Articles for tag: hiring

November 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Talking Church

By Dennis Bratton During a discussion about mentoring, talk turned toward the idea of a coaching cohort. The term coaching struck a cord of familiarity. I”d taken part in peer coaching for years. We didn”t call it that. It was just a group of preachers who got together once a year to talk church, play some golf, and talk church some more. The benefits of those connections were far-reaching in my ministry. I was in a growing church and regularly facing issues and challenges for which I often felt ill equipped. My best source of counsel came consistently from those

October 22, 2010

Christian Standard

John Russell Retires

This past weekend, John Russell retired after 40 years as senior minister of Lakeside Christian Church (Lakeside Park, KY). “While the vast majority of Lakeside Christian Church’s 100-member congregation supported hiring 23-year-old John Russell as its senior minister [in 1970], a few had reservations because of his age,” said an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer. “”They took a chance on me and decided that I’d grow and they’d grow with me,”” Russell said. Jamie Snyder will serve as the church”s new minister.

October 19, 2010

Christian Standard

As We Publish Our Hiring Articles

By Mark A. Taylor A few thoughts occur to me as we post our articles about hiring a minister. The first of them is spurred by an e-mail that came in response to an article that appeared this summer. I”ll paraphrase in order to protect the identity of the letter writer: I am a new minister fresh out of seminary in 2009. I took on a small church in my first pastorate, and in a little more than a year I was asked to leave. . . . Now my family and I are trying to find our next ministry

October 19, 2010

Christian Standard

Extending the Call

By Don Anderson When you finally find the minister you believe has the competence, chemistry, and character you have been praying for God to provide, you feel like breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating””but your work is far from complete. It is important to be thorough as you complete these last few steps. Doing Your Homework Before you begin searching for any candidate, create a job description and poll other churches to find out the compensation packages they provide for similar positions. The best practice is to maintain approved salary ranges with associated benefits by job classification so you

October 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Hiring Resources

By R. Paige Mathews So, you need to hire a church worker””what is your first step? Here are some books and Web sites that will be helpful in your search. Job Descriptions Creating a comprehensive job description is the place to start in any church worker search. The following books provide a framework for writing a job description unique to your situation. The Big Book of Job Descriptions for Ministry by Larry Gilbert and Cindy Spear (Gospel Light Publications, 2002). Job Descriptions and Duties for Church Members and Workers by Herbert W. Byrne (Xulon Press, 2005). Staff Your Church for

October 12, 2010

Christian Standard

The Behaviorally Based Interview

By David Limiero A good friend at church is the CEO of a growing manufacturing facility with more than 50 employees. He has advanced academic degrees and years of experience in business, but has only recently taken on the responsibility of interviewing potential employees. A few weeks ago he confided he still hasn”t figured out the secret to interviewing people for his staff. In particular, he”s had a number of people excel in the interview only to flounder on the job. Hiring the wrong people has cost him a significant amount of time, money, and productivity. If a seasoned, well-educated

October 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Let”s Get Together

By Rob Kastens Our leadership at Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland, has worked hard to create a mission-first, team-first staff culture. We work hard to facilitate, encourage, and protect this culture with existing staff, but we work extra hard to ensure prospective staff understand, buy in, and fit in with our culture. In fact, we believe selecting new staff to join our team at Mountain is one of the most important tasks of leadership. Few decisions have a longer-term impact on a church”s health and mission than the people it hires. Selecting wisely can move the mission forward and heighten

October 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Checking References of Ministerial Candidates

By Brent Storms In my local church ministry, and now in my position as president of a church planting organization, I have considered more than 1,000 candidates for open positions in ministry. I have screened and interviewed hundreds, and have hired more than 30 people for ministry positions. As I look back on the hiring process, I understand there are few elements more important than checking references and previous employers. Let me share three examples. Not long ago I met a candidate for the position of lead planter for a new church to be started in one of our northeastern

October 6, 2010

Christian Standard

How to Get Started Selecting a New Minister

By Thomas F. Jones Jr. Selection of a minister by a local church is an extremely important task and should not be taken lightly. We”re talking about the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and the people of God. This is not like choosing a Little League baseball coach, a hired hand, or a repairman to fix a leaky faucet. Strong and gifted leaders guide successful organizations. The church is no exception. High-quality leadership is needed to fulfill the mission of the church. This is serious business. Few decisions are equally crucial to the church, and none is more

August 25, 2010

Christian Standard

Why Some Corporate Practices Should Have a Home in the Church

By J. Andrew Keith (with Chris Keith) Several years ago, popular Christian writer John Piper warned ministers about the dangers of professionalism1. On the first page of Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, Piper sounds a clarion call: “We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry.”2 Some of his final words in the opening chapter are a prayer that reads: “Banish professionalism

August 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Lookin” for Squirrels

By George Ross I”m sitting in a motel a long ways from home with a laptop and a deadline. (I”m on a staff recruiting trip interviewing two guys for two key positions for our ministry leadership team.) I”m wondering if I should acknowledge in this article what I”m struggling with. So here I sit in the motel facing a big mirror on the wall as I look beyond my computer. I”m OK with the deadline and the risk factor, just not the mirror! A visual of myself at 6:30 am brings no inspiration! A Specific Sign In recruiting for a

November 5, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Harry Graham

By Brad Dupray Southeast Christian Church in Parker, Colorado, has benefited from the leadership of men like Harry Graham throughout her storied history. Harry and his wife of 42 years, Barbara, were founding members of Southeast in the early 1970s. Along the way Harry helped manage the church”s finances, taught Sunday school, was among the church”s first elders, and has served as chairman of the elders. Southeast has grown from an initial group of 23 to more than 4,500 in Sunday attendance. Today, Harry continues to serve as an elder and works with staff in overseeing church operations. What kind

June 22, 2008

Christian Standard

What Is an Elder”s Most Important Job?

By Arron Chambers Who is an elder supposed to be? The Bible makes it clear Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God”s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall

May 28, 2006

Ken Gosnell

cross-cultural ministry

Reaching Immigrants

Revelation pictures heaven as a multitude from every nation and language. Ken Gosnell offers practical “ACROSS” steps for churches to reach immigrants with acceptance, strategy, and culturally sensitive evangelism.

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