When Moses Meets Aaron: Staffing And Supervision In Large Congregations

Pastors and lay leaders know that hiring, supervising, and evaluating staff are among the trickiest, and often the most poorly handled, tasks facing congregations. But take heart: help is on the way. When Moses Meets Aaron is both instruction manual and tool-kit--everything you need to develop good and faithful personnel practices in the church.--Martin B. Copenhaver, president, Andover Newton Theological School

This book is a welcome addition to any pastor's library as a resource for board leadership, employee relations, and ministry success. Churches will find a compelling toolbox in this book and will be guided by excellence in a long-awaited tool all churches deserve: good management.--Pierce W. Klemmt, Rector, Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia

With the number of large congregations rising in the U.S., these congregations are increasingly dependent upon a greater number of staff to meet the needs of their diverse collection of members. As leaders of multi-staff teams, senior clergy must play the dual role of both Moses and Aaron-both visionary and detail-oriented leader-in order for their large congregations to thrive. They need to be skilled with the tools of human resource management, while at the same time setting a vision and inspiring both staff and congregation. Unfortunately, until now there have been few resources for senior clergy who lead multi-staff teams. Working without adequate models and tools, senior clergy of large congregations often find themselves with passionate, dedicated staff members who are moving in different directions, competing over limited resources and attention. They end up with questions of how to evaluate the performance of staff and direct their efforts. They find themselves using time, attention, and resources to care for staff rather than using staff as a resource to care for the mission of the congregation. Alban senior consultant Susan Beaumont and Gil Rendle have developed When Moses Meets Aaron to help clergy responsible for several-member staff teams navigate these unknown waters. They have taken the best of corporate human resource tools and immersed them in a congregational context, providing a comprehensive manual for supervising, motivating, and coordinating staff teams. Rendle and Beaumont give both detailed and big picture guidance on hiring, job descriptions, supervision, performance evaluation, staff-team design, difficult staff behavior, and more. Their combined experience in consulting and training with staff and leaders of large congregations proves invaluable in this manual for today's leadership demands.