What a miss! I would much rather deal with potential conflict than have staff members who are just doing a job. I want every person on staff to care about the people of the church as much as I do. I want to “do life” with those on staff, walking with them through the ups and downs of life, knowing there are people around them to love them, challenge them, and encourage them. I want staff members who handle the money, take care of the facility, lead the kids, and make decisions to do so with high integrity because it’s not only their employer–it is also the place where they worship.
It would be easy to slip on this conviction. We are getting ready to open an Early Learning Center. It would be easy to let it run as a school (i.e. “business”) within our walls. With about 20 hires in the plan, the case could be made for hiring the best educators in town, regardless of their church affiliation or faith walk. But we have made the decision for this to be high-quality learning center that is faith-based and highly integrated with the ministries of our church. We want teachers who love the church.
But that’s just me. What are your thoughts?
