Hire from the farm league.
I constantly counsel church leaders to hire from within. Most don’t. Most look to other churches. They solicit resumes, work their networks and place ads. They go “pot luck,” and hope the person that passes the beauty contest is as good as they seem.
They rarely are.
So what’s the option? Look to your own church. Hire from within. View your current volunteers, the members who now serve in strategic roles, as your farm league.
Why is this best?
Because you know what you’re getting.
You know their character.
You know their competencies.
You know whether they are catalytic.
You know whether you have chemistry with them.
You know whether they have been called, at the very least, to your church.
Don’t underestimate this.
Just once, hire someone who continually walks around talking about how they did it at their old church, how much better it was at their old church or how much better the leadership, teaching, staff, was at their old church.
You’ll be ready to send them back to their old church!
But there’s more.
You know whether or not they “get it.” Each church has a unique DNA, a focused mission and a unique context. When you hire from within, you do not run the risk of contaminating the purity, force and intent of your team.
Yes, there is a need for “fresh blood” and new perspectives. You can gain quite a bit from someone’s experiences in other venues. But you run an incredibly high risk of losing what you have worked so hard to create, namely your church’s unique DNA.
So, when we hire from the outside, we look to “sister” churches—places that share our philosophy of ministry, leadership style and structure, mission, vision, and values.
And maybe most of all, whether they like the same kind of beer we do.
Sources:
Jim Collins, From Good to Great.
