William Vanderbloemen leads the Vanderbloemen Search Group, which helps churches and large parachurch ministries find the right senior leaders. Since William is regularly connected with churches working through staffing issues, I asked him to comment on the staffing trends he’s seeing in ministries today. Here’s what he had to share:
1. More Communications – I’m seeing more and more emphasis on communications and social media, even in the form of a Chief Communications Officer. In my estimation, every seminal Kingdom breakthrough has happened on the heels of a communication breakthrough. As we stand on the dawn of the Web and social media, we’re on the verge of perhaps the greatest breakthrough ever. Smart churches are figuring that out and hiring around it. When I visit our friends at Lifechurch.tv, I’m astounded at the resources put into tech and communication, but more astounded at the reach of their ministry.
2. Fewer Staff – I’m seeing people put more value, emphasis, and dollars into fewer staff members. As one of my clients put it, “William, I can’t afford to hire players. I need coaches. And frankly, coaches just don’t touch the ball during the game.” When I go to Hillsong, I am amazed to see very few paid staff and a whole lot of ministry. It almost seems biblical! Hiring fewer people sounds fun, but it also means churches must be much more intentional and strategic in making those hires.
3. Coming Crisis – Finally, I’ll mention what my good friend Sam Chand calls the “silent tsunami” that’s coming: succession. The aging workforce is affecting all of the U.S., and the church isn’t immune to it. Smart leaders are realizing that we are all interim pastors, and they are planning for transition well in advance. This is probably the sector that we work hardest on at our firm because we believe it might be the biggest unspoken crisis the church in the U.S. will face over the next 20 years. So when I look at a place like Southeast Christian Church, I see a church that put enormous time and energy into succession planning and are now reaping benefits.
You can follow more of William’s writing on the search group’s blog that also includes contributions from William’s team.
