Hiring can be such a challenging task for churches. Depending on the church background it comes from, many churches often put a search committee together from the body and begins to discuss and talk through who could possibly be the best fit for the position!
Why is this difficult? After putting in so much time, talent and treasure, hiring a wrong person that does not fit the culture of the church can cause heartache and havoc.
As I have been meditating and thinking on this, here are five things everyone is looking for when they make a hire or recruit volunteers.
1. Calling: Do they feel called by God?
More than even the calling to preach, shepherd or lead the church, is the individual confident in his/her own personal calling as a child of God? Is the person swayed by people’s opinions? Or is he a confident, convictional leader?
Close to the hills of the person’s calling is, does the spouse also sense the calling into moving to the next role? Is the family on board as well moving forward to the task set before them?
A person who does not have a calling to be part of the ministry will simply coast, going through the motions, rather than wanting to creatively innovate to better the organization and go along with the vision and mission of the church.
2. Character: Do they have integrity?
Too often, this can be missed on job descriptions with churches or para-church organizations. Rather than going for “a young, hip, cool pastor” of culturally elevated values, churches ought to look for 1 Timothy 3 quality shepherds.
The bottom line is, does the person have integrity—do their words match their lifestyle? Is their private worship consistent with their public worship? Is their inside life consistent with the outside life of ministerial setting?
Skills can get you into ministry, but only integrity will keep you in ministry.
3. Competence: Do they have the right skill set?
Competency does truly matter, but character matters even more. However, the person’s gifting and skill set also matter. Just the order of importance is crucial. Competence ought not to trump calling and character.
I have seen this repeatedly within churches. Most churches hire people based on competence and on having to terminate an individual not based on competency but based on character flaws.
4. Consistency: Do they have steadfastness?
It doesn’t matter they have the greatest gifts a person can have, but are they steady in the good, bad and ugly of life? Are they able to function properly under a certain stress level, even during difficult situations?
Are they committed and reflect biblical qualities throughout the storms of life? Are they disciplined enough to maintain effectiveness in ministry?
As Spurgeon said, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
5. Chemistry: Do they get along with others?
This is not based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or socio-economic status. At the end of the day, church is not a building, but it is the people. Being in church means we are in the people business! If the person cannot connect and love others, having the greatest character and competency could still jeopardize their effectiveness in ministry.