May 2024 | 5
I’m looking for “___________” in Worship Ministry By Zac James, SCBO worship consultant
Worship leaders wear many hats. There are so many ele- ments to a successful worship ministry, and no one can be a world-class expert in all of them. Who you know makes all the difference. Part of my role at SCBO is to be a resource for you and connect you to the people who can help you so that your worship ministry can flourish. Here are the common needs that I hear from people and a few ways I may be able to help. If you’re a pastor trying to find a worship leader for Sun - day, or a worship leader needing a week off, we can point you in the right direction! I have a list of worship leaders who have expressed an interest in guest worship leading and I have shared it with our SCBO staff. We can provide you with that list (in - cluding contact information), and then you can choose a worship leader, contact them yourself, and schedule a weekend. We aren’t acting as a booking agency, but we can provide referrals. Some of these worship leaders are also looking for full- time positions. If you’re hiring, I’d love to help connect you.
That list is constantly changing, so it’s best if you call the SCBO office or email zjames@scbo.org and we can provide you with up to date information. I encourage you to pay honorariums if possible. Wor- ship ministry is a critical part of weekly services, and it is important to compensate the leader who is driving your worship ministry. My advice: You get what you pay for; it shows you value their contribution to the ministry of the church; and doing so makes it more likely you keep worship leaders for fu- ture weekends. Please provide feedback to me on how guest leaders serve so we can use that to inform future referrals (email zjames@scbo.org). In addition to helping you find a worship leader, I can also provide recommendations for help with technical issues and installation as well as internet, IT, security cameras, and website issues. Need more information? Send me an email at zjames@ scbo.org, and I’ll see if there’s a way I can help you. On behalf of SCBO, I want to help you solve your worship ministry problems and direct you to the best long-term solutions.
Pastors, Church Leaders Encouraged to Participate in Biennial Church Compensation Survey By Roy Hayhurst, Guidestone Financial Resources (BP) – Guidestone Financial Resources, Lifeway Re - search and Baptist state conventions have again teamed up for the SBC Church Compensation Survey. The sur- vey – the largest free study focused on churches in the United States – is conducted every two years. The survey’s results will be available in early fall, in time for many churches considering their 2025 budgets. responsibility to pay the right wage the right way, and so taking this information when it’s available and following best compensation practices will go a long way to help pastors as they seek to be financially secure and resilient servants to the Lord’s churches.”
Individual survey results can be contributed anonymous- ly; survey results are not reported individually. Lifeway Research will compile the results once the survey closes on June 30. Survey respondents will receive advance no- tice of the survey’s availability. Respondents should have the church’s average weekly attendance, membership and 2024 annual budget. Addi- tional information needed to complete the survey is the employees’ yearly salary, the church’s annual contribu- tions to a retirement plan, annual church-paid insurance premiums, annual housing allowance, Social Security offset, and the rental value and utilities for church-pro - vided housing.
Churches of all sizes can utilize the survey’s results to determine comparable wages and benefits. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete at GuideStone.org/ CompensationSurvey. The survey started April 1 and goes on until the end of June. “The SBC Church Compensation Survey provides a snapshot of what churches across our Convention are doing in paying their pastors and other church staff members,” said GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck. “We want to make sure that churches understand their
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