Two Common Church Hiring Mistakes
TGC Blog | June 14, 2012
The risk in hiring can be minimized, but it can't be eliminated. To help you minimize the risk in your staff hires, here are two of the most common hiring mistakes you must avoid making in church ministry.
Mistake One: Hiring the Best
Many church leaders and churches have gone down a common hiring path. They (a) identify a role they want to fill and then (b) search for the "best person" to fill the role. I have heard many senior pastors describe the desire to "hire the best and give immense amounts of freedom." One proudly told me his hiring strategy was simply to "hire thoroughbreds and let them run."
While "hiring the best" may sound wise, the practice can easily lead to disastrous division. Imagine a staff meeting with directors of student ministry, small group ministry, and children's ministry seated around the same table. They have been recently recruited with the promise of "freedom to run." And because they are the "best," they are strong leaders with a solid track record of execution. They put ministry philosophy into practice. But each has a different understanding of what needs to happen. They have different convictions about where the church should head and how ministry should be executed. Before long, the strong leaders with differing philosophies of ministry will lead, as they were recruited to do, in a plethora of directions. And they will take the church with them.
Instead of seeking to hire the best leaders, seek to hire the right leaders. The right leaders hold deeply to the ministry philosophy and values of the church. With the right leaders, there is strong overlap between their personal ministry philosophy and values of the church. In other words, what matters to the church also matters deeply to the staff member.
Does wanting the "right" leaders mean you don't look for the "best" leaders? Absolutely not! A team of strong leaders passionate about the same values and focused in the same direction is truly powerful. To check alignment around ministry philosophy, you need to know both your church's philosophy of ministry and the values that guide how you minister.
Philosophy Alignment
It is a massive mistake to only hire people who ascribe to the church's doctrinal statement or creed, because it is very possible to have theological alignment without philosophical alignment. And while theological alignment is essential, alignment around ministry philosophy is equally important.
At one church I consulted there were two staff leaders who held to the same soteriology, the same view of eternal hell, and the same passion for evangelism. Yet philosophically, their view of how to lead a church to engage the culture evangelistically was diametrically opposed. They both were recruited to the same staff team on theological alignment alone, and because they were so different in philosophy and practice they were leading (even unintentionally) the church in multiple directions.
Values Alignment
Your "church values" are not what you do, but they affect everything you do. They are the shared passions and convictions that inform your unique church culture. For example, two churches of similar size and doctrinal positions offer "worship services" that on the surface sound the same: 30 minutes of music and 40 minutes of biblical teaching. Yet when you visit them, they are very different. Perhaps Church A deeply values "authenticity," and that value manifests itself in everything from the subtle greeters to the transparency in the teaching. Church B values "hospitality," and that feels very different. It's not as if Church A is inhospitable and Church A is inauthentic, but the pronounced values distinctly mark the culture of each church.
Obviously you want to hire staff who hold to the values already in place at the church. Additionally, if your church has some aspirational values (values you have identified that you long to embed in the culture but are not currently), then also look for staff who possess these values.
Mistake Two: Hiring from the Inside (or Outside)
Often church leaders make a grave mistake when they hire from outside their church instead of raising up a leader from within the body. The opposite is equally true; often church leaders hire from the inside when they should look outside the church for a new leader.
Hiring from within is both the safe and risky option. It is safe because you can observe the person's character and service before he/she even knows a staff role exists. And as an insider, the person has already committed to the ministry philosophy and values of the church. From a discipleship vantage point, hiring from within helps set a mindset and expectation that "our church raises up its own leaders." But there is still risk, because if the new staff member doesn't work out, it will be much more painful to move an insider off the team.
Hiring from outside the church gives an opportunity for a fresh perspective and to acquire some leadership experience needed for the church's next season of ministry. For example, the church may be entering a season of expansion or growth, and an outsider who has a track record of experience related to what a church needs could be very helpful. At the same time, an insider could be developed for the task. But in some cases, the development will fall well short of the skills that experience provides.
So how do you know if you should hire from the inside or the outside?
I have found John Kotter's insight to be helpful. Kotter is a Harvard professor and leadership guru. He teaches that if you want to change the culture, you should hire from the outside. If you want to sustain or build upon the current culture, you should hire from within. If the culture is healthy within a particular department within your church, look first to hire from within. Only look outside if the skills and experience needed can't be developed within your church in a reasonable matter of time. If the culture is unhealthy, or you desire to change the culture with an infusion of some new values and leadership, look to hire externally.
I have put together a simple chart (seen below) to help you think through the decision to hire from within or from the outside. I hope it serves you well. While only one box indicates you should "hire from within," some churches execute the majority of their hires from this vantage point because they posses a strong, equipping culture.
Every hire is a risk; therefore, every hire requires faith. Ultimately all of the above is mere fodder when the Lord makes it clear who the next leader should be. Listen carefully to the voice of the Lord whose foolishness is wiser than our wisdom and who, as in the case of King David, often selects leaders we tend to consider last. For while we tend to look at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
Comments:
June 19, 2012 at 05:44 AM
[...] Two Common Church Hiring Mistakes The risk in hiring can be minimized, but it can’t be eliminated. To help you minimize the risk in your staff hires, Eric Grieger presents two of the most common hiring mistakes you must avoid making in church ministry. [...]
June 19, 2012 at 03:37 PM
Eric, is there a way to ask you a question privately? I desperately need wisdom on a recent hiring situation. Thank you.
June 18, 2012 at 07:31 PM
[...] Two Common Church Hiring Mistakes The risk in hiring can be minimized, but it can’t be eliminated. To help you minimize the risk in your staff hires, Eric Grieger presents two of the most common hiring mistakes you must avoid making in church ministry. [...]
June 17, 2012 at 04:44 AM
I realize you asked the anonymous "JEC" to answer, Collin, but when I read this article I sort of cringed because of its rank pragmatism ad its utter absence of Biblical reference. Before I get to that, however, let me say this: his advice it utterly sound from the viewpoint of secular organizational management, and if you are running a secular organization with secular goals in which personal politics are necessary and inevitable, please follow his advice.
I think Paul's letter to Titus takes a lot of what Dr. Geiger says here and, at least, calls us to question the wisdom of pragmatic and oversimplified definitions of change management. Because the decision grid "culture" vs. "skills" is simply a non-Gospel system of reasoning, it ought to be questioned as to whether it can achieve Gospel ends.
To answer your question specifically: the Bible doesn't say anything about firing a pastor -- because the category "pastor" as I think you mean it here isn't necessarily found in the Bible. Elders can surely be disciplined, and even removed, but the question of "firing" them doesn't come up.
If that's true, how does that make Dr. Geiger's essay any more or less biblical or even helpful to the local church?
June 15, 2012 at 12:03 PM
DISCLAIMER: I, too, work for LifeWay, though not in Dr. Geiger's area.
Dr. Geiger,
Thanks for a well written, well grounded post. The most common complaint of seminary graduates is that while seminary prepares them for preaching and teaching, it does not prepare them for the practical aspects of ministry like how to hire staff.
Complaints about too much business thinking in Geiger's piece are off base. The Bible instructs us as to what kind of person we should hire, but not which person we should hire. When five candidates who line up with Timothy and Titus have been interviewed, what are the steps to decide from there? Cast lots? All night prayer meetings?
Others have said well before me that when orthodoxy has been established, Character, Competency and Chemistry should be considered. I may find myself in the minority here, but grilling a candidate of theological soundness is not enough. Wisdom dictates the need to make sure the person behaves right, not just believes right (character), is capable of performing the tasks at hand (competency) and meshes will with the other leadership (chemistry). To ignore these in favor of a sign from heaven is not spiritual thinking; it's foolishness.
Do you do a background check? Financial check? Call references? Why? None of that is in the Bible, either.
Unless I miss my guess, 99% of the readers here are already believers, already pursue God and will pray about this kind of decision without having "Pray" as point number 1. Our pursuit of God in the matter should be a given. Practical steps like these also help us to exercise wisdom in these endeavors.
June 15, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Help us out, JEC. What does the Bible say about firing a pastor?
June 15, 2012 at 10:31 AM
I am surprised at the pragmatism and business model approach this article supports. Would it not be better to see what the Bible says about appointing church leaders rather than a "leadership guru"?
~JEC
June 15, 2012 at 10:23 AM
[...] But there is still risk, because if the new staff member doesn’t work out, it will be… (READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE) Tweet var firstPostImage = $("#post-491 img:first").attr('src'); [...]
June 15, 2012 at 10:09 AM
This article represents why I am frustrated with a lot of the advice and resources that come out of LifeWay, the state SBC conventions, and church consultants. It seems to be just application of the latest business-world models to church life. We need less of the stuff coming out of Harvard, or Wharton, or Wall Street, and more of God's Word. According to the skills and culture continuum above, a church should hire from the outside 75% of the time. But the New Testament model as I understand it indicates that God gifts and equips leaders within the church to take on the work of the ministry. I'm not saying that a church must always hire from the inside, but in my experience, churches almost always ignore the gifted folks within the congregation and look to hire professionals who have succeeded somewhere else.
I also question the assumptions behind some of the statements in this article. Why should we assume that someone inside the church shares the old philosophy or culture mindset that needs to be changed? Why should we assume that someone from the outside is going to have a different mindset? It may be that there is a gifted leader within the congregation who has been praying for a long time that the church culture would change and who has been waiting for an opportunity to step up.
The best part of this article is the last paragraph. The author says that in spite of all the conventional wisdom he has laid out, the ultimate factor is that churches should be sensitive to God's leading. The author points out that God often chose the least-likely candidates to lead His people. David is mentioned, but the truth is that nearly all of the leaders in Scripture would have been unlikely candidates based on secular leadership qualfications. And the point is that God gets the glory in using lowly people to further His amazing purposes. Why, then, do we focus so much on human ability? The qualifications mentioned in Scripture have much more to do with character, dedication to the task, and a sense of God's calling than they have to do with skills or talent.
Please don't take this as overly harsh criticism, because the article no doubt raises good points that churches should consider. We should make sure our team members share the same vision, mission, etc. regardless of how talented they may be. And churches should understand that there are risks with both inside and outside hires. I'm just frustrated that there is a mindset regarding church employment that focuses so much on professionalism and talent, as if calling a pastor or staff member were just like hiring a football coach or CEO.
June 15, 2012 at 09:37 AM
Why do we hire & fire in church anyway? What is worse than having to fire your own brother or sister. Not something I relish and nor do I think Church has to be this way.....
June 15, 2012 at 09:31 AM
Why is this post full of advice for Christ's church full of pragmatism only, and not Christ's Word? Don't get me wrong, I think we can learn from secular "guru's" in some aspects, but shouldn't God's thoughts on raising up leaders be the most important thoughts? Shouldn't God's Word have preeminence? I'm genuinely asking this as a young SBC pastor.
June 15, 2012 at 09:23 PM
[...] Two Common Church Hiring Mistakes [...]
June 15, 2012 at 03:47 PM
Eric,
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your insight into these issues, and I hope more churches will grow to develop that kind of "strong, equipping culture."
Jeff
June 15, 2012 at 03:09 PM
Jeff --
I share your concern and conviction for developing leaders. Brother, I appreciate your points.
I just want to be sure you read this one statement in the article: "While only one box indicates you should "hire from within," some churches execute the majority of their hires from this vantage point because they posses a strong, equipping culture."
So in your example, First Church is wise to hire from the outside because they long for a discipleship culture. But in your example, Second Church would likely be able to hire from within the body because of their equipping culture.
eric
June 15, 2012 at 01:58 PM
Marty,
Maybe I've misunderstood some of Dr. Geiger's points because -- like each of us does -- I'm reading his article through the lens of my own experiences. Maybe I'm unfairly attributing to him an unblinking "it's just business" philosophy or mindset that I've seen in others. If so, I apologize. No doubt, Dr. Geiger's article raises issues that are helpful for churches and pastors to consider as they hire staff.
The part of the article that raises the most concerns for me is Dr. Geiger's culture/skill continuum. The take-away I get from the continuum is that, in a majority of circumstances, churches are likely to be better served by outside hires. Certainly, Dr. Geiger acknowledges that there are exceptions; e.g., a current member can receive training to develop missing skills. But the clear import of the continuum is that if there is a deficiency in the church in either skills or culture, an outside hire is the recommended choice. I wonder whether that advice comports with biblical principles.
Let's analyze this by way of an example. First Church is looking to hire a new youth pastor. The church is not satisfied with the current culture of the youth ministry because they feel it has been too program-driven and lacking in discipleship. According to the continuum, First Church would do well to look outside its walls to find a new youth pastor who can change that culture. First Church therefore starts looking at other churches to find youth pastors who have successfully led discipleship-based ministries. First Church hires a successful youth pastor away from Second Church. This leaves Second Church with a great culture (they love their discipleship focus), but they wonder whether any of their current leaders have the skills necessary to implement it. According to the continuum, Second Church looks to other churches to find a leader who has developed that skill set. And so the cycle goes.
Under the continuum, the situation in which an inside candidate is ideal exists when there is a healthy culture and current members have the skills to implement it. But how does this situation ever exist unless churches are intentional in training leaders from the ground up? It is unlikely to happen so long as churches are, by default, looking to take leaders laterally from other churches insteading of raising leaders vertically from their own ranks. The world of church employment often does look like college and professional athletics, in which there is a "coaching carousel" as teams (here, churches) seek to cure their ills by looking for the next rising star to lead them. I think it's fair to ask whether this is biblical.
To be sure, churches should consider candidates' competency and chemistry with existing leaders. And I don't think anyone is arguing (at least I'm not) that churches can only consider factors that are explicitly mentioned in Scripture. Dr. Geiger's article can help churches consider factors other than talent (a point I agree with wholeheartedly) and identify risks associated with various hiring options. But I do believe we've built a lot of instability into our churches and have ignored the gifts of many by taking an approach that upholds outside hires as the default or predominant option.
June 14, 2012 at 11:43 PM
Is everyone from the inside really of the same culture? Are churches monocultures? I would think it is more of a spectrum and there are those from the inside that may be on the outskirts. These people would offer a different set of benefits and challenges.
eric
June 20, 2012 at 09:21 PM
sure -- drop me an email at eric.geiger@lifeway.com