T Barret

Marketing Strategy-Barrett

Human Relations in the United Methodist Church

Overview of Recent Events

Although religion never likes to think of itself as a business, and ultimately the stated mission of any church is to "make disciples" of the faith, the church, particularly in the wake of the events of recent years that have challenged the nation's moral fabric and fiber, must attempt to create a philosophy and a management program to ensure that all individuals within the community who wish to feel a part of the church, feel comfortable doing so. (Barrett 206)

Furthermore, the church must be adequately staffed, compensated, and trained to meet the expanding needs of the South Carolina community where this particular church is based. Lastly, individuals employed by the church must engage in an effective state of personal relations, as mediated by the managerial staff.

Overview of issues and opportunity recommendations in following functional areas:

Staffing

Continue to create a phase-over from part-time to full-time staff, to embrace increased membership.

Compensation / benefits

New full-time staff must receive appropriate increased benefits and compensation; an expense allocated through increased membership, contributions, and also volunteer additions to the staff

Training / development

Increased and expanded use of technological innovations such as the Internet to create connections between new staff additions. Also, given expansion, special attention given to maintaining Christian focus of organization across an increasingly spread out yet integrated community, embracing children from Camp Sexton to administrative staff. To cope with these new additions, staff must be adequately trained and sensitized.

Employee relations

Staff-Parish Relations Committee must be maintained and expanded upon.

Part II: HR specifics

Staffing in light of church changes

In the past years, Central has been actively seeking to expand its property so that it may expand its membership. This property expansion has particularly highlighted increased Sunday school participation and parking opportunities. Parking enables more individuals to commute to the church, increasing the circumference, geographically, the population the church is able to serve. Also, Sunday school often draws individuals to the church. As children become interested in their religious life, their parents often follow. Thus it is key that these programs are maintained and have adequately trained staff. The staff of all church functions must operate in a harmonious fashion, and be adequately trained and sensitized to do so, even if different staff members perform different function.

In recent years, more Sunday school staff, to teach these classes and also aides to help manage the younger children has been required. After Sunday school activities, such as recreational sports and crafts have required additional staffing as well, given the success of activities such as Camp Sexton. (207)

Compensation / benefits

The expanded building project drew considerable reserves from the church, but given the increased positive feelings about the church in the community, membership and donations have also increased. (208) The use of part-time staff has enabled the church in the past to limit benefits and remain financially solvent. However, overuse of part-timers can also decrease a sense of institutional loyalty, and increase the nature of 'fly by night individuals' serving in these positions. (209) As the church has expanded, more permanent staff members have needed to be integrated into the administrative staff. (Mondy et. al. Chapter 5, Sections 11 & 12)

Training / development

The half-time director of children's services is becoming full time. (Barrett 209). The church's expansion to the web enables all individual employees, as well as members, to be kept abreast of current church issues via the website. (210) A specifically employee related part of the website should be designed, to keep staff connected about recent developments. This is especially important as the functions of the church continue to 'spread out' from schooling to camping to more traditional church functions such as services and retreats.

A new training program that helps all administrative staff become more aware of the community they are serving, as well as the values of the organization is necessary. The human resources personnel must design a sensitivity and awareness program to enable diverse staff members to be better acquainted and also have opportunities to discuss potential areas of conflict in the future. This will also create a better sense of cohesiveness and unity between volunteer, part-time, and full-time personnel.

Employee relations

Another important thing to remember is the different functions of the numerous employees and the need to balance the different needs of these individual's functions. The pastor must keep in mind the need to keep in contact with the church organist, for example, so that the musical program does not conflict with the sermon and vice versa. The head of Camp Sexton must create a physically and intellectually challenging program that still creates a schema of Christian values for the camper that makes the camp distinct. Meetings between all church personnel, such as a weekly scheduled conference between pastor, musical, and Sunday school staff, as well as scheduled workshops and retreats for all staff help maintain this sense of connection. (Mondy et. al. Chapter 7, Section 16)