What is one of the most common questions I’m hearing from church leaders in today’s world? How to find a new staff member for your church – it’s getting harder and harder to find good people! Most churches don’t have a strong leadership pipeline either, so it is getting harder and harder to fill ministry positions when they open up.
If you are a veteran ministry leader, then you have experienced this before at some level. Even in the best situations, it can still be very hard at times to find a new staff member for your church. Yet you can’t compromise – you have to make sure you are hiring the right person for your team! The cost of a bad hire is too great.
Hopefully your church is raising up future ministry leaders in the church by developing volunteers, but sometimes there just isn’t someone in your church that is a good fit for an open position. There’s a small chance that God “parachutes” someone into your church that was developed as a ministry leader somewhere else. Or, maybe you need to hire someone from outside your church and have them relocate to your area.
There are several ways that you can find a new staff member for your church. Let’s talk about the best ways to find that next staff member.
Current Staff Team
First, start with looking at your current team. Is there someone on the staff team that you can promote? Can you give someone more responsibilities? Or, perhaps someone is ready to take on a different type of role, and your open position might be a good fit? Carefully consider first if you have a staff member who would be a good fit to step into your open position.
Current Volunteer Team
Do you have a volunteer who is serving on your ministry team who might be a good fit? Or, perhaps there is a volunteer who is serving on a different ministry team who might be a good fit? If you have focused on leadership development in your ministry and in other ministry areas in the church, then you might be able to hire a staff member from within your church.
There might be a volunteer with amazing administrative abilities who is serving in the hospitality ministry. That person might be a good fit for your Administrative Assistant position! If you aren’t familiar with everyone in your church, then bring a job description to your other staff members and ask if they know anyone in the church who might be a good fit. Advertise the position to your church and see who applies for it.
Someone might be looking for a job or considering a career change. Maybe they want to leave the corporate world and your opportunity might be the perfect match. Ask other staff members and key volunteers for feedback regarding if a particular volunteer would be a good fit for your open role. If you receive good feedback, then consider reaching out to that volunteer to see if they might prayerfully consider interviewing for the position.
Local Candidates
Can’t find someone in your church who would be a good fit? Then start looking outside your church in your area for a local candidate. Network with other churches and ask them if they know anyone who might be a good fit for the position. If you have a Bible college or seminary nearby, post the position on their job board. Look for ways to find out if someone in your community might be interested. If they already live in your community, then they will likely be more interested in living long-term in that area.
Job Boards and Staffing Companies
Having trouble finding good candidates locally? Then consider posting the position on church staffing job boards or working with a church staffing company to find some good candidates. If your ministry needs a significant culture change, then hiring from the outside is likely the best option for your church. Remember, the most impressive resumes don’t always equate to the best candidates! Prayerfully consider which candidate will be the best fit for your church.
Staff Compensation
Before posting a job opening, make sure you have adjusted the salary package to make it competitive and a fair living wage for your area. Use resources like ChurchSalary.com and Vanderbloemen.com to calculate fair staff compensation.
Do you need help assessing candidates for your open ministry position? Here’s an article that will help you utilize the 4 C’s to make the right hire:
