1. Announce from the platform only when it is clearly necessary. Larger churches rarely take platform time for most staff changes. It's a worship service, not a business meeting. It is usually smaller churches that announce the "comings and goings" of staff on a Sunday, and it's not typically the best use of your precious and limited amount of time for the service. It is typically announced because of the family feel, expectation, and the fact that it's always been done that way. But keep in mind the reasons your people come to church and the big picture purpose of a worship service.

2. Your congregation needs to understand there is a difference between the business of the church and the ministry of the church. The hiring and firing of staff is not a congregation-wide issue. You would never expect your favorite restaurant to call you when they changed managers, even if you didn't like what the new manager did to the menu!

Staff change is not a secret. The board, key leaders and staff should be thoroughly in the know, but their responsibility is to make the decision, and they should not need to "explain" it to a large group of people who really don't understand all that is involved.

What they know is that they loved the person who is leaving. As long as trust is solid, most congregations don't require an explanation. Only upset individuals insist on explanation, so handle those few individuals privately. There is nothing you can say from the platform that will fix how they feel. If, however, you sit down with someone to make it personal, you can let him or her know that you care. (In most cases, you still don't give details. It's just not appropriate. The idea is to inform, not explain.)

3. The decision is not based on resignation vs. termination. Whether or not you share with your congregation on the weekend is not based on if the person was let go or they left of their own accord. Don't let celebration or termination be your pressure. Sometimes you will want to honor a staff member, and that's good, but you don't have to do that during a worship service. In fact, it may be more personal and fun in a special setting. If the leaving is problematic and difficult, all the more reason to handle it in a more judicious way. Think of the visitors on a Sunday morning who would be there wondering, "What the heck is going on here?"

Dr. Mark Rutland's

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