The Decision of Hiring
ByQuestion Series: Wise Leadership Decisions
Question 2: The Decision of Hiring
Hiring the right person at the right time can be a catalyst to increased impact and growth in an organization. Hiring the wrong person at the wrong time can lead to severe set backs, team disunity, and decline. The decision to hire someone that fits is crucial.
Question 2: When hiring someone to join your staff, what are some criteria that you follow? Do you have an outline? Do you go by gut feeling? Do you rely on relationships?
My Answer:
My disclaimer: I do not directly hire people at my church, so read on if you wish 
Phil is right, staffing is critical to the health of the church or any organization for that matter. There was a time when churches searched far and wide for people with the right educational background to lead their congregation. I do believe that process was a good one, for a certain time and place. Today’s world, with information at our finger tips is a little different though. We have a great advantage, education and training is abundant! The danger is that there are now so many people out there with the right education. So, what are some core values on hiring staff in an information rich culture?
Here are a few thoughts:
First Test:
- They must be faithful to their relationship with God & the church community.
- They must have proven theselves available – ministry is a priority.
- They must be teachable – someone who knows it all has no place on a team.
- They must be responsible – this build trust among other staff & community.
Second Test:
- They MUST live the core values, mission, and vision of the church.
Third Test (optional):
- Ministry background/experience
- Education
I really believe that the in the hiring process if a person does not pass the first test, there is no need to even move on to see if they understand our church. Charachter is key! The second test is critical as well because God has called this church to a particular mission in a particular community and we need to have everyone aligned to keep moving in the right direction. The third test is helpful, but in this information age we can resource people and get them the training that they need if they are people of charachter with a passion for what God is doing through this church.
Once on the team there are a number of expectations that we have, but instead of me writing them all here I think Mark Batterson covered them all HERE.
There are a few people that have some good posts already out there on this stuff! Here is one:
For a highlight and summery of this question offered to great Christian leaders around the world visit SOPHOS. For more information about the Symposium, and how you can get involved click here .
