Paid Time Or. Volunteer Time for Me and My Family

Discussion Group at MCEC Administrators Day

When does my paid time end and my volunteer time begin?

How do I, or my family members, still be involved with other parts of church ministry?

 

Issues
  • Many times are asked questions outside of working hours
  • Phone calls made to home outside of working hours
  • Some members of congregation may feel that the church is a sacred place and do not want to come in to ask their questions but will call administrator's home
  • Conflict can arise due to informational knowledge or preceived knowledge
  • Some struggle with being paid by the church when other persons in ministry do not get paid - guilt
  • Hard to contribute other giftings in church life
  • Unclear about whether it is the administrator's responsibility
  • When involved with other committees, automatically appointed administrative assistant on those committees.
  • Is minute taking at a committee volunteer or administrative work?
  • Frustration of expectations on a Sunday morning when administrator is arriving for worship and is pulled into the office
  • Can be difficult for family life as administrator is busy "working" on a Sunday - there is a sense of responsibility to the church. Where does your family fit in?
  • Questions on the way into worship disrupt ability to focus and worship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helps/Tips
  • Staff Relations Committees can be helpful.
  • Pastors or elders should be supporting you in your job.
  • Communication is important
  • You have the choice to say yes or no to volunteering - needs to be a personal choice
  • Email and voicemail become important communication tools
  • Provide paper (sticky notes) and pens outside office for messages
  • Some nights you do not answer your phone and let it go to machine.
  • Pastor's often count time by units of pastoral time and units of volunteer time.
  • When husband was council chair, boundaries need to be set but it worked
  • Many are paid to take minutes at council meetings
  • Announcement could be made from pulpit to congregation to recognize that Sundays are a worship time for everyone - church business conducted at other times
  • Some churches pay their administrator on Sunday morning
  • Some administrators do not want to be paid on a Sunday morning as they are at church to worship
  • Need to teach people where your boundaries are
  • When approached on a Sunday morning, ask people to leave a note in your mailbox
  • Need to take the extra effort to look at worship time as how we can be fed rather than as our place of work.