-Elder Team. Your church may have some other Board or Team model. The point of this step is to create an open dialogue with the highest level of leadership before anything goes public.

If at all possible, give the time needed, even a couple of meetings to unpack the details and outcomes of the potential (or inevitable) change. Preferably, this would be a few months before the change.

That being said, some situations require immediate action. That’s part of leadership. Be ready to make the call when the time comes.

Step 2: Team Members

We have a few levels of dedicated team members serving on our Deacon’s Board and our Ministry Team (including some staff members). In our structure, the Pastor-Elder Team would have brought a recommendation, but hearing from these checked-in leaders can have a huge impact!

These team members may see a barrier or significant problem in the plan or project. They might have a different idea for improvement. These are positives that we should hope for and be thankful to receive at this level of the process.

Giving at least a month’s notice for this group can impact the outcome of the change. Wherever possible, try not to rush through this step.

Step 3: The Church

At some point you have to go public. If we’ve walked through the process, we should have a solid plan of action. Sure, there will always be a nay-sayer (or 4) but you’ve put in the work and most people will be thankful for it.

In our current situation, we gave a little over a month’s notice for the big changes. My Eldership was behind me, the Board and Ministry Team knew in advance. And the congregation was glad to have time to digest the change, which increased buy-in on all fronts.

A Word On Crisis

Once again, I fully understand that a crisis or a vital turn of events in ministry, may force us to make a decision in short order. We may have no choice but to issue a last-minute communication.

That’s okay. People get it. Communicate it like they get it.

Everyone lives with the reality that difficulties, interruptions and changes to plans happen. Be honest, explain the situation and people will trust our integrity. Hopefully we’ve provided them with integrity through our past communication practices…which brings us back to step 1.