One of the main bugaboos of many pastors is learning how to staff a church.  When in reality knowing how to staff is simple if you just use your noggin.

The following is based on any size church. If under 500 some of the following staff are volunteer or one paid staff may oversee two or more of the following.  By the time the church is over 500 there should be a paid staff, part or full time, over each of these.

One, staff to increase the number of new visitors on Sunday.  If the number of visitors isn’t increasing each year sooner or later the church stalls and begins to decline.  It’s really that simple. So you need a staff person to insure the number of first time people increases.  Up to 500 in worship the pastor should cover this one.

Two, staff to assimilate new people.  It’s easier to keep new people than it is to attract new people. So you need an assimilation system in place and someone to oversee it.  In most churches this person is a worship leader who understands the importance of hospitality.

Three, staff to disciple people.  Under 500 this is spread throughout all the staff. But around 500 small groups should become a major concern and will need someone to oversee it.  If you don’t do small groups, then what are you doing to disciple people.  Very few people are discipled by simply attending worship.

Four, staff to send people out into the community to become backyard missionaries. The true measure of a church is not its size but what difference is it making in the community. So you need someone to organize weekly events in the community where a growing number of participates in worship are in the community doing three things: blessing the community; blessing the ones serving; and creating visibility.

So there you have it. See how simple it is?

Now finding and keeping the right people isn’t that easy.  That is one of the reasons why my partner, Bill Tenny-Brittian, and I wrote the book, Effective Staffing for the Vital Church: The Essential Guide to Finding and Keeping the Right People.  You can find it at Amazon.com