Christian Retailing

ADVICE: Dear Betty Bookstore Print Email
Written by Staff   
Friday, 01 May 2009 08:30 AM America/New_York
How do you fire an employee who is a church member?

As sad as this situation may be, it is bound to happen.

The most important thing is to be very open and honest in the hiring process. Many times church members want to work in the church altbookstore because they see it as a ministry. It is a ministry-and a very special one-but it is also a business, and any business will have personnel changes from time to time.

Hiring church members is wonderful, but they must understand three important things about their employment:

  • They are part of a ministry, but this does not mean prayer and Bible study all day. It is work!

  • People will come into the store who are not church members and sometimes not even Christians. People will be people, and with that, comes all types of customer service issues.

  • Our expectations are high. We are a team, and each member must carry his or her own weight. We strive for excellence-our church and our Lord deserve no less.


Once the interviewer understands the expectations, it is the manager's job to "hold their feet to the fire." Have employees go through a 90-day probation period. This gives them time to adjust and learn the new job. After the 90-day period, the manager should meet with the employee and go over his or her progress. Give the employee time to express an evaluation of his or her work. Good communication is vital.

If the employee doesn't meet the expected standards, then termination is expected. Sincerely express that the dismissal is not personal and that you do not want it to affect his or her relationship with you or the church. If possible, help them discover in what type of job the employee would excel. If possible, give time to locate another job so the employee can exit without having to miss a paycheck.

Terminations are always difficult, but they do not have to end with hurt feelings or with a member leaving the church.

Got a question for Betty Bookstore? Write to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..