As someone who has supervised staff in multiple ministry contexts for more than thirty years, I wish I’d had a resource like Supervising and Supporting Ministry Staff available to me twenty years ago! Drawing on years of deep experience and rich research, Kevin Lawson and Mick Boersma have written an extremely insightful and practical book to guide those who are charged with supervising ministry staff. Particularly helpful are the many excerpts of interviews with both staff members and supervisors sprinkled throughout the book. Not only do I highly recommend this important book, I will be using it to personally improve my own supervision of staff.

Sam Rima, Lead Pastor, North Seattle Church, author of Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership

Ministry supervisors want to do a good job but almost always feel inadequate to the task. Lawson and Boersma draw from their experience in studying associate staff ministry along with new research to provide an essential guide for staff supervision in the church. At the center of their approach is equal concern for the fruitfulness of the staff ministry and care for the staff member. They go beyond the superficial, though necessary, best practices of supervision to engage the theological, spiritual, and emotional dynamics always present.

Lovett H. Weems Jr.

Mick Boersma understands how to love and motivate people for maximum Kingdom impact. He and Kevin Lawson unpack real, everyday, ready-to-use wisdom on a subject that has been overlooked by those writing on leadership. Supervising and Supporting Ministry Staff will help you love and lead your team toward greater ministry and healthier lives.

H. Dale Burke, Dallas Theological Seminary; author of How to Lead and Still Have a Life

Biblical stewardship requires a thoughtful and intentional use of God’s resources. For those who are serving as the church’s shepherds, it is particularly sobering to realize that the staff members who come under our care are precious members of Christ’s body and should be treated with the utmost consideration. Lawson and Boersma have provided ministry leaders with a valuable and insightful resource to help us steward the colleagues that God has entrusted to our care. This book is a must read for anyone that is supervising and nurturing ministry leaders—whether it be in the local church or in para-church ministries.

Michael J. Anthony, president, Calibrate Global Consulting