Article
Considerations for Your Next Hire
I should have seen it coming from miles away but the friendship blinders I wore held captive my view of reality in the foggy distance. This was an unfortunate lesson I had to slog through because the person who sat across my desk was a friend whom I hired. That’s right, I’m talking about the dreadful F-word in ministry. “Firing” someone.
This was an unfortunate lesson I had to slog through
Firing someone in ministry is messy because ministry is so closely tied to relationships. They go hand in hand. Ministry cannot happen without relationships - relationship with congregants, relationship with staff, relationship with other ministries, other churches, and the list goes on.
Firing someone in ministry is messy because ministry is so closely tied to relationships.
Can you imagine Jesus’ ministry absent of relationship? What a ridiculous concept! In church, one cannot exist without the other.
The good news is firing someone is often avoidable if you put in the work upfront. That said, here are three considerations for your next hire. Of course, these considerations cannot guarantee you will always be fire free, but they can help to remove any blinders you may be wearing.
The Gospel and Doctrine
Ensure the candidate’s understanding of the Gospel and Doctrine aligns with yours.
Ensure the candidate’s understanding of the Gospel and Doctrine aligns with yours.
Provide opportunity for the candidate to articulate their beliefs to confirm that they do not differ from your doctrinal stance. Frustration and confusion run rampant when two leaders from the same church articulate opposing views on the same topic.
Leaders must be unified. Consider these during the interview process.
1. Ensure the candidate can clearly articulate the gospel no matter how seasoned they are in ministry.
Ensure the candidate can clearly articulate the gospel
Role play as an unbeliever during the interview. You would be surprised to know how many interviews I have had to cut short because the candidate could not articulate the gospel.
2. Provide the candidate with an application that allows them to express their views on various issues. Include your church’s statement of faith, views on specific issues, and bylaws in the application packet.
3. Understand what doctrinal hot topics press your buttons. Lean into these with the candidate and validate that they hold your same understanding. (It’s ok if they do not hold your same level of passion on every issue).
Culture of Work
Ensure the candidate understands and embraces your approach to work.
Ensure the candidate understands and embraces your approach to work.
Some churches are fast paced and some more relaxed. Ensuring that the candidate embraces your philosophy of work will prevent long-term frustration on all sides.
Consider these questions to help clarify your philosophy of work:
1. Do you hold strict office hours or do you allow staff to work outside of the office? Articulate your reasoning with the candidate.
2. How many hours per week do you expect your staff to work? Is evening ministry (hospital visits, counseling, dinner with congregants) considered part of your work hours? Do you allow for flex time?
3. How do you handle a sick child at home, especially with dual income families?
4. What feedback have you received from others regarding the pace at which you work?
5. What areas do you expect staff to personally labor vs. equip lay leaders for the work of ministry?
Chemistry
Ensure the candidate gels with your team and embodies your church culture.
Ensure the candidate gels with your team and embodies your church culture.
Bad chemistry can sour a team, but good chemistry helps create exponential growth. Ask yourself this, “In my absence, am I excited to put this candidate in front of my church?”
Consider these elements to help determine chemistry.
1. How does the candidate exemplify your staff values?
2. What is the reputation of the candidate’s spouse and children, and what do they think about your church? Hiring a new staff member is like marriage. The in-laws are unavoidable.
3. How are you like minded and what are your differences? How do you balance each other and what voids do your differences fill?
4. Does the candidate articulate things in a way that encourages conversation, or do you desire to get out of the conversation quickly?
5. Is the candidate teachable, trainable, and trustworthy? Do they approach your questions with an attitude of assent, or do they bristle?
The hiring process is the time to reveal both the upside of a candidate as well as identify what might be lurking in the background. Follow your entire hiring process with every candidate and work hard to provide complete clarity.
Clarity upfront prevents frustration, confusion, and turmoil down the road.
Clarity upfront prevents frustration, confusion, and turmoil down the road. Do this and, Lord willing, you will never find yourself sitting across the desk from an avoidable conversation caused by your own blinders.