Ministers' pay is different
Housing allowances, Social Security treatment and W-2 reporting for clergy don't work like regular payroll. We make sure the payroll setup matches what your CPA intends, and flag it when it doesn't.
A named HR person who knows your staff, your preschool and your payroll, without hiring a full-time HR role. We handle the employment side of ministry so your pastors and administrators can get back to the work they were called to.
Every level comes with a real person, a monthly compliance report your board can read, and a weekly check-in for the first 60 days while we learn your church. Prices are starting points by staff size; your exact number is fixed in writing before we start, and it only changes when your facts change.
Fits a church with steady staff and few people issues. When something does happen (a termination, an unemployment claim), it's handled at a printed per-event price below.
Fits most churches that are hiring, running a school or preschool, or tired of HR landing on the executive pastor's desk. This is where most of our church conversations land.
Fits larger churches and multi-ministry organizations (church plus school plus counseling center) where people decisions carry real weight.
Every engagement starts with a full HR review of where things stand today: files, classifications, handbook, payroll setup. The review is included when you commit to 12 months. Workplace investigations are always quoted per matter, and anything that needs a lawyer goes to your counsel, with everything organized so their hours stay small.
Housing allowances, Social Security treatment and W-2 reporting for clergy don't work like regular payroll. We make sure the payroll setup matches what your CPA intends, and flag it when it doesn't.
Teacher hiring and onboarding, background checks on a schedule, part-time and hourly classifications, and the paperwork a licensing visit expects to see.
The line between a faithful volunteer and an employee the law says you have, drawn clearly before an unemployment claim or an injury draws it for you.
Policies that reflect who you are, including conduct and statement-of-faith provisions, drafted in plain language and reviewed with your attorney where it matters.
We run open enrollment, answer every staff question, and manage the plan year so your administrator isn't the help desk. Through our sister firm, Pillar PEO Advisors, we can also shop your health plan against the market at no cost.
A monthly one-page report in plain English: what happened, what's coming, what we fixed. Stewardship means your leaders can see what they're paying for.
Lui is SMBHR's co-founder and Chief People Strategist, and she would be your HR person. She has led HR and people operations for over a decade, including serving as director of the preschool at First Baptist Charlotte in Uptown, where she ran the preschool's operations and HR and assisted on the church side as well: hiring and onboarding teachers, background checks, personnel files, parent and staff communication, and payroll. She has lived the reality that in a church, the HR job lands on whoever is nearest, and her work is to take it off that person's desk. Lui is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
On Core these bill per event. On Partner and Strategic the common ones are included up to quarterly counts, and anything beyond the counts bills at these same prices. No hourly meters, ever.
| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Termination support, start to finish | $1,750 |
| Performance improvement plan | $1,750 |
| Unemployment claim response | $450 |
| Leave case management (FMLA, ADA, state) | $1,100 |
| Onboarding a new hire / offboarding an exit | $750 |
| Recruiting, per role | $4,500 |
| One-time projects (handbook, I-9 cleanup, classification review) | Fixed quote, printed first |
You tell us how HR works today and where it hurts. We tell you honestly whether we'd help and what it would cost.
We review files, classifications, handbook and payroll setup, and hand your leadership a findings report worth keeping either way.
You pick the level. The price, what's included and what costs extra are all in writing before anything starts.
Caleb Sherrill, co-founder · caleb@pillarpeo.com · 704-787-1261. Tell us a little about your church and staff, and we'll come to the first call already prepared.