Firing a Volunteer

[Craig Laughlin]

Any of you (maybe how many of you) had to ask a volunteer to step down from a position they think they are really good at and consider their passion/identity?

What were your steps? How did you "speak the truth in love" and how did you hold together accountability and grace?

What would you different?

[Dale Schaeffer]

My experience is that an honest conversation is the best way to go. We schedule monthly one on one's with our volunteer leaders (with their supervisors). In that process we ask the following questions.

1. How are you doing?
2. What are you celebrating?
3. What challenges are you facing?
4. What do you need to do about it?
5. How can I help you?
6. How can I pray for you?

If after a few months of working on the same challenge a leader is unable to lead through it, the dialogue usually comes back to a change of role. If the person is unwilling to be reassigned it is further confirmation that they were not the right leader. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they have left the church most of the time when they disagreed with the need to be reassigned. But those who have agreed to being reassigned and proven to be teachable have been a great value to the church and have grown in their maturity as a result. And I'd say even the difficult transitions have grown me and our team as leaders. The worst thing for everyone is to allow things to continue business as usual.

[Craig Laughlin]

My experience is that an honest conversation is the best way to go. We schedule monthly one on one's with our volunteer leaders (with their supervisors). In that process we ask the following questions.

1. How are you doing?
2. What are you celebrating?
3. What challenges are you facing?
4. What do you need to do about it?
5. How can I help you?
6. How can I pray for you?

If after a few months of working on the same challenge a leader is unable to lead through it, the dialogue usually comes back to a change of role. If the person is unwilling to be reassigned it is further confirmation that they were not the right leader. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they have left the church most of the time when they disagreed with the need to be reassigned. But those who have agreed to being reassigned and proven to be teachable have been a great value to the church and have grown in their maturity as a result. And I'd say even the difficult transitions have grown me and our team as leaders. The worst thing for everyone is to allow things to continue business as usual.

Excellent post. Thank you Dale.

[Ryan Scott]

I don't know that I've been in exactly that position, but I've seen it helpful to work as a group to develop a framework for the ministry as a whole - what are our goals, what core elements must be in place to reach them, what are our priorities, what strengths are important, etc.

Often I've found that when people are a poor fit within an area they're passionate about, it's usually a solo enterprise - a personal goal for them - and not participation in a team. If you build the team structure, it becomes a bit easier for people to see how their goals align/fail to align with that framework.

That being said, it doesn't always work out any better - half the time people see the misalignment and can correct it, the other half of the time they just get defensive and resent your interference.

[John Reilly]

Well, I knew a change was necessary. Prayed many months. Then the person realized the misfit and resigned. A new volunteer was ready and an excellent fit for the job.

[Alisa Stoll]

Thinking of a specific case at my church, the person was working with children in a variety of roles - the interim children's pastor praised her for the roles she was doing well and asked her to continue doing those but also pointed out that she was never in service and therefore needed to relinquish some roles. The new children's pastor has continued her instruction and again praises her on what she does well. This seems to have worked in this situation.

Another thing we are doing in general is creating a sabbatical policy for all lay roles recognizing burnout happens there also. It may be that someone who is volunteering where it isn't a good fit will realize it when they are no longer doing the role and not go back to it. It also doesn't single anyone out.

Alisa

[Nate Pruitt]

Have you considered using a squad? A firing squad may be the very thing you're looking for in this instance!*


*This answer merits no consideration and is clearly ridiculous. However it was the first thing that came in my mind when you originally posted. Figured it was better to wait until you had legitimate response before sharing.

[Craig Laughlin]

Have you considered using a squad? A firing squad may be the very thing you're looking for in this instance!*


*This answer merits no consideration and is clearly ridiculous. However it was the first thing that came in my mind when you originally posted. Figured it was better to wait until you had legitimate response before sharing.

Considered? Yes, not for long but...

[Dave McClung]

My experience is that an honest conversation is the best way to go. We schedule monthly one on one's with our volunteer leaders (with their supervisors). In that process we ask the following questions.

1. How are you doing?
2. What are you celebrating?
3. What challenges are you facing?
4. What do you need to do about it?
5. How can I help you?
6. How can I pray for you?

If after a few months of working on the same challenge a leader is unable to lead through it, the dialogue usually comes back to a change of role. If the person is unwilling to be reassigned it is further confirmation that they were not the right leader. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they have left the church most of the time when they disagreed with the need to be reassigned. But those who have agreed to being reassigned and proven to be teachable have been a great value to the church and have grown in their maturity as a result. And I'd say even the difficult transitions have grown me and our team as leaders. The worst thing for everyone is to allow things to continue business as usual.

Dale's is an excellent post. Firing a volunteer is no different than firing a paid employee. I would second Dale's post but add a couple of points:

1) Never catch a person by surprise. Before you terminate a person, you should have discussed "the options" on several occassions and over a length of time. I would guess that 90% of the people I have had to terminate employment have resigned -- many of them got tired of me talking about "the options."

2) When making this kind of change, remember that saving face is important. The objective isn't showing that you are the boss. If you give a person the opportunity to explain the loss of position, they will say such things as "I needed a change...", "I feel that God is leading me to another ....". Unless it is an out right lie, let the person who is being removed provide the explaination.

[Craig Laughlin]

Dale's is an excellent post. Firing a volunteer is no different than firing a paid employee. I would second Dale's post but add a couple of points:

1) Never catch a person by surprise. Before you terminate a person, you should have discussed "the options" on several occassions and over a length of time. I would guess that 90% of the people I have had to terminate employment have resigned -- many of them got tired of me talking about "the options."

2) When making this kind of change, remember that saving face is important. The objective isn't showing that you are the boss. If you give a person the opportunity to explain the loss of position, they will say such things as "I needed a change...", "I feel that God is leading me to another ....". Unless it is an out right lie, let the person who is being removed provide the explaination.

Thanks Dave, excellent advice.

[Rich Schmidt]

Any of you (maybe how many of you) had to ask a volunteer to step down from a position they think they are really good at and consider their passion/identity?

What were your steps? How did you "speak the truth in love" and how did you hold together accountability and grace?

What would you different?

I've only done it badly. I'm subscribing to this thread to learn how to do it better.

[Greg Farra]

In the ministry that I've been responsible for at my present church (greeters) and at our former church, I've made volunteer positions a yearly committment. That way, if the person finds it's 'not their thing', then it gives them an easy out so they don't feel bad about leaving the position. If the volunteer isn't working out, before the year is done I will go to them and talk about the position. Usually I can tell them that it seems like it's not working for them and ask if there's something else God is calling them to do. I''ve only had to do this a few times, but if you give them some hope that there is something more suited for them they will feel like they're not getting fired but there is something better for them.

[Dave McClung]

Thanks Dave, excellent advice.

I had another thought -- My favorite book of all time is "Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Firing a volunteer is one type of negotiation. There are two chapters in the book that deal directly with this type of issue:

Separate the people from the problem. -- Read the whole chapter, but in a nut shell, the idea is to be very soft on the person and very hard on the problem. I have had a number of former employees say, "You made me feel like you like me when you laid me off." Some of them have been better friends after I fired them than they were before.

Invent options for mutual gain -- The chapter will teach you how to be creative so that you get what you want and the other person also gets something they want. It takes creativity, but is worth the effort.

[Craig Laughlin]

I had another thought -- My favorite book of all time is "Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Firing a volunteer is one type of negotiation. There are two chapters in the book that deal directly with this type of issue:

Separate the people from the problem. -- Read the whole chapter, but in a nut shell, the idea is to be very soft on the person and very hard on the problem. I have had a number of former employees say, "You made me feel like you like me when you laid me off." Some of them have been better friends after I fired them than they were before.

Invent options for mutual gain -- The chapter will teach you how to be creative so that you get what you want and the other person also gets something they want. It takes creativity, but is worth the effort.

Downloaded the book to my Nook today and have started reading it. Kind of refreshing to read a business book again. It has been a little while. Thanks Dave.

[Rich Schmidt]

I requested it from our public library and just got an email that it's ready and waiting for me...

[John Reilly]

Concerning a volunteer, one approach is to offer another job that is more appropriate to gifts and talents of the person, and to suggest that their replacement has gifts and talents to do an extensive of the work already begun. Volunteers are precious asset in the church and so we need to re-allocate gifts, talents and skills with meaningful purpose.

[Nate Pruitt]

Concerning a volunteer, one approach is to offer another job that is more appropriate to gifts and talents of the person, and to suggest that their replacement has gifts and talents to do an extensive of the work already begun. Volunteers are precious asset in the church and so we need to re-allocate gifts, talents and skills with meaningful purpose.

One thing here is that a new position, though a better fit, may be accepted begrudgingly. It is good for the Body (not just the designating pastor) to encourage and acknowledge the better performance found in the new position. Not with derogatory comparisons to how the previous position was handled, but with genuine thankfulness and encouragement for the current work being done. Volunteers should get even more praise than paid staff (who should get plenty), as this is one of very few forms of "compensation" they receive to maintain motivation.