The Search Challenge

As ministries continue to advance and expand, the need for effective staff becomes more essential. During my ministry tenure, I have been on all sides of the equation of hiring staff, coaching candidates who are seeking positions, and having been the candidate as a staff pastor.  A few takeaways:

The church’s perspective:

A majority of the time when the church faces the need for a new staff member, the first approach is to network and use the “buddy system” to procure candidates.  Sometimes this works. After exhausting personal contacts without success, some churches will post their position or reach out to search firms for assistance. A search firm can be helpful to clarify the specific position profile, provide qualified candidates and manage the process. This method can be effective in respect to hiring children’s, student, and next gen/family leaders as the supply is limited and often the expectations are high. A search often takes six months or longer. A pastor recently told me the search he managed to hire a children’s director lasted nine months.  The appointed manager for the church typically finds this process to be an extreme time commitment while balancing their primary role.

The candidate’s perspective:

Candidates come from all types of backgrounds and experience. This often affects their choice of engaging with a particular church. For example, some candidates are looking for an environment that is rich with staff relationships. Some candidates are seeking to move into a larger experience. A candidate may be seeking a new position but be apprehensive about a new place because of a recent negative experience. Some candidates are looking for a fresh, creative space where they can test drive their innovation. Some candidates have a desire to join a fast-paced ministry world to challenge their own production and pivotal capacity. Candidates are usually checking out multiple opportunities in hopes of making the transition quick.

The MinistryWave perspective:

For churches, the search journey can be time-consuming and frustrating. Not always, but often. The challenge lies in managing the search in the midst of a busy church calendar. The process of reviewing resumes, vetting candidates and interviewing can be intense. We specialize in identifying and placing children’s, student, and family leaders. We believe that the search time is critical and can be costly to the ministry during the transition. In the areas of children’s or youth ministry it can be a time that frustrates parents or volunteers in the waiting process between leaders.

We are excited to link either internal or external candidates to meaningful ministry opportunities. We love to assist in placing the right person in the right place. We offer a few options to help make this happen.  If you need search assistance, call us at 616-218-8895!