McIntosh, Gary, Staff Your Church for Growth: Building Team Ministry in the 21st Century. Baker Books, 2000.
Referenced in: Ministry Staff and Leadership Teams
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
If you buy only one book on multiple staffing for churches, get this one. McIntosh begins by discussing the tendency of churches as they progress through the years to allocate staff less toward growth objectives and more toward internal needs. Another trend is to hire according to popular trends, e.g. recreation ministers in the 80s, small group ministers in the 90s, etc. To facilitate a healthier philosophy, McIntosh provides a grid to help balance the church’s growth and maintenance tasks with its relational needs, and to optimize staff functioning by adding persons whose gifts complement, not duplicate, the existing staff. He presents five core guidelines in keeping with the grid, and then discusses important topics such as when to add staff, staff-to-membership ratios, and recruitment. He expands upon the metaphors of tribal chief/medicine man/CEO, shepherd/rancher, and leader/manager as tools for understanding team roles. The rest of the book provides helpful guidelines for nurturing good staff relationships and keeping staff members motivated. One helpful chapter on “discipling up” assists associate ministry staff on how to help the senior pastor grow and succeed. The remaining chapters discuss managing church conflicts, building a collaborative team, and becoming a learning community. An indispensable tool.
From the Publisher
Current data show that half of all churches have some form of multiple staff, and many others are considering the addition of professional staff in the future. Gary L. McIntosh has written a comprehensive manual for the twenty-first-century church, focusing on how, why, who, and when to add staff in a way that encourages growth.
McIntosh, speaking from seventeen years of experience as a church growth consultant, carefully analyzes the rationale for multiple staffing. He provides many valuable helps, including: models for team ministry, keys to productive team ministry, ways to determine what staff to add, techniques for effective interviews, and steps to managing staff conflict.
Charts, graphs, and illustrations throughout amplify the information that goes beyond theory to practical relevance. Pastors and church leaders looking to add staff will find this a vital resource, and those currently serving multiple-staff churches will glean valuable information about achieving a more dynamic team ministry.
About the Author
Gary L. McIntosh is a nationally known author, speaker, and educator who conducts workshops for pastors across the country. He is professor of Christian ministry and leadership at Talbot School of Theology and president of The McIntosh Church Growth Network, a church consulting firm.
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