I have seen that it takes at least two years to truly build trust and credibility with students and their parents. Approximately two years is when you can expect to see the true dividends of your investment. Choosing the right candidate to join your team, one who will oversee a mission critical ministry is one of the most perplexing tasks a senior leader will encounter. In my 26 years of directing a student ministry, I was responsible for hiring 14 individuals who served in key ministry roles.
Many of those individuals were incredibly successful while a one or two were dismal failures. Interestingly all 14 staff members happened to share a common denominator…me. I hired all of them. I had chosen them. With each selection, I learned a lot about the process of hiring. Staff relationships can be challenging, so going in both parties should have a desire for longevity as it creates stability and credibility in your ministry. Long relationships are good for your staff and your church.
Creating stability and credibility are not rushed along—they take time. I believed that each person I hired was going to be a win for our staff when I hired them. When the person turned out to be a good fit for our staff, it was great for our ministry. Hundreds of teenagers and their families were well cared for, our ministry flourished and our people served with increased joy.
Challenges were easier to handle, we seemed to navigate obstacles with much less effort. It was easier…better. We were a team, a family. When I hired poorly, it had a profoundly detrimental effect on our ministry and it affected us for years.
Long after these individuals left our church, we continued to pay a price. It took considerable effort and energy to regain what we had lost. I discovered that hiring the wrong person was not a static proposition. We were losing ground not standing still. We were digging ourselves a big hole. Everything was more challenging.
The relationships among the staff were tense and strained. We were like a married couple getting a divorce. Satisfaction with the nature of work —The more a youth pastor is satisfied with the nature of his work and ministry, the less likely he is to consider quitting the youth ministry vocation as well as the church. Satisfaction with communication —Lack of communication was also identified as a contributing factor on turnover intentions.
The better the communication in the church, the lower the intentions of the youth pastor to exit the church. In other words, it is important to have a person in the youth minister position who feels called and committed to youth ministry as a career because that calling ultimately will affect his intentions to stay at that church.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter. Get updates and learn from the best. Prev Previous Continuing Education. Next The Ministry of Encouragement Next. More To Explore. The Senior Shift It is the moment that many seniors are waiting for: the transition from high school to college. Ethan McCreary October 7, Hunter Smith August 23, Transparency is key. This is where many red flags are intentionally hidden.
How incredible would it be to start in a church and immediately feel like you can be transparent and open with your pastor and coworkers? Those red flags eventually will come up and it is better to be honest right from the beginning.
Explore the different options that the Lord provides to you. You never know how patience can pay off in the end! Candidates, do not have the career ladder mentality. Does this apply to every possible situation, of course not. Saving the most important for last. If you knew how hard it really was…you would never agree to do it. What lies on the other side is more of the same generally. Every church and ministry is made up of people. People who just like you are fallen and sinful.
People who desperately need grace, mercy, patience, and to be loved. It may look better, easier, prettier, but in the end you will find more of the same.
In the previous post, we discovered who the real person behind seeing numbers as success is. The fact….
0コメント