I often have trouble getting in touch with pastors or employees at the church and have had to call for weeks to get any help. Is anything being done to address this issue?
Answer from Pastor Matt: Part of my job is to oversee the incoming needs and questions of congregation, and I do my best to make sure our ministry leaders are responding in a timely fashion. I know that is not always the case, for various reasons, and for that I apologize. We currently have a system in place to intake all calls, emails, and written requests and distribute them to the appropriate person to care for each request. Along with these tasks, each pastor and ministry leader also receives many requests through texts and phone calls on their cell phones, which creates more opportunity for things to be missed.
I understand that at times it can be challenging to get in touch with a ministry leader or pastor at our church, and therefore I am working on some ways to help ensure that every request is taken care of. To help with this, I have put together a plan to help bring more clarity to the expectations for the follow up process, and recently shared that our pastors and will be sharing that with the staff in the coming weeks. We will go through the program that we use to assign requests, and set up parameters for responding to those requests. Our goal is that each phone call and email will be returned within 2 days. Because text messages are more difficult to oversee, and therefore may not be the most effective way to request a response, I recommend either submitting requests to info@calvaryboise.com, or emailing the person directly. Most email addresses are the person’s first name @calvaryboise.com, and a listing of ministry leaders and contact info is available on our website at calvaryboise.com/leadershipteam.
That said, the best way to communicate is to have conversations in person. Our pastors, staff, and ministry leaders are part of the church family, and are always willing to talk through things as they come up. I am a big proponent of one-on-one conversations. So feel free to look through the Leadership Team page on the website (which includes photos to make it easier to recognize everyone), and stop any of us when you see us, so that we can connect about whatever needs you have.
My hope is to manage the needs of our church with diligence. I will continue to work to improve the ways that we serve, and I welcome your feedback. Please stop me at church or send me an email if you have any further questions regarding this issue (and I promise to get back to you). If you have a need that was never addressed please resend those.
“Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” –Acts 20:28
Matt Cochern
Executive Pastor
