Job market still strong at churches

By ROB JOHNSON
Associated Press

Published: July 16, 2008

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Need a job? Have you checked at church?

There are dozens of employment openings at churches in Southwest Virginia, mirroring the national religion-related job market. The positions range from day care supervisors to musicians to technicians for sanctuary sound and video systems. There are numerous full- and part-time openings.

But church jobs sometimes come with baggage. For starters, the hiring standards and interview process can be quirky and they aren’t subject to the same federal law protecting against religious discrimination to which companies must adhere. What’s more, church politics are common, long or odd hours may be expected in the work of the Lord, and congregational sensitivities abound.

``You’ve got about 800 bosses here,‘’ said Connie Ferguson, the office administrator at Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church, which is seeking a custodian. One special requirement for that job, she said: ``No cussing in front of the members.‘’

So while churches offer opportunities to those who can pass their particular muster, the scrutiny can be severe.

For example, in June at Vinton Baptist Church, a candidate for the position of family life minister was successful in interviews with the Rev. Bill Booth and a hiring committee. But the church put the applicant to a congregationwide vote. ``It was 183 ``yes’‘ and 94 ``no,‘ `` Booth said. ``We had the votes to move forward, but with so many opposed, it would have been unwise.‘’

The Vinton Baptist vote is a microcosm of the traditional quest by congregations for ``ownership’‘ in hiring decisions, said Robert Seiple, president of the Council for America’s First Freedom, a Richmond-based church rights activist group. Hurtful though the vote might have been to the candidate, Seiple said, it’s better to know the political landscape in a church before accepting a high-profile position.

``I wouldn’t go into a situation where the vote was that close. It tells me there’s some friction,‘’ he said.

Classified advertisements for church jobs often don’t specify if applicants of a particular denomination are preferred. ``Churches have to follow federal laws about age and race discrimination, but they can discriminate on the basis of religion,‘’ said Linda Connor, an associate director at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Ala., who occasionally counsels congregations on legal issues.

Some churches say they’re flexible about the denomination of staffers. At Redwood United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount, for example, which is looking for a part-time worship musician, the Rev. Denise Bates said, ``They don’t necessarily have to be Methodist. They would have to be a Christian, and there would have to be compatibility.‘’

The Roanoke area is a seller’s market for church musicians. Four Baptist congregations are currently advertising for full- or part-time talent. ``I’m a little disappointed that we had these other churches come looking’‘ for music ministers ``at the same time,‘’ said the Rev. Don Pegram, pastor at Haran Baptist Church in Southwest Roanoke County. He added, ``We just lost ours. He went somewhere else for more money.‘’

Part-time music ministers in the Roanoke area are typically paid about $150 for Sunday-only appearances, or up to $15,000 or so a year for working 15 to 20 hours a week. Full-time music directors can earn $40,000 or more.

But applicants might well be wary of the realities of part-time employment at a church. ``When you’re in a church and they say ‘part time,‘ take that with a grain of salt,‘’ said Phyllis Wampler, 80, who retired in March after 29 years as music director at Raleigh Court United Methodist Church. She was designated as part time in her early years at the church.

``I didn’t see any difference between the hours for part time and full time. Either way, sometimes it’s day and night,‘’ she said.

The current effort to find a successor to Wampler underscores the complexities of hiring a high-profile church employee. Before the church placed a lengthy advertisement on churchjobs.com, it formed a 17-member committee to survey the congregation on its musical tastes. The group’s report says 32 percent of respondents want more contemporary melodies, and it recommends the formation of yet another committee, which would ``provide guidance and support to the paid music staff and pastor.‘’

In addition to the congregation’s push for more say in musical selections, the church’s new melodic leader faces another requirement detailed near the end of the employment ad: responsibility for overseeing the rehabilitation of a 1965-vintage Mohler pipe organ, a symbol of the church’s past. The music committee’s report says many congregants want to hear more from a ``praise’‘ band — which usually means guitars and Christian rock.

``This is a big deal,‘’ said Wampler, who wonders if the organ rehab assignment could take her eventual successor in the wrong direction. ``The church wants to appeal to youth because that’s the future. The new generation is turned off by age.‘’

Wampler said neither the organ task nor the music committee’s intervention were factors in her retirement but admits she’s looking into jobs at other churches.