When to Let Staff Go
Knowing when it is time to move on from a staff member, and how to lead well through the process.
Always look in the mirror first. Have I done everything I can to train, equip, and empower this person? Lead with grace, because they may be walking through something difficult in their marriage, with their kids, or in their health or finances. Throughout the process, reaffirm the values of the church.
After you have exhausted those steps, you owe everyone a straightforward, candid conversation. If it is a heart issue they cannot grow out of, it is cancer in the organism, and if they are infecting the team, you have to deal with it swiftly.
Before termination, ask whether they are in the wrong seat on the bus. We once had a campus pastor who was struggling, moved him into a staff pastor role, and watched him flourish. Use wisdom and patience as a weapon to reveal what is really going on, and remove obstacles so they can see themselves clearly.
My only regret after thirty-five years of ministry is keeping people on too long out of love. I wanted more for them than they wanted for themselves. Keeping them too long made the eventual termination harder and caused significant damage to the team.