In our last post, Why You Should Consider Hiring For Character, we defined character and looked at the reasons every church should have a strategy for interviewing for character. In this article we will describe the character traits you should consider when hiring for a ministry position. Over 4,000-character traits have been identified by psychologists, social scientists and researchers. These... Continue Reading
Many important things must be assessed when interviewing potential candidates for ministry positions. The most obvious are education, skills, accomplishments, and transferable experience. In hiring for ministry positions a couple of other areas are vital as well, such as calling and chemistry. Increasingly there is agreement that character is of vital importance as well. Maybe even more so in today’s... Continue Reading
In our last article, “What Is The Peter Principle?” we looked at the definition, causes and examples of The Peter Principle. Luckily, there are ways to prevent employees from falling into the Peter Principle trap. In this article we will look at steps an organization can take to minimize the likelihood of the Peter Principle occurring. But first, let’s make... Continue Reading
The term “Peter Principle” was coined by Dr. Lawrence Peter, in the book by the same title. The idea of the Peter Principle is that in any hierarchal organization, with various levels of authority and responsibility, people tend to get promoted until they reach a position which they cannot perform successfully. If an individual works for an organization with top-down... Continue Reading
I’ll never forget my first Budget Planning Meeting following my transition to Executive Pastor. As a newcomer to the process I mostly observed, listened and tried to learn “how things are done here.” My first surprise came when it was time to determine the new staff positions that would be funded in the coming year. What transpired was a lobbying... Continue Reading
When making hiring decisions most churches involve a Personnel or a Search Committee to drive or advise the search process. Anyone who has chaired or led such a committee knows the challenge of facilitating agreement once two or more candidates have been identified for consideration. The following four surveys are helpful tools in leading a committee or team to clarity... Continue Reading
Screening Ministerial Staff for soft skills is one of the most challenging aspects of the interview process. Fortunately, attribute based interview questions are a proven way to reveal a candidate’s abilities in a number of job-essential soft skills. You can better discern how they would perform in your church culture by looking at a candidate’s past behavior in 9 essential areas:... Continue Reading
How can you make the argument that adding more people to your church staff is worth the expense? What are the best tactics to take to convince “The Powers That Be” to hire additional staff? It’s not enough to simply say work’s not getting done or your ministry isn’t growing as quickly as it could. It’s not enough to talk... Continue Reading
If a heavy workload is causing your church staff to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, it may be time to add new positions. Or, if your church lacks certain core or strategic competencies you may need to bring these additional skills to the staff team. In more than 20 years as an Executive Pastor, I’ve wrestled with the questions of when... Continue Reading
Jim is a Church Organizational Leadership and Management Coach, Consultant and Trainer. Throughout his career Jim has demonstrated a passion for showing Pastors and Ministers how to use organizational tools for church and personal growth and health.
More About Jim“For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5