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How Do You Develop a Church Staff?
Three important steps to remember for this important process.
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I've been asked this question often throughout my 20 years of ministry at Saddleback. I've talked with countless pastors and church leaders about staffing issues. I sincerely empathize with them as I listen to the horrors they face concerning staff difficulties. Unfortunately, most of the problems they face, and are now asking for guidance to resolve, are a reflection of a mistake first made when they brought the person on staff. Staff development begins when you make the decision that there's a need to hire someone, not when the staff person comes onboard or when you are having difficulties with that person. As I reflect on the years I've been responsible for developing staff, I've concluded there are three very important steps in the process.
First, consider the type of person you want to hire. You'll spend a huge portion of your life around your staff, whether it is large or small. With that in mind, you need to think about what kind of person you want to interact with on a regular basis. If you don't enjoy where you work, why would anyone else want to be there? Why would you want to spend time working with and developing people you do not enjoy being around? Why would you not want to be friends—even best friends—with the people on your staff? At Saddleback we often say, "We take God very seriously; however, we don't take ourselves seriously at all." So one of the criteria we use for seeing if someone is a good fit here is: can he make fun of himself? Can he handle being the brunt of a joke, or does he take himself too seriously? If a person can't laugh at himself, he will not be fun to be around. If a person takes himself too seriously, he is much more likely to place blame on others rather than accept responsibility for himself. Do you enjoy being around your staff? Are you having fun at work? If not, I would suggest that you rethink and change your hiring practices. Church staffs that have fun—and stay together—are far more productive and cost the church less money in turnover. Second, develop the job or position description. This is your "think time." It is when you look at the overall church vision, and then look at how a position will help fulfill that mission. When you do that, you reduce the chances of making a poor hiring choice. The time you spend on developing a position description is time well spent. You can't think through all the implications and possibilities of any position, but the more "think time" you put into developing a job description, the better chance you'll find the right person. Remember, a person does what he enjoys, not what a job description says, so find the person who enjoys doing the work that you need done. |             |
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