Having been an occupational health and safety professional in industry since 1997, I was trained in excellent human resources practice, and worked in these areas for three large high reliability organisations. I was around it for nearly 20 years. This, so I could enter the church workplace and experience what so many secular businesses would never have the gall to do.
I can recall signing a ‘statement of understanding’ locking me out of my lawful right to challenge unfair dismissal. It is fascinating to me that I, who was trained as a Contact Officer under my State’s Equal Opportunity legislation, and who served in that capacity for several, was required to sign a document with an immoral and unethical clause.
Notice this is an agreement with a pastor.
How many of you have signed a document requiring you to sign your RIGHTS away? Notice the words: wrongful, unlawful, unfair, unreasonable. For me, this is a red flag. For me, any organisation, especially any Christian organisation, that uses these words in these ways, in a legal document, is the one to be watched.
Pastors, I know you will need to sign these agreements in certain churches to get the job — to respond to ‘the call’. Just be aware that the motive for a church to require you to sign such a document says that they may well dismiss you in wrongful, unlawful, unfair and unreasonable ways.
For those who are in Australia who have issues of unfair dismissal go to this link.
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