Thursday, June 05, 2008
giving me a shake
I’ve just been made redundant. From my BCNZ role. As of the end of this year.
Along with all BCNZ academic staff, who are then invited to reapply for jobs over the next month.
I work 2 days week at BCNZ and 3 days week at Opawa and we as a family are pretty settled. So this news is giving my roots a good old shake. As part of the BCNZ process I am invited to articulate my long term career plans. Here is what I wrote:
Long term, I want to be part of a missional think tank, that provides formation of leaders and offers research, teaching and consultancy in Western missiology. To that dream I bring being a published author, with a PhD and some academic publications, a leadership track record of planting emerging churches and as a change agent pastor in established churches, along with experience in denominational consultancy.
I thought I’d put it here, because I’m facing partial unemployment.
)
Steve,
I always find these business management applications into the Christian world troubling for lots of reasons. Is this a way of getting rid of 1 or 2 people the cowardly way? Where is the place of call? Will the best people nick off because they can get better offers, etc? But what bugs me most is that in the business world a retrenchment is always, legally enforced by a number of weeks redundancy payment for years of service. Are they doing that? Hmmmmm!! Bet they aren’t!
Andrew
Comment by Andrew — June 5, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
Steve, why have they made everyone redundant?
And, I would be interested to hear your response to Andrew’s question while acknowledging that this could be a very painful time for you and your family so you may not feel ready to talk about the issues surrounding their decision.
Cheers,
Mark.
Comment by mark — June 6, 2008 @ 1:41 am
hi,
as it says at top of blog “thoughts expressed are personal opinions.” i am only putting this post up because i want to be honest about my feelings. the danger is that we drift into areas which can’t be discussed publicly for a range of reasons.
so, in general, in new zealand employment law says if you change a job description, you have to go through a process of redundancy. in this case, jobs and conditions have been changed.
another general point, why can’t business mesh with church? in terms of employment, churches are often very poor employers and IMHO, need all the help they can get.
in this case, the process is in accordance with best practice around HR and legal matters inc redundance. i can’t reveal details, but my employer certainly does not deserve an internet bagging.
Incarnation is about Christ dwelling within the mess and when I hear business vs church language, I wonder if I am hearing dualisms.
hey, we’re in the change business. we want God to disturb us, until it’s our own comfort.
sense of call is also, IMHO, way overmysticised. should explain, but gotta go.
steve
Comment by steve — June 6, 2008 @ 8:40 am
Interesting post on Fuller by Ryan Bolger
http://thebolgblog.typepad.com/thebolgblog/2008/06/fuller-seminary.html
Comment by Paul Fromont — June 6, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
Thinking and praying…
“here’s to a fair and just process that is executed with prayer and discernment”
Nigel
Comment by Nigel — June 7, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
thanks nigel. its probably a good discipline to have one’s future placed in the hands of another on a regular basis.
steve
Comment by steve — June 8, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
Steve,
You post commenced with the words…
“I’ve just been made redundant. From my BCNZ role. As of the end of this year. Along with all BCNZ academic staff, who are then invited to reapply for jobs over the next month.”
I think in light of those words my responce was simply asking some fair questions and probably written out of concern for you and your situation as described rather dramatically by you.
I didn’t intend to bag your employer and hope that you wern’t suggesting that I was. I was (I think reasonably) suggesting that ‘Christian’ organisations (who tend to trade on the goodwill of their altruistically motivated staff) often aren’t as good and fair as many business situations, which you also suggest is the case by saying “churches are often very poor employers and IMHO, need all the help they can get”. In this, there probably does (as you put it) exist a dualism.
I think if you post personal comments and that you provide space for responces that it is reasonable that you also provide space for friends to offer their opinions on the given material without turning it into an adverserial conversation.
Andrew
Comment by Andrew — June 11, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
Andrew,
appreciate your coming back. i am sensitive, both personally and in my relationship to my employer and their reputation. i don’t want to be a leader that hides the personal stuff, but i obviously still have lots to learn about how to do that publicly. i am sorry that my words turned it into an adverserial conversation.
steve
Comment by steve — June 11, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
Ok & thanks,
shalom,
Andrew
Comment by Andrew — June 11, 2008 @ 1:38 pm