How to motivate high-performance church staff

Bud Brown Oct. 24, 2019

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My son the mathematician says there are three kinds of students in this world, those who understand math and those who don’t.

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of his statement because languages, literature and the natural sciences didn’t leave any room for math in my wheelhouse. However more than 30 years of pastoral ministry has taught me that there are only two ways to motivate church staff— extrinsically or intrinsically. Those who respond to extrinsic motivation do the job, but those driven by intrinsic motivation pour out passion for the mission.

There’s a world of difference between what the two groups want out of a job. A recent article in Inc. suggests that intrinsically motivated employees want something very different.[1]

• They want to make significant contributions
• They want to align their work with the organization’s larger goals
• They want to have a voice
• They want to be recognized for their contributions
• They want clear expectations

Part of the pastor’s job is help church staff—both paid and volunteer—operate at higher levels of productivity, take ownership of the mission, lend their voice to the leadership team, and fulfill their job goals. 

A great place to start moving in that direction is in one-on-one assessment meetings with individual staff members. A superb way to release their intrinsic motivation is to ask questions rather than delivering information. Open-ended questions and careful listening will elicit their contributions, give them a voice and provide them the opportunity to align themselves with the mission.

Questions that motivate

1. What has God been doing in your life since we last met?
2. What are you trying to accomplish in the next quarter?
3. How do you see those accomplishments moving the mission forward?
4. Where do you see obstacles to those accomplishments and how can I help?
5. When do you take time for personal, professional and spiritual development?
6. Whose example of leadership or spiritual maturity have you been emulating lately?
7. What is the toughest decision you have to make in the next month?
8. Which of your ministry responsibilities do you find yourself avoiding?
9. Who are the high and low performers on your team, and what are your plans for them?
10. Are there tasks you need to delegate to someone else?
11. What do we need to do differently or better at this church?
12. Where are you finding the affirmation, encouragement and support you need to flourish in your ministry?
13. How do you deal with the complaints, challenges and difficulties?
14. Do you need to spend more time taking care of family issues?
15. Who are you training as your replacement?

If you’ve done your job, the staff will already know the church’s mission and vision. If you have the right people on staff and they’re in the right positions, they’ll be eager to participate in the work and they’ll want to get it right.

You will endear yourself to them and they’ll love you forever if you listen with an open heart, an encouraging word and tender direction. Nothing motivates more than feeling that our work is important, that it contributes to a worthy mission, and that we matter to those who lead. Nothing makes us feel loved more than realizing that our thoughts and opinions have been heard and valued.

1. Marcel Schwantes, “5 Things That Motivate People to Give Their Best Work” Inc. Magazine. https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/do-these-habits-describe-how-your-boss-motivates-you.html

Photo source: istock  

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Bud Brown is an experienced ministry leader, writer and educator. He is co-founder of Turnaround Pastors and co-author of the ground-breaking Pastor Unique: Becoming A Turnaround Leader. He brings special expertise to change leadership in the local church, mentoring pastors to become revitalization leaders, training churches how to find and recruit the best talent, and training leadership teams how to achieve their shared goals. Learn More »

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