Tag: hiring

What to Look For In a Teammate

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You just get told you can hire an additional person to your team! Once the excitement wears off, you now realize you need to find the right person for the position. But what makes someone the right person? Is it their relational ability, their skill at teaching, their energy level, their youth, the ability to connect with students?

I get it. I’ve had the ability to hire people at various times in my career, but what are the qualities, skills, and personalities that we should be looking for? What are the non-negotiables? How do we do our best to hire the right person? Today, I want to share some ideas to hopefully help you hire the best teammate for your ministry.

Find someone with a heart for students.

One of the things I always look for is someone who has a heart and passion for reaching and engaging with students. You cannot teach heart or passion, and it’s important to highlight that this is more than just a job or paycheck. Be willing to ask questions that focus on the reasons for serving with students when looking for a teammate. Questions like, why do you want to work with students, what excites you about with working with students, why do you care about students, and why is student ministry important? These will help you to discern the heart of the person you are interviewing.

Find someone who compliments your skills and vision.

When you are hiring a teammate you want to have someone who is not only onboard with the ministry but who brings their own skills and abilities to the table. Their skill set, while it can be similar to yours–like being a qualified teacher or someone who connects well with students–should be different because having someone who brings new and unique skills can be of immense benefit.

I’m not good at building graphics or even trying to be creative in that way, but my teammate is. She knows how to utilize resources like Canva in creative ways to reach students and thinks through how to make our training sessions not just educational but also invitational and warm. A teammate who compliments you will make you a better team leader and minister, and it will also help your ministry to flourish as it will allow you to reach a greater swath of students.

Don’t let stereotypical skill sets keep you from hiring.

You can teach skills but you can’t teach heart or passion, which we unpacked above. I am not saying that you should hire someone with no understanding of what they are doing, but instead to be flexible on certain aspects of the job. You may have someone who checks all the boxes but isn’t good at running games. That is something you can teach. Perhaps the person you want to hire isn’t good at using PowerPoint or ProPresenter, that’s something you can train them in. Don’t be afraid to think outside the stereotypical “youth person” box.

Look for someone who will challenge you.

Notice what I didn’t say there; I didn’t say look for someone who will be a challenge for you. I’m not asserting that you hire a difficult person, but instead encouraging you to find someone who will help you grow and mature as a leader. You shouldn’t be looking for a yes-man, but instead for someone who brings new and exciting ideas to the table and helps you to grow as a leader and minister.

Find someone who is a team player and willing to contribute.

Having a teammate who can work well on a team and who has a good work ethic will help your ministry to grow and develop. When they want to serve and don’t simply see their position as a job, your ministry and team will be the better for it. Part of this also means that they have the freedom and permission to bring new ideas and programmatic features to the ministry without having to fear that everything they offer will be shut down. This allows for growth and development holistically across the board in your department and ministry.

Look for someone who is willing to grow and go further than expected.

You’re not hiring a warm body or a babysitter; you’re hiring a co-minister to your students and as such that person should be willing to grow and take initiative. Finding someone who isn’t complacent and is willing to go the extra mile will help your ministry flourish because they will intentionally look to benefit everyone involved. When you have someone who wants to grow, you’re not only helping the ministry to flourish, you can help your teammate to develop as well. You are valuing them and helping to set them up for success.

6 Key Qualities to Look for When Hiring

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Looking for someone to join your team can be a long process, especially in church culture. Often times there are multiple interviews, phone conversations, and–depending on the position–the applicant will teach in front of a group in order to assess their abilities. This process can be arduous for parties on both sides, but what often gets overlooked are key qualities that we desire for the position.

Sure, we can all assume that the first quality is a relationship with Jesus, and then of course there’s the job description with all of the functions listed out. But I’m talking more about the personal qualities of the candidate verses perhaps a certain skill set. The qualities I have listed below are not all-encompassing, but rather six I focus on and the ones I believe will help me choose the right individual for the position, the ministry, and the church.

1. Heart.

When it comes to hiring there are skill sets we look for, but we also must acknowledge skills can be taught or coached. One thing you can’t teach or coach someone to have is heart. If someone doesn’t have a heart for the ministry position, you can’t train them to have it.

Heart is something that comes from the Holy Spirit instilling a desire to care for and minister to a certain group or area. It is the burden for the Gospel to go forth within a certain context and isn’t something you can teach whoever you’ve hired for the position. Yes, you may be able to help people develop a desire for the ministry or group over time, but you should not have to train someone in this when it comes to a paid ministry position. This is something that the individual should have before they are hired.

2. Passion.

Hiring someone who has a passion and excitement for the ministry is a must. If someone is simply looking for a job and isn’t passionate about what they’ll be doing or the people they’ll care for, the ministry and the people under your leadership will suffer. When you hire someone you need to understand if they are passionate about the position and if they view it as more than a job. They should understand that there is more than just a skill or skills needed for the position, but also a heart and passion for the people.

3. Dedication and commitment.

This is huge when it comes to any type of work but especially when it involves working at a church. Having someone who is not only dedicated and committed to their job duties but also to the church and her mission is huge. It shows that the person is responsible and willing to love and serve the church as they love and serve her people. These qualities highlight a good work ethic of the potential hire and also demonstrate their proactive view of the church and ministry.

4. Strong work ethic.

There are some people who assume that working at a church will be a cushy and lax position. And depending on the position, there may be moments when it’s more laid back and less busy. But the reality is this isn’t the focus of any job, let alone church work. Working in ministry can be faced paced, difficult, and challenging due to a variety of circumstances. Because of that it is necessary to have a good work ethic and strong communication skills in order to appropriately handle the duties of the specific job.

5. Healthy boundaries.

As you prepare to interview a potential teammate, one of the things you should focus on and be attune to is whether they are able to set and keep healthy boundaries. Often applicants will want to impress and will highlight their work ethic and dedication which are important things, but if they cannot find a work/life balance then there will be subsequent issues.

The idol of work in ministry is just that: an idol. The ministry is not dependent upon our time cards or the amount of time we are working for the ministry. If we have an all-or-nothing mentality, what it reveals is an idol within in our hearts that says, “Without me, this ministry will not survive.” That is a savior mentality, and last I checked, there is only one Savior and it isn’t us. That means we should be aware of how the applicant talks about their boundaries and we should be asking questions to make sure they have healthy ones for clarification. It would also be beneficial to let them know that the ministry has boundaries and that you, as a supervisor, will make sure they are honored.

6. Authenticity.

This may sound simple enough, but the reality is there are people who simply interview and present well. What we should be looking for is authenticity within the person as a whole. This includes getting references and following up on them. Not in a “let’s find a fault” type of way, but to make sure you know all you can about the person you may bring onto your team. We want to make sure the person we interview is the same person who will show up to work each day. We want to ensure that in moments of stress this person will still embrace the mission and vision of the ministry and the church. So ask questions about personality types. Find out their love languages. Ask what their communication and work styles are. Seek to understand how they function in difficult circumstances. By doing these things you will begin to get a holistic idea of the individual and their potential fit in the position.

And as a brief aside, I would also recommend doing these things for applicants you know personally (i.e. people within the church, friends, etc.). While it may be easy for us to assert that “we know them,” the reality is you probably haven’t worked with them before in this type of environment. You must do due diligence in hiring someone and that means following up, asking good questions, and contacting references. That way you have a holistic understanding of how they operate within work environments and can truly seek to understand if they will be a good fit for your team.