Staffing transitions can be difficult. Depending on the circumstances and the timing of the transition, there can be little to no overlap between the outgoing and incoming staff member. One of the most important things often lost in a transition is information.

Everyone has a slightly different way of doing things, and what makes sense to one person may baffle their successor. It is not just in times of a permanent departure but also temporary transitions such as holidays. This is why having good systems in place for tracking your key information is so vital. We must all face the reality that everyone will move on someday and it is important that when this happens the ministry continues on with as little disruption as possible. One church leader put it this way, every ministry position is an interim position and we must decide if we or the ministry is more important. When we adopt this thinking, we start to think and plan for our ministry’s success after we’re gone.

We all know it can be hard to keep track of everything, and sometimes what seems like little things can get dropped. Many times however, seemingly little things can make a bid difference. For example a church we work with sets 3 month reminders whenever someone from the church loses a parent.  This simple reminder to make a simple follow up call to see how they are doing can make a world of difference. Because these reminders are set in their church management software, multiple staff can access them and follow up as necessary. Another church keeps a centralized on-going list of expected babies in the congregation to ensure that they are prepared to minister to each family when the baby arrives. Both of these examples are things that help the church serve and care for its people and can make all the difference. These examples are also not haphazard but a planned part of a structured care ministry that allows multiple people to be involved and make sure what needs to be done is done even when a staff member or ministry leader isn't around.

A solid, integrated data management system can greatly aid in providing such structure and mitigate the loss of information during transition. With information in a central place that multiple people have access to and common ways of tracking important information, fewer things will fall between the cracks in someone’s absence.  If you need help with the right tools to build a good structure to further your ministry, please contact us.