Best Practices in Catholic Church Ministry Performance Management

The Church is not a business, but it does have a stewardship responsibility to ensure that all of its resources are used as effectively as possible to carry out God's work on earth. This unique collection brings together both scholars and practitioners who tackle the tricky questions related to the performance management of lay Church workers and clergy (priests and deacons). This is a valuable resource for programs in church ministry, pastoral administration, and in the emerging field of church management.

The Church is not a business, but it does have a stewardship responsibility to ensure that all of its resources are used as effectively as possible to carry out God's work on earth. In the case of human resource assets, good stewardship involves assisting those engaged in ministry (whether clerical or lay) to achieve their greatest potential through the various components of performance management, including performance assessment. This unique collection brings together both scholars and practitioners who tackle the tricky questions related to the performance management of lay Church workers and clergy (priests and deacons). Performance management is multi-faceted, ranging from issues about hiring, job descriptions, performance criteria, performance appraisal, formation, and firing procedures. As a charitable organization, the Church is subject to the same civil law employment regulations as companies in the private sector. Contributors demonstrate that Canon Law and Church tradition supports the performance management of Church ministers (including clergy). This is a valuable resource for programs in church ministry, pastoral administration, and in the emerging field of church management.

1 Table of Contents
Chapter 2 Introduction
Chapter 3 1. Framework of Accountability in the Church
Chapter 4 2. HR Guidelines for Developing A Performance Management System
Chapter 5 3. The Evolution of Employment Practices Regarding Lay Parish Ministry
Chapter 6 4. Using Standards in Lay Ecclesial Ministry Professional Development
Chapter 7 5. Performance Management in a Family Business?
Part 8 II. Performance Evaluation of Clergy
Chapter 9 6. Performance Management Of Catholic Clergy: "Best Practice" Or New Iconoclasm?
Chapter 10 7. Importance of Performance Evaluation of Seminarians and Priests for Effective Parish Ministry
Chapter 11 8. Clergy Performance Management: An Organizational Psychology Perspective
Chapter 12 9. Performance Management and Ongoing Formation of Priests
Chapter 13 10. Neither Fish Nor Fowl: Performance Evaluation of Deacons
Chapter 14 11. Summary and Conclusion