Pay for performance programs shake up churches
THORNTON, Colo. — Last month, the people of Big Valley Church noticed their pastor dressing nicer, giving more passionate altar calls and making more frequent appeals for volunteers.
What they didn’t know was that the church board had quietly begun using PayPerform, a program that determines how well a pastor is performing in ministry, how much he should be paid, and at what point he should be fired.
"Carrying out the Great Commission is a quantifiable activity," says PayPerform creator Kevin Dolan. "Public companies don’t tolerate sub-par performance. They oust bad CEOs and reward good ones. Why should churches be any different? Our mission is vastly more important."
Programs like the PayPerform Accountability System use in-depth demographic studies to set targets for a specific church’s attendance, conversions and "capture and retention" rates of visitors. It even determines what the average tithe level should be, based on local giving rates.
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Wednesday, November 07, 2007
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4 comments:
Before we pooh-pooh this idea, let's remember the parable of the talents. What the unfaithful servant had, was taken from him and given to the servant who had produced the most return for his master.
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Normally, I don't take any kind of negative tone in a comment, but I personally cannot reconcile the parable of the talents to this. Why would I, as a pastor, rely on a church's salary incentive to prompt me to ministry?
Talk about living for the pension of...I mean passion of Jesus.
Stay blessed...john
the current Australian PM said that was his favourite parable. he however said it was about economic performance, and is proof there is a God-given mandate for free-market liberalism.
also, the whole idea of pastor = CEO is why some demand 6-figure salaries. they say running a big church is equivalent to running a big corporation, and they should be remunerated accordingly.
i wonder if that was their thinking when deciding to follow the path of full-time ministry...
Maybe pastors should be paid a percentage of the take?
Joking! Not at all serious, folks.
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