Church Staff Relational Contract
A relational contract is a voluntary agreement between two or more parties that clarifies the expectations of their association in order to diminish conflict, encourage unity, inspire trust, and foster mutual accountability. What if church staff members planned, prepared, and presented ministries with a relational contractual agreement as one of the foundational components of their leadership? Can you imagine the ministry health potential a relationship such as this could offer your congregation? Unfortunately, this type of camaraderie rarely occurs because leaders often function as independent contractors reliant only on their own strength, ability, methods, processes, and talent.
Implementing a relational contract will require a level of sacrifice and trust that is not guarded, territorial, defensive, or competitive. It could serve as a useful guide to hold your staff members accountable to the unified goal of fulfilling the mission of your church. But it will obviously never occur unless and until all parties are willing to embrace it.
Church Staff Relational Contract
In an effort to effectively lead, exhort, teach, and model a healthy ministry culture, we as the ministry leaders of our church agree to adhere to the following relational guiding principles. We understand that the ministries of our congregation will never be completely healthy until our relationship as its leaders is also healthy.
We agree that we will:
Maintain a collaborative spirit that supports all of our ministry gifts as complementary, not competitive.
Publicly and privately acknowledge the value of our unique callings, leadership styles, personalities, and competencies.
Listen as often as we speak.
Partner in leading and teaching that focuses less on our preferences and more on the mission of our church.
Communicate our disagreements in private without fear of retribution.
Make every effort to be approachable, available, and accountable to each other.
Affirm each other in public and private; correct, instruct, coach, and mentor each other in private; and pastor each other at all times.
Sacrifice individually for the sake of the body corporately.
Initiate intentional significant conversations that include our hopes, dreams, goals, expectations, plans, concerns, and evaluations.
Invest in the personal and spiritual development of each other with no ulterior motive.
Preserve loyalty, trust, morality, respect, and friendship.
Constantly work toward a unified philosophy of ministry.
Pray consistently for and with each other.
_______________________, Church Staff Member
_______________________, Church Staff Member
_______________________, Church Staff Member
_______________________, Church Staff Member
_______________________, Church Staff Member
_______________________, Church Staff Member