Hire Right!

I Corinthians 12:15-23

Hire Right!

Churches don't generally think deeply enough about developing teams when writing job descriptions and hiring employees. The Apostle Paul used the image of a body with all of its parts working together to describe the Church functioning at its best. In the twelfth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, many overlook his lengthy warning that things can break down when members try to be parts of the body they are not.

Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.

Many conflicts emerge in staff teams because of unclear job descriptions and/or employees trying to cross boundaries into another employee's work.

It is not uncommon for pastors and music directors to be at odds about music selections for worship when job descriptions are not clear. In the Presbyterian Church, pastors have two primary responsibilities, to pick scripture and preach and select the hymns to be used in worship. Some music directors are offended that non-musician pastors can choose hymns a musician will play in worship. Some pastors try to direct the music for the prelude, postlude, anthems, and other service music. Rarely is the pastor a better musician than the director of music, and music directors rarely have better insight into the message of the scripture the hymns support. If each employee is not allowed to express their giftedness, or if one tries to be the other, it will cause friction in the staff team.

There is a lot of research in the business community that could be helpful to churches:

Select people who are naturally talented to fill the particular staff positions of the church.

1. Just because someone has a long or prestigious resume (unless it shows demonstrated competence for your particular needs), don't be fooled into thinking they are suitable for the job. Don't pick someone antisocial to work in the front office. Don't pick a musician who wants to manage worship around his/her musical or performance interests. Don't hire an office manager who wants to give counseling advice. Don't hire a pastor who can't collaborate.

2. Think globally when writing a particular job description. Each job is related to other jobs. Clarify expectations and outline boundaries. Think about what relational skills will be necessary for this job - what emotional intelligence talents are needed. What values must the employee share with others on the team?

Focus on strengths.

1. Over the years, I have watched many search committees interview pastoral candidates. Most will ask some variation of this question: "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" It is a rare candidate, indeed, who can articulate this accurately. And most search committees need to learn how to assess the meaning of these disclosures for future performance on the job.

2. Does the candidate have the strengths to succeed in this job? Clifton StrengthFinders, Myers Briggs, and Enneagram are assessment tools that give us a common language for discussing strengths. TEIQue is an Emotional Intelligence assessment that can help identify relational skills candidates bring to their work. Consider using these tools when appropriate.

Taking a whole-body inventory while considering individual jobs can bring a healthy synergy to the functioning of any church body.