4 Things To Do Immediately Upon Starting A New Church Job

by Josh Breland

There are many things you will want to take your time with upon starting your new church job. Here are 4 things to get started on right away.

1. Start Building Relationships Both Wide and Deep

Leaders love people. And people, well, they want to be genuinely loved by their leaders. When starting a new church role, you need to dive head-first into the pool of relationship building. Plan lunches and dinners with church leaders, staff, and church members. Your effectiveness as a church leader will be hindered or helped by the wideness and depth of your relationships.

Most of your deep relationships will begin within your first few weeks or months in your role. So don’t wait for the perfect time or for people to come beat down your door. Be proactive and create lists of people you need to meet ASAP and those whom you need to meet sooner rather than later. Honestly, this is one of the most fun parts of starting a new role. The Lord will bless your efforts and will work mightily in your relationships.

2. Listen and Take Notes

Leaders listen well. One of the best ways you can listen to others and remember important details is by taking a lot of notes. Get a nice Moleskine notebook and a nice pencil or pen and make a commitment to becoming the notebook/notes guy/gal. Your first year’s notes will be priceless for your future leadership of people and processes. Also, taking notes makes people feel important and heard. You will soon be thankful you have a detailed notebook.

3. Set Expectations With Team Members

Leaders provide clarity and set expectations. Setting expectations immediately will save you from all kinds of troubles. When does the day start and end? What is expected of you in meetings? How many meetings are expected? These are just a few expectations that should be quickly clarified. Understand, not all expectations must be set. There are many detailed decisions that will need to be solved at a later date. But making a list of basic foundational expectations will get everyone on the same page quickly.

4. Make Corrections to Personal Habits & Behavior

Leaders self-manage. We all bring old habits and behaviors to our new jobs. The reality is that some of these habits and behaviors need to change in order for you to effectively lead in a new culture and work environment. Though it may take a few weeks to have clarity on what you need to personally change, do a self-assessment on what old habits and behaviors you are bringing to your new job. A continual self-awareness and an effective self-management are critical to you assimilating into a new leadership role. Make the needed corrections to your old habits and behaviors before they create new hurdles to your leadership and performance.

Josh Breland helps church leaders win with data and church analytics at Churchlytics. He previously led the communications team as Director of Communication & Strategic Initiatives at College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is married with three daughters. Connect with Josh on Twitter and LinkedIn.