I’ve been in ministry for a long time, and thankfully I’ve never been fired from a church position.  In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever been fired from any job.

That said, I’ve witnessed numerous friends/co-workers over the years lose their jobs.  Some did not deserve it.  Others, however, should have been let go but were not.

Here are 5 things that can lead you to losing your position at your church:

• Disregard for policies and procedures | Most people really hit the Student Pastor hard on this one, but I’ve seen all levels of leadership turn their nose up at P&Ps that they don’t personally agree with.  They simply do their own thing.  But it’s only a matter of time before this one bites you in the butt.
• Poor time management | Some of us need to work on this more than others.  Nevertheless, this can be viewed by some senior leadership as laziness.  When we fail to manage our time well tasks tend to get done last minute and often poorly.
• Lack of good people skills | We are in the people business.  Church is made up of people.  So, whether you work in pastoral staff or administrative support, knowing how to deal with all kinds of people and people issues is critical for all of us.
• Disconnection with the mission and values | This is really big!  Honestly, this is something we must consider and pray about before ever taking a position on a church staff.  Mission and values ‘should’ be what guides and molds the direction of the church and all of it’s ministries.
• Not a team player | Church really is a team sport.  And churches that have individual ministry silos operating on their own with zero regard for what the rest of the church is doing……well, these churches become ineffective in achieving the Great Commission.   They don’t have  a Kingdom work mindset.  Competition with other churches, as well as with their own church ministries, becomes commonplace.

There are MANY more things that can get us canned, but these are some of the most common that I’ve seen.  What would you add to the list?

Leave a comment below.  I love hearing from my readers.  Thank you!