Leadership Communication for Pastors in the Workplace

When God calls upon someone to serve in his name, that individual has a duty to spread the gospel. In the modern world, however, that’s not their only responsibility. Effective pastor communication in the workplace is another important concern. After all, being a great preacher doesn’t negate the need for positive and fruitful staff relationships.

The ability for pastors to communicate effectively with their staff creates benefits outside of the workplace. Great communication at the top filters its way down into other church relationships. This makes disseminating information among the congregation simpler. You should make time later to review the DonorWerx Framework to learn why this is important to a ministry’s success.

Before taking that step, though, commit these tips for improving pastor communication in the workplace to heart.

Why Is Pastor Communication in the Workplace Vital?

In churches with fewer than 100 members, pastors may take on every single role in the ministry. Senior citizens and individuals in rural areas, for instance, have likely driven by their house of worship only to see the preacher outside cutting grass. More than one-in-ten churches have over 250 members, though, and even smaller congregations often have more people on staff than just the pastor.

If your ministry has even one other staff member, effective pastor communication in the workplace is a necessity. Research shows that improved communication at work results in happier employees. And when you have a happy staff, they’re more committed to their roles. Even in secular organizations, this makes employees feel like they’re part of something bigger.

Great communication between pastors and staff members also creates a culture of connection within your ministry. For instance, a central component of the DonorWerx Framework rests on the ability to have others communicate messages effectively. By improving pastor communication in the workplace, it’s easier to disseminate information at every level of the church.

Barriers to Effective Leadership Communication in the Workplace

Before jumping into the best ways pastors can communicate better in the workplace, it’s important to understand why this is even a problem. Isn’t responding to emails and answering questions when they’re asked enough? Unfortunately, we rarely recognize just how poor communication is within ministerial workplaces.

Identifying the biggest issues is the first step to solving them. If you’ve noticed the following hurdles, there’s a major chance that pastor communication in the workplace could use some improvement:

• Lack of clarity.
• Not accounting for body language.
• Generalizations and stereotypes.
• Lack of consistency in communications and practices.
• Lack of inclusion in decisions.
• Dishonesty.
• Failure to listen.

Unfortunately, these issues can lead to employee dissatisfaction, decreased momentum, misunderstandings and even stagnated growth. While each of these outcomes is detrimental in their own right, the latter might just prove disastrous. We’re living in a time when attendance is decreasing and church tithing statistics show diminished giving, so ministries cannot afford stagnated growth.

Fortunately, these barriers to effective pastor communication in the workplace are not unavoidable. By taking concrete steps to improve how you communicate with your staff, which vicariously improves how they communicate with others, you can enhance just about every aspect of your church.

Improving Pastor Communication in the Workplace

If you’ve ever looked into donor segmentation to increase church tithing, you already understand the importance of communication. Messaging between your church and congregants, though, shouldn’t be your only concern. The following strategies can help improve communication with your staff members, and it’s impossible to overstate the benefits of this.

Leadership Communication Requires Clear Guidelines

One of the biggest issues with communication in the church is a lack of clear guidelines. Even if every staff member is a close friend, pastors can’t take a hands-off or lackadaisical approach. Clear guidelines could include responding to emails within a certain timeframe, following a clear chain of command and outlining everyone’s role in specific tasks.

Learn Everyone’s Communication Styles

Most pastors held a few jobs before getting called to the Lord’s service. This means they likely remember questions during job interviews that focused on communication and learning styles. “Do you learn best through reading, listening or practicing” and “what messaging method works best for you” are just a few examples.

Everyone is different, so everyone’s communication styles vary. Take the time to learn each individual’s particular style, and pastor communication in the workplace will improve exponentially.

Know How to Offer Praise and Criticism

Even when someone communicates better via specific methods (e.g. email, phone, in-person), there are some things that transcend these forms of communication. Praise and criticism are two of the most important. When offering praise, it’s best to do so in a written form. If criticism becomes necessary, though, a one-on-one conversation is more appropriate.

Create a Communication Process

Communication is about information sharing. Fortunately, this isn’t something you have to play by ear. You can set up processes everyone learns from their first day on the staff. Scheduling weekly meetings, using an instant messaging platform, asking employees if they have questions, and assigning information sharing duties are just a few ways to accomplish this.

Take Pastor Communication in the Workplace Seriously!

Houses of worship have a focus that’s stated in the name: worship. Church leaders should never forget, though, that they’re also running a workplace. From the associate pastor to the custodian, every cog in the wheel plays an essential part in keeping things going. Effective pastor communication can ensure that these individuals understand what’s needed from them.

Communication is so important that it serves as a cornerstone in the DonorWerx Framework. Your ability to communicate in the workplace will have direct effects on how others communicate among themselves. This can also affect your overall success at engaging your congregation and increasing giving in your ministry.

Schedule a Discovery Call with our giving experts today. We’ll show you how effective pastor communication is a small but significant aspect in improving your church’s ability to do God’s work.