Should Churches Hire Remote Staff?

Episode 89 // Should Churches Hire Remote Staff?

Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee discuss the pros and cons of church planters hiring remote people for certain tasks and projects. What might it look like to hire someone who never attends your church?

0:21 Lee asks Danny the rhetorical question, “Is it okay to hire someone who may life in a different city?”

1:15 Danny shares about a book that introduced him to the idea of hiring freelancers for certain aspects of church planting tasks and the advantages of hiring overseas freelancers.

3:59 Fair wages are important when hiring overseas freelancers. Danny talks about the website he has had success with when it comes to hiring freelance workers.

6:48 Lee asks Danny if there are any disadvantages when hiring freelancers to do marketing work for a church.

7:17 Danny speaks to the fact that a freelancer who doesn’t know you may not get it right the first time. Freelancing works well when the contracted person knows the brand and voice of the church planter’s church. 

8:21 Danny then recollects a time when working with a freelancer did not work at all.

9:15 Lee talks about challenges one may have when working with a person from another country. And the care that must be taken when using a remote bookkeeper.

10:15 There are certain admin tasks that are good for contracting out to a freelancer. Danny then talks about the importance of admin assistants really knowing the church planter because they tend to become the “face” of the office tasks when interacting with others. 

12:07 Danny also talks about his current experience with having a remote admin working with him.

12:37 Lee agrees with the importance of having an assistant that really knows the church planter.

13:02 Lee asks Danny about the challenges of having a remote team.

13:41 Knowing yourself really well as a church planter and as a leader is very important when it comes to remote work, according to Danny.

14:55 Danny talks about his “management by objective” style.

15:59 Lee asks Danny how his staff meetings worked with a remote staff.

16:10 Danny talks about the slow growth the first couple of years of his church plant.

17:10 Lee touches on the culture a church planter may be trying to develop when dealing with remote positions.

17:52 Danny wonders if and when the church will catch up with culture’s new view on set office hours within an organization.

18:32 Lee echos Danny that he will be watching to see if the church adapts to new office hour trends.