Years ago I heard someone talk about pastors and church politics as having a stack of poker chips.
When a pastor comes to the church, he (or she) is given a stack of chips with which he pays for the influence he wields. Over time, he earns chips to add to his stack. Every time he makes a decision that pushes people a little, he pays for that with chips. As long as the pastor still has chips, the people allow him to make changes and put up with him. If he tries to make a change he cannot pay for, he is done.
Last night at an elders meeting we had a frank discussion about our secretary’s job performance and aptitude. She has been here for 8 years and does not possess the skill set to do the job and, in the time I have been here, does not show the aptitude to learn them.
Ultimately, the elders decided it was time for her to go. We discussed ways to make it happen, but all those ways seemed to me to be setting her up to fail and would put another chink in her already low self-esteem.
We have noted many times, our church is over-staffed for her size. Budgets have been tight (we are $12K below this year with nothing in the bank) and I made the suggestion that we could possibly do without a secretary for a year and use volunteer labor to fill the gaps. They liked that idea.
They decided, and I concurred, we would eliminate the position entirely. That way, our secretary would lose her job, but the reason would not be personal. It was a budgetary concern and eliminating a staff position. I argued successfully for a generous severance package so she could find work.
W asked me after I got home, “Did it cost you many chips?”
I told her it didn’t. None, in fact. It was their decision entirely.
I didn’t expend them yesterday. I expended them today.
Today, it was my job to tell her we were cutting her job. She blew up, said angry, hurtful, untrue things and stormed out. Now, as word spreads through the congregation what a terrible person I am for letting her go, I have to figure out how many chips I have left.
I will not tell people she was incompetent. As ugly as things may get…and I expect them to get that way…I just expend chips to say, “We are cutting the position.” I don’t get to cut my chip losses and say, “She was a terrible secretary.”
It is a strange thing. You can protect someone’s self-esteem and reputation while they say unkind and untrue things about you.
The stack is smaller.
Have learned that the hard way through the last few years.