“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate,” said JFK. That, in a nutshell is how pastors in the Sunshine State need to roll when it comes to critical conversations before you ink the deal.

Elon Musk says “The problem with car dealerships is you’ve already decided what you want to buy before you even go there, and you’re really just going there to talk through some annoying negotiation.”

If you are a pastor talking to a church about an opportunity to fill the role you may feel a bit like the fine print on your contract or ‘agreement’ is just some annoying little details that need to be negotiated. Don’t make that mistake.

If you’ve made it through all 3 of the previous posts congratulations, this 4th offering is designed for pastors in negotiations.

Sellers Market

First things first, it’s a sellers market out there and it will be for some time. Baptist churches can’t fill vacancies and the pool is getting smaller and smaller. Baptist denominations are not necessarily helping to create attractive and safe conditions for new talent coming through, especially here in the Sunshine State. It is well documented that pastoring is a dangerous profession, but there is not much being done to make it safer and to improve conditions for pastors.

Many pastors have sought refuge in safer forms of ministry such as denominational or para-church ministry or have simply left the paid ministry scene altogether for jobs with more pay and less trauma. It’s still possible to serve God full time no matter what you do. If you really believe in the priesthood of all believers then you never really ‘leave’ the ministry, you are in ministry wherever God has located you currently. As I used to say to my congregants, “pastors are paid to be good, you are good for nothing.” Somehow that never went down very well, I can’t for the life of me think why.

A sellers market means you have room to negotiate, so drive a hard bargain. Your prospective church needs you more than you need the church. Stacking shelves for a while until something better comes up is better than going somewhere and getting you and your family smashed.

• Draw up a list of non negotiables for you as a pastor and as a family. This is important to establish at the outset.
• That may be that you don’t do Spiritual Agreements – unless they are drafted in such a way that they match employment contracts.
• Work out what protections you need for your partner and children (your partner doesn’t come for free as part of the deal).
• Nail down the dispute resolution policy and process, especially if you are entering into a SA. If it it isn’t fair and doesn’t give you enough protection ask for changes and stand your ground
• Make sure you view the performance review process documentation and understand it completely. If you fundamentally disagree with anything in it then feel free to challenge it and make changes.
• If you are on a ‘Spiritual Agreement’ bargain hard about the manner of termination, because without the protections offered to you by employment law you could find yourself having your life ripped out from under you with little notice and little recourse to protection if you didn’t go through this issue with a fine tooth comb. Again, if this isn’t up to scratch then ask for changes.
• By now from the responses to your perfectly reasonable requests that are germane to fairness, protection and generosity – you have a window into what happens when things go south and just who and what you are signing up to. You never really know someone until you have a disagreement with them.
• Remember that in all likelihood the Spiritual Agreement or employment contract will have been written up by people who are not formally trained in human resource management, especially in the ecclesiastical setting. What they present to you has a 99% chance of not being carved in stone.
• If the church you are negotiating with uses Spiritual Agreements they will 100% have cut and pasted it from QB HQ because it is a policy unique to them. There will not be a lot of ownership by the church of that process so feel free to push back on it.
• Also, the review process they have will most likely also not be carved in stone, so feel free to collaborate with them for a better outcome.
• Don’t demand anything, just ask politely and provide your rationale. Once you’ve been through everything give a considered response with your non negotiable lines in the sand. You’ll be surprised at what you can get if you just ask.
• If you negotiate a fair deal with the necessary protections you and your family need, you will travel a lot better through the rough waters and storms that strike from time to time in church life.
• Your deal must also be fair for the church. By taking care of the churches needs in your negotiation it will help cement the relationship quickly, and keep you accountable in your role.
• A ‘call’ doesn’t negate the need for standards, protections and rights. Feeling a strong sense of call to a particular position should not come at the cost of you and your families health and future.