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A Simple Knock at the Door (Staff Team Communication)

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / August 29, 2013 / 0 Comments

I spend a lot of time on airplanes.  It is one of the side effects (benefits?) of being a national consultant.  We all know that flying is a high tech endeavor.  Commercial aircraft are complex machines guided by sensors, backup systems and safety features that boggle the average mind. The process of checking in and boarding […]

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Cleaning Out Stuff vs. Preserving the Core

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / August 14, 2013 / 0 Comments

It feels like my house is being overrun with “stuff”.  Our youngest is between apartment leases and had to move his worldly belongings home for a few weeks. At the same time my mom is downsizing into a smaller senior housing living arrangement. As she divests herself of a lifetime of stuff, some of the […]

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Leadership Systems in Motion

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / October 31, 2011 / 0 Comments

The large church is managed through five interdependent leadership systems. When change occurs in one system, it tends to produce change in the others. These systems include: Clergy Leadership Roles Staff Team Design and Function Governance and Board Function Acculturation and the Role of the Laity The Formation and Execution of Strategy As daily changes occur […]

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The Village Elders

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / March 22, 2011 / 0 Comments

All congregations are faced with decisions that can be made by a small leadership body (the governing board, the staff team, a committee) and decisions that must be taken on by the collective body. In the small to medium sized congregation, when full congregational decision making is required, a church-wide meeting is scheduled and a […]

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Executive Assistance

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / March 9, 2011 / 0 Comments

Many of the senior clergy leaders I encounter are overburdened with administrative detail that they can’t figure out how to delegate. The common battle cry is, “It’s just easier to do it myself.” Many administrative assistants report having excess time on their hands, but they can’t get their clergy leaders to give them more meaningful […]

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Admin Staff & Mission Ownership

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / February 10, 2011 / 0 Comments

Most of us expect our clergy staff to demonstrate a strong sense of commitment to the mission of the congregation. We use the language of “called, not hired” to describe the over the top commitment we seek. We also expect our non-ordained program staff to embrace the mission of the congregation.  Most program staff are members of […]

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A Word of Thanks

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / February 5, 2011 / 0 Comments

I began this blog a year and a half ago, in part to help give birth to a book I had in mind about the large congregation. My hope was that the blog would allow me to actively try out ideas and find my voice about life in the large congregation. This week I finished […]

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The Ultimatum

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / February 3, 2011 / 0 Comments

Put yourself in this senior pastor’s shoes. You’ve had some supervisory challenges with your Minister of Music over the past two years, but she’s a person that you value having on your team. Let’s call this employee Connie.  Connie is a brilliantly gifted musician and widely respected within the local musical community. She is liked […]

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Waiting for Staff to Retire

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / January 27, 2011 / 0 Comments

I often find myself in conversations like this one with a senior pastor. Pastor: “I need help thinking about the configuration of my staff team. I’m currently trying to work around 2 key positions that aren’t appropriately staffed right now. There isn’t much I can do in the moment because I’m waiting for these 2 […]

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The Invisible Family

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / January 20, 2011 / 0 Comments

Recently, after speaking to a group of pastors about clergy roles in the large church, I was approached by a senior minister who said, “I’m surprised that you didn’t talk about the unique family dynamics that occur for clergy leaders of very large congregations, you know … the invisibility factor.”  I stood there looking rather […]

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