The costs and consequences of hiring or calling a minister with the wrong "fit" are high indeed. There is a significant loss in the momentum and mission of the church, which often has immeasurable Kingdom consequences and includes personal loss to its membership.
The losses are further compounded by taxing the existing leadership staff, which often results in burn-out and added transition of those same staff, thereby compounding the leadership transition. It has been shown that lay leadership contribute over 1,000 combined hours in the calling of a new Senior Pastor, and often feel overly stressed and burdened by what has become a formidable task in the church.
On top of this all, the personal and ministry costs for misplaced pastors is often devastating to their personal sense of call and to the financial and emotional health of their families.
According to Carolyn Weese and J. Russell Crabtree in their 2004 book, "The Elephant In the Boardroom," the cost of replacing any professional is roughly equivalent to the annual salary of the position. But when that professional is the pastor of your church, the cost of the transition is significantly higher.
Those increased costs begin with the interim pastor. Churches often believe that they'll save money during the interim, but that is rarely true.
Weese and Crabtree have found that worship attendance typically drops about 15 percent - with a corresponding drop in giving -- when an effective pastor leaves. And even once the new pastor is installed, it can take six months for giving to reach its previous level.
When all these costs are added up, the financial cost of the pastoral transition can exceed twice the annual compensation package, or 10-15%of the annual operating budget!
And if the transition is handled poorly, the new pastor may become an unintentional interim and stay for only a few years - and the whole search process -- and expense -- occurs again.
Now you see the advantage of deploying the assistance and expertise of Ministry By Design. We combine our deep experience (including years within churches and faith-based organizations), proven approach and proprietary evaluation processes like SIMA® and the Vital Signs Report for greater insight and more accurate assessments of pastoral candidates .
Yes, in the short run, working with Ministry By Design may cost your church more than working with another organization or conducting the search on your own. But as we've shown, by shortening the interim period and ensuring a successful candidate, you end up saving significantly - and reduce the transition's emotional impact on your congregation as well.
EXAMPLE:
Church size: 750 people
Annual budget: $1,000,000
Pastor compensation package: $150,000
$200,000 Loss of financial support due to 15% drop in
attendance over 18-month search
+ $33,000 Additional loss of financial support during first six
months of new pastor
+ $30,000 New pastor recruitment costs
+ $15,000 10% raise in compensation package for new pastor
$278,000 Total loss of income, or nearly double the
compensation of the previous pastor