What Should be Expected of Staff Spouses? (Church Staffing)

A common cause of stress among church staff members is the role of staff spouses.

Some churches hire a staff member with the unspoken expectation that they’re hiring two people (husband and wife) – the key word being “unspoken.”

I’ll share how we handle staff spouse expectations at The Journey in a moment, and whether you agree with our approach or not, please take this advice:

The key to avoiding issues with spouses (like so much else on a church staff) is 100% crystal clear communication from the beginning.

In other words, no matter what you expect from the spouses of your staff, they need to know that before they’re hired.

That being said, here’s how we handle it:

  • We interview the spouse during the hiring process and make sure they understand the expectations of their spouse.  We don’t do job descriptions, we do expectation lists (see The Staffing Workshop for examples).
  • We take a laissez-faire approach to the spouse. He or she can be as involved or not involved as they want.
  • We expect the spouse to fulfill the requirements of membership (see the appendix of my book Fusion for our members covenant – attend, serve, give, etc.)

This means that we don’t expect the spouse to be at all church events, with their staff spouse every time the doors open or to act like a paid staff member (with no pay).

We expect the spouse to be a fully contributing member – some will be more involved, some less involved depending on their own personality.

And as I mentioned before – be sure that you’re 100% clear up front.

P.S. For nearly six hours of practical, comprehensive teaching on all aspects of church staff, check out The Staffing Workshop (Available for Immediate Download).

 

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About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.

Nelson SearcyLeadership

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