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10 Church Staff Hiring Tips from the Front Line

Orginally published on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 8:24 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Gary Lamb, is the church planting pastor of Ridge Stone Church in Canton, GA. Gary writes at his blog… One of the areas that I felt very unprepared for in planting a church that has grown rather quickly was in the area of hiring staff. Matter of fact I would go as far to say I have done a very lousy job at it. God has blessed us with some great hires but I have made my share of mistakes. I currently have 2 full time staff and 2 part time staff (25+ hours) and myself on our staff. However since we have started I have parted ways with three staff people due to bad decisions on my part.

Hiring staff is a great blessing and I believe is wonderful for a church. I am a believer in being overstaffed. However the wrong hire can hurt you in many ways. I have learned this valuable lesson: No matter how bad the staff person you hire, there will be people who love them and are loyal to them. I have never lost a staff person where I didn’t loss a family in the church. So with that in mind, I thought I would share with you some random thoughts I have learned when it comes to hiring staff.

1.) Ask Questions!
There is no such thing as asking too many questions. Ask about doctrine, ask about standards, ask about philosophy, ask about their spiritual life, ask about their family life, ask, ask, and ask! My lack of asking questions has hurt me in the past.

2.) Ask their references for references
No one is going to give you a bad reference. So they only question I ask a reference is if they can give me another reference. I have found if you go two and three deep, you being to find out the truth about people

3.) Lay out clear expectations
Make it very clear what you expect of them. Let them know goals, leadership style, ministry style, etc. Don’t be afraid to scare them off. It is better for them to be scared and not take the job, then take it and quit later.

4.) Talk to the spouse
We expect no more of our staff spouses then we do of our regular church members. However we make sure their vision is the same as the staff person and that they are supportive of going into the ministry.

5.) When possible, hire people you know
I have only made one hire of someone I didn’t know. The rest of our staff I knew firsthand or knew someone who knew them. This has been a huge help.

6.) When hiring friends, let them know things are about to change
I have hired friends and it was hard for them and me to become the boss. It was hard to turn the friendship on and off. Let them know beforehand that there will be times when you have to be the boss and not their friend.

7.) Only give someone their first chance if they are from your church and already doing the job
I am all for giving people their first shot at ministry. However in the future I will only do that if they are in our church and already doing the job as a lay person.

8.) Burst their bubble about ministry
Those who have never been in ministry before think it is something that it isn’t. I want them to know beforehand that when they come to work there will not be angels standing at the entrance singing “Amazing Grace.” They need to know there will be conflicts, arguments, and disagreements. There is a huge myth about being in ministry.

9.) Share your vision
God gave you the vision as the pastor or planter. Make sure they line up with the vision you have for your church. We have a certain vision at RSC and we don’t think you are wrong if you have another type of vision, however we aren’t compromising on ours.

10.) Learn from your mistakes
You are gong to make bad choices. Learn from them.

Any thoughts? What would you add to the list?

By the way, you can visit Gary’s blog site here…

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TRACKBACKS: (0) There are 41 Comments:

Posted by bernie dehler

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at 7:28 PM

C Edwards-

Many good points. Good insight.

Rick’s comment, however, very much scares me. He wrote:

“Oh, and in my opinion, it’s completely “proper, legitimate, and credible” to remove someone from the team if they’re just not a good fit in terms of personality/style/etc. Chemistry is important!”

I think if the focus was on accomplishing a specific mission, there’s less time for focusing on “chemistry” and more focus on the “job at hand.” We need to be flexible to work with all types. I think once someone is hired for a job, you do ALL you can to develop and nurture that person.

Sometimes I wonder if our Lord Jesus or John the Baptist could hold a church job… Maybe that’s why our Lord wasn’t in the “religious system” of his day (not a Pharisee or Saduccee).

...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
Posted by

Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 12:23 PM

Bernie,

Ideally, if someone doesn’t have good chemistry with the rest of the staff team, that’s noticed before they’re ever hired and the hire never takes place. It’s hard to do “the job at hand” when you find yourself avoiding your coworkers, etc., because they consistently rub you the wrong way.

Bill Hybels and others have been saying for years that not only do we need to look at Character, Competency, and Commitment but also Chemistry. I never found that especially controversial, but I guess maybe it is…

Given two candidates for a position, with all other things being essentially equal and God not nudging you toward either one, why wouldn’t you choose the one you enjoy spending time with?
Posted by bernie dehler

Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 2:36 PM

Hi Rich,

I agree with what you wrote the second time. The second time had to do with hiring. The first time had to do with firing (which I take issue with).

You also said:
“It’s hard to do “the job at hand” when you find yourself avoiding your coworkers, etc., because they consistently rub you the wrong way.”

This sounds petty and immature to me… maybe I need a better example of what you mean...?

...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
Posted by

Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 4:54 PM

Great article and a wealth of comment-all to be well noted. On our resume’s both my husband and I look like unstable employees. God seems to move us every 2 years or so. We pondered over this for a while and talked to the Lord about it. We were told by a friend of ours, who has wisdom, that we are “starters” not persons who are supposed to be there over the long haul. It takes a certain personality profile and experience and education level to start up a ministry from scratch. This is what we have done for over 10 years. Sometimes we were hired to do one thing and when they realized our gifting and abilities we ended up starting a new ministry or project. Bottom line is we figue that we only “get hired” when and where God wants us and many times it doesn’t seem to make sense to the hirer or hiree. God works in mysterious ways and we have to give Him the leeway sometimes when we know in our heart that a relationship is supposed to be. The 10 suggestions are all good for confirmation. Thanks for the article. In His service, Brenda
Posted by

Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 5:06 PM

Bernie,

What it boils down to is that some people are energy-boosters and some people are energy-drainers. Wouldn’t you rather work with people who fire you up instead of people who wear you down?

The importance of this varies based on your working environment and leadership style, I suppose. If you see each other for hours each day in a collaborative environment, it’s important. If you see each other for a couple hours a week, get your assignments, and then work independently all week long, then it’s not nearly as big of a deal.

And maybe I just haven’t thought through the differences between hiring and firing. Both have to do with who you have on your team, which is what I was thinking about. I’ve never fired anyone (yet)… though there are people I’ve kept on the team longer than I should have (for various reasons)…
Posted by

Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 11:27 PM

It’s interesting how many different perspectives we come to this from (pastors, staff, searchers, etc).
My struggle sometimes is the fence some churches put up before an applicant even gets to talk to anyone. It’s great that these types of sites are available so those of us ‘browsing’ can be aware of opportunities nationwide - however, it is difficult to get the personality of the church across in a short ad - or even sometimes in a first interview.
I feel for the earlier posters who are looking for experience; sometimes unpaid internships or volunteer positions aren’t feasible. My husband has experience, but didn’t get to finish college, as we found out we were expecting our first child in the middle of his last year. I had to laugh at one ad a few months ago (I don’t think it was on this site) asking for a part-time music pastor with a master’s degree! And I would love to meet all of these incredibly creative, talented people who are also extremely organized! I’m sure they’re out there, but organization isn’t usually the first characteristic I pair with an artistic personality.
Sorry, had to vent a little. I think it’s great that those of us on both sides are taking this issue seriously, as there’s nothing more painful than cutting off a ministry relationship.
Do pastoral training programs teach staff management these days? With the increasing number of staff positions in churches these days, it seems like it would be a valuable addition!!!
Posted by

Friday, April 15, 2005 at 9:40 AM

It really is good to hear from people on different sides of this scenario. That’s one of the reasons why I love participating in the forums at pastors.com. It’s a little easier than the comments field of a blog.

I should add that my first (and only) full-time hire was a volunteer in our church who felt called to full-time pastoral ministry. He had no experience beyond his year of volunteer service in our new church plant. He had most of a college education in an unrelated field. But his heart and passion were in exactly the right place. So we hired him and helped him find training on-the-job.

Since then we’ve only had funding for part-time positions… and I’m the only one who’s ever had a ministry degree of any kind.

Just to let you know where we’re coming from…
Posted by bernie dehler

Friday, April 15, 2005 at 11:33 AM

Rich wrote:
“What it boils down to is that some people are energy-boosters and some people are energy-drainers. Wouldn’t you rather work with people who fire you up instead of people who wear you down?”

Yes, so we need to hire the right people. Once they are hired, we can do 1 of 2 things:

1. Avoid this negative person… or fire them…

2. Desciple this person into a better, more Christ-like person.

Number 1 is easy. Number 2 is the job of a leader. It also shows love and committment.

...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
Posted by

Friday, April 15, 2005 at 11:48 AM

Bernie,
I am just curious do you have any paid staff at the church you are pastor at, or are you on staff. I remember you posted once you were in seminary, are you currently in the ministry.
I am just trying to find where you are coming from.
Posted by bernie dehler

Friday, April 15, 2005 at 6:26 PM

Hi Alan-

To answer your question, I have a part-time 501c3 Christian ministry (FreeGoodNews.com). I’m the founder and Exec. Dir. The only staff I have are volunteers. I work in the hitech computer field full-time (for 21 years).

I’m taking Seminary classes on the side. One course was “Leadership.” I’m now finishing up “Church Ministry and Management”.

You can get all the info about me here:
http://www.freegoodnews.com/About.htm

...Bernie
http://freegoodnews.blogspot.com
Posted by

Friday, April 15, 2005 at 9:18 PM

Bernie,
With all do respect, being the only paid staff and it sounds like having never been on a church staff, I think your understanding of a church staff and how personalities affect each other is limited. I believe your thinking will change if you join a church staff. I have been a senior pastor for 18 years and hired 20-30 staff during that time as the church has grown and yes. personality goes a long way toward determining if a person will be “successful” in their ministry area and the personality of a person impacts the entire staff if they are negative, prideful or just hard to get along with. I had one staff member that irritated everyone else on staff and tried to help him change for 3 years until either he left or other staff would have left because of him. Personality is important.
Larry
Posted by bernie

Monday, April 18, 2005 at 1:24 AM

Hi Pastor Larry-

I agree ‘personality’ is important. It just bothers me when people talk so easily about firing. A firing can ruin a person’s future. Everything else should be tried first, as you mentioned. I think we are in agreement. (If not, I fail to see exactly what you think we are in disagreement over… you didn’t mention something specific.)

Yes, you do have more experience than I
as a Senior Pastor. You even have more experience than our Lord Jesus, probably. Lord Jesus only headed a ministry for a few years, and I think He also only worked with volunteers. ...mentioned just to keep this in perspective…

I think neither one of us wants to be in a contest of “who’s better, smarter, more qualified, educated, etc.” but hopefully just sharing our opinions on good/bad leadership ideas. If you think I have a bad opinion, please point it out specifically…

...Bernie
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247/
Posted by

Monday, April 18, 2005 at 1:58 PM

Bernie,
Never meant my comments to come across as being better than you. That is not the point. I remember being in my first church and being exicited about hiring my first staff member, a youth pastor. A friend, pastor of a church of several thousand, said to me, “Larry, hiring staff does not lessen your stress but actually increases it as you are now responsible not just for yourself but for others and how they fulfill their areas. He was right. It I thought having staff would be like heaven. We would all get along and never have any problems. Then I discovered that being a pastor does not take away our sin nature and past hurts and that pastors repond just like other people. Their personalities affect how they minister to people and how they get along or don’t get along with other staff members. I love my current staff and they are great friends. However, I have also had staff that drove me and other staff members, not to mention church members, crazy. I just wanted to share with you that once you began to work with staff that you may find your perspective changing. Its not just about giftedness or ability, but often what makes or breaks a staff member is their personality.
Thanks.
Posted by bernie dehler

Monday, April 18, 2005 at 3:55 PM

Hi Pastor Larry,

Again, I don’t see anything we disagree about. Nobody’s perfect, and everyone has problems (personality, competency, etc.). The question is, is the problem correctable or do you just have to fire? I think we both agree, as leaders, that you first do all you can to help mold and shape a staff member. It’s one of the main & classical tasks of a senior leader/manager: to nourish and disciple. If it doesn’t workout, it doesn’t work out, and you have to fire.

I think there are many stories of people in ministry being fired too easily, which breaks my heart. People who could become great with some motivation are instead getting burned, in the name of God.

In the example you gave, it sounds like you really try to nourish people, and that’s great. Leaders need to grow up, and practice Matthew 18, which is being able to confront issues directly, rather than cowardly “looking the other way,” gossipping, avoiding, firing (too quickly), etc.

The senior Pastor also may have “personality” persons. My Seminary Professor (a practicing Pastor also) told us that to be a Pastor, you better be a “people person” or at least get those skills-- otherwise, there’s no place for one as a Pastor.

...Bernie
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247/
Posted by

Monday, April 18, 2005 at 4:32 PM

I know there are denominational differences...however...EVERYTHING is to be done according to scripture, and not personal opinion. If God puts someone there that irritates you, it could be for a couple of reasons...1. You need to learn to deal with people from a position of servanthood, and not as a tyrant. 2. The irritating individual needs to learn to be a team player. Each must learn from the other. It sounds terribly like your denomination does what it wants to do, no matter what biblical principles are. If I am misunderstanding you, Rich, please for give me. I’ll end with my last quote from before...It is ALL about Jesus...not you, or me, or denominational quirks. The “church” traditional NEVER goes ahead of God’s commanding leadership in His word.
Posted by

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 at 9:20 AM

C.E.,

I agree that Scripture trumps tradition or opinion. As far as I know, the Bible doesn’t say who in the church has hiring/firing authority for church staff. If in your tradition it’s the congregation, that’s fine. In mine, it’s the senior pastor (with some approvals from the board, who are elected by the members). If you want to know how our denomination sees that as an appropriate application of Scriptural principles, you can email me about it.

Also, you’ve mentioned twice now that God puts the person with the personality clash there on staff with you. Maybe so… but God’s not the one who made the job offer. I, as the senior pastor, did that. Sometimes God clearly guides in those decision-making processes, and sometimes he allows us to use the wisdom/experience/leadership gifts he gave us. If I make a bad hiring decision, maybe I need to live with that & look for the ways God wants to change me & that person for the better. Or maybe I need to repent of my poor choice, own up to my hiring mistake, and remove the person from their staff position for the sake of the church’s health.

And please, don’t anybody hear me saying that people should be fired capriciously or suddenly or unfairly or without much prayer. But sometimes it’s the best choice for all involved.

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.