One core concern every organization has in common is staffing.
You’ve likely worked on teams where someone was a noncontributor. Many organizations pay the price of hiring someone who looks good on paper but who ultimately holds them back.
The best way leaders handle this is by hiring well. In fact, there’s a commonly used phrase when it comes to hiring: “Be slow to hire and quick to fire.”
The statement “be slow to hire” is a helpful reminder because hiring well takes time.
Here are four filters for making good ministry hires.
Character.
Character is the most important metric for a potential hire. Whatever challenges, successes, or pivots lie ahead of your church, facing them alongside a strong team will ultimately help your church navigate them successfully. You want to be partnered with hardworking team members who display integrity, godliness, creativity, and resilience. You’ve worked alongside people who display strong character and those whose veneer of character quickly cracks; you know what to look for. While the following three traits are valuable, nothing—not even having ministry experience or skill in specific areas—beats character.
Caliber.
Caliber speaks to giftedness, talent, and capitalizing on strengths. Does a candidate have leadership capacity already developed? Do they have the potential to be coached into leadership? Would a candidate be capable of leading a thriving ministry at the next level where you envision your church to be going, not just where you are right now? If you are bringing someone into a paid ministry position, they need to be capable of leading others.
Catalytic spark.
Ever pushed a rock uphill? It’s not your job to run around with a cattle prod to ensure your team is pouring energy into their respective ministries. You don’t want to invest church resources into staff who ultimately bring their B Game to work. Instead, hire people who have an internal drive to move the dial. Your paid and unpaid teams under these leaders will replicate their drive and passion.
Consummate learner.
It’s the age of information. If you’re hungry enough, you can learn anything. You need staff who invest themselves in their own growth and who find fresh resources. Hire team members who look for meaningful ways to grow and develop—and thus help the church grow and develop. Your team should occasionally surprise you with their ingenuity!
Let’s journey together.
You don’t need to do ministry alone. You can find opportunities to connect, plus more content and conversations about church administration, at XP Summit: xpsummit.org.
