Hiring Great Staff
Hiring great staff takes work but pays off with a strong fit
This article appeared in David's "XP Perspective" column in the April 2006 issue of ChurchExecutive magazine.
First define the opportunity profile, then follow 10 steps to finding the right person for that next staff opening. Read a sample "Opportunity Profile" from Grace Covenant Church in Austin
Executive pastors face an enormous challenge - hiring great staff. In working with church leaders around the country, I see a common challenge of hiring staff that stand the test of time.
An XP called me because he had a hiring dilemma. "I think that I have a great candidate, but I need your input," he said. Everyone knows that hiring is a challenge and this pastor was no exception. "A friend introduced me to this guy, and I am tempted to think he might be the best candidate, but we have just started our search process."
In the early stages of the search process, people will recommend friends. This is good, because you get a range of candidates that you might not find on your own. And, it is bad, because you may get a strong candidate before you are ready to begin the interview process.
Essential elements of hiring
To hire great staff, you have to know what you're looking for. This requires an "opportunity profile" where you describe the church, community, culture and ministry. You need to put in print what may seem obvious: "We are 1,000 in worship each Sunday, have men and women on the governing board, and are building a new worship center." You will also want to describe the kind of person that you are looking for. Are you seeking a "visionary leader," an "implementer of the vision," or a "shepherd to a certain age group?" The best opportunity profiles can run about seven single-spaced pages.
Using the opportunity profile you have prepared, follow these ten steps to making great hires:
1. Obtain resumes. When you post your opening on a job board, it is best to require that all resumes come by e-mail. Later you will thank yourself for doing this, as you can easily send a resume to others in the church for their review. My preference is for the resumes to come to the leader of the search process, not to an administrative assistant. Some of your best candidates will need absolute confidentiality in the early stages. Their churches may be unreasonable if they know someone is looking for a new position, often giving people two weeks notice on the spot.
Another essential element is to determine who will do the interviewing. Some churches take a team approach, while others have one individual lead the search and incorporate various other people at stages. If you choose to have a search team, generally all the team members receive every resume. This can be a waste of time, as 80 percent of the submitted resumes may not fit your opportunity profile.
2. Respond to each applicant. A short e-mail is all that is necessary. A simple, "Thanks for your resume. We will get back to you within 10 days." This treats each applicant with dignity, telling him or her that you have received the resume. One person wrote to me recently: "I sent resumes and didn't hear anything for months, if ever." Too often applicants receive that kind of disrespect.
3. Give the "Ten Day Traffic Signal." From experience, about 80 to 90 percent of applicants don't fit the opportunity profile. One or two key leaders can review all resumes and respond within 10 days. Why 10 days? This sets an internal clock that will require that you process the mounds of resumes. You won't get backlogged and bludgeoned by the sheer numbers of applicants.
Don't be flexible with your opportunity profile. If you state that you are a charismatic church, then you don't need to consider someone who is opposed to sign gifts. If you are a highly doctrinal church, then you won't want to consider someone who does not agree with your doctrinal statement. If you are a seeker church, then you won't want to consider someone who only values worship services for believers.
Have one or two people to review all the resumes and you will save yourself time and energy with those people who obviously don't fit your organization. Write each applicant an e-mail that says, "Thanks, but no thanks." You don't need to give a reason for the decline. I prefer to say, "Our needs are different from your gifts and abilities - and this is much more a statement about us than about you. God's best to you."
4. Making the initial phone call. When you find a resume that stands out to you, then it is time to make a phone call. Call and talk through the resume. Ask the person what they find interesting about your church and why they are leaving their current position. Have the person comment on the opportunity profile and what interests them in the job. If you like the response from the initial phone call, pray about the person. Ask God to give you insight into what you have learned about the person.
5. Conduct a second round of phone calls. Generally I do the initial phone call and have others do this round of calls. What you want to see is whether or not the candidate can connect with others.
6. Hold the initial in-person interview. This is generally a one-day interview at your church. I like to have a small group of people interview the candidate all day long. At my church in Austin, all seven elders like to meet each candidate, so I have a lunch with half of them on this first interview. The key players of the organization need to meet with the candidate. Often, the senior pastor will meet with the candidate for 30 to 60 minutes. Subordinates and peers in the department will also have a group meeting for about the same time.
7. Have the candidate write their interaction with the opportunity profile. Also attempt to do an interview at the candidate's church. If you like the candidate so far, then have them commit their thoughts to paper after having seen your church. They should be able to articulate the vision, scope and nature of the job. If they can't, then they are not the right person for you. For some positions, you may need to send people to evaluate the candidate on his/her home turf. This is especially true when hiring youth workers. You need to go and see the candidate's youth program.
8. This is a big one - it's the second interview. When you're inviting someone for the second interview, you are saying, "we are really interested in hiring you." You should have the feeling that this is the right person for you - and that the only thing keeping you from hiring him/her is the second interview.
For this reason, I structure the second interview quite differently. The first interview had a small group of decision-makers that met with the candidate for one day. The second interview should involve many groups of people over several days-and for some positions this may include a Sunday with teaching responsibilities.
You want to see how the candidate will interact with groups of five, 10 or 20 people. Can he or she communicate vision within the context of the ministry position? People on your staff and in the church may ask some tough questions; can the candidate gently handle those questions?
Since the second interview encompasses many people, there is a threat level for the candidate. The candidate may need to tell their existing church that you are interviewing them; the Christian world can be quite connected. All it takes is one person in your church to know one person in the candidate's church and then the "cat is out of the bag." For this reason, you need to be "almost sure" that this is the candidate that you are going to hire.
9. Prepare for decision-making time.
You need to assemble your key leaders and decide if this is the right person for your church. If you have had many people involved in the second interview stage, then have someone collect the responses from those individuals. Determine the salary based on the person's experience as it fits within your salary guidelines.
10. Make the offer phone call and send the letter. It is best to offer the position first by phone, or in person if possible. A warm voice can let the person feel the excitement and emotion that you have for the individual. Follow up the phone call with an e-mailed offer letter that explains salary and benefits. One of the most important areas for executive pastors is to hire great staff.
Pray at every step and seek God's advice in hiring your staff. Hiring is an art and a science. You may even desire to consult a search firm for higher-level positions to do the legwork for you. Remember that if you do know what you are looking for, then you will hit your target every time. Firing a person is much tougher than taking the time to hire the right person the first time.
