How Do You Develop a Church Staff?
Three important steps to remember for this important process.
by Glen Kreun

I've been asked this question often throughout my 20 years of ministry at Saddleback. I've talked with countless pastors and church leaders about staffing issues. I sincerely empathize with them as I listen to the horrors they face concerning staff difficulties.

Unfortunately, most of the problems they face, and are now asking for guidance to resolve, are a reflection of a mistake first made when they brought the person on staff.

Staff development begins when you make the decision that there's a need to hire someone, not when the staff person comes onboard or when you are having difficulties with that person.

As I reflect on the years I've been responsible for developing staff, I've concluded there are three very important steps in the process.

• First, consider the type of person you want on your staff.
  
  
• Second, write a job description or position description.
  
  
• Third, have a thorough interview process.
  
  

First, consider the type of person you want to hire. You'll spend a huge portion of your life around your staff, whether it is large or small. With that in mind, you need to think about what kind of person you want to interact with on a regular basis. If you don't enjoy where you work, why would anyone else want to be there? Why would you want to spend time working with and developing people you do not enjoy being around? Why would you not want to be friends - even best friends - with the people on your staff?

At Saddleback we often say, "We take God very seriously; however, we don't take ourselves seriously at all." So one of the criteria we use for seeing if someone is a good fit here is: can he make fun of himself? Can he handle being the brunt of a joke, or does he take himself too seriously? If a person can't laugh at himself, he will not be fun to be around. If a person takes himself too seriously, he is much more likely to place blame on others rather than accept responsibility for himself.

Do you enjoy being around your staff? Are you having fun at work? If not, I would suggest that you rethink and change your hiring practices. Church staffs that have fun �?and stay together - are far more productive and cost the church less money in turnover.

Second, develop the job or position description. This is your "think time." It is when you look at the overall church vision, and then look at how a position will help fulfill that mission. When you do that, you reduce the chances of making a poor hiring choice.

The time you spend on developing a position description is time well spent. You can't think through all the implications and possibilities of any position, but the more "think time" you put into developing a job description, the better chance you'll find the right person.

Remember, a person does what he enjoys, not what a job description says, so find the person who enjoys doing the work that you need done.

Once you know the type of person you want to hire - and have completed the position description �?then, and only then, are you ready to begin your job search.

Third, take a look at your interview process. Take time to interview well! Use this time to determine if the person is the 'fun' person you want on your staff. Determine if the candidate has the passion for the job you have.

Does the candidate have the leadership ability and experience to take your team to where the church will be in five years? These are some questions you'll need to answer during the interview. The interview process is where you allow the candidate to share his life and his story.

Hear everything the candidate has to say about himself, and do not help him tell his story! Do not interrupt him. Do not coach him. Do not let him know what you are looking for. Allow him to talk and share.

Then, ask about his accomplishments and passion. Have him share conflict resolution stories, and have him share at least a couple of success stories from his ministry. Measure his success, not on his standards but on your standards.

Once you've hired your staff, then what?

The church is a theological institution, so I believe that staff development includes an understanding of biblical theology. Most churches probably wouldn't hire a pastor who does not have seminary or Bible school training, but what about other staff?

Every staff member is part of your ministry leadership team. Yes, that means custodial staff, receptionists, administrative support, as well as your licensed and ordained pastors. The more theology your staff understands, the better equipped they are to represent Christ and your church in the community.

We have custodial staff, administrative staff, receptionists, interns, as well as several staff whom God has called into full-time ministry currently taking seminary classes. I strongly encourage providing seminary and other theological growth opportunities for your staff. At Saddleback, I have budgeted money to help those staff who want to further their theological education. Plus, we provide theological training in our staff meetings.

Staff members that play together stay together. Part of staff development is planning activities both inside and outside the office for your staff. We have celebrated Boss's Day and Secretaries Day in very fun ways. On one Boss's Day, the office leadership served a dinner to the support staff in the home of one of our church members. Ministerial staff members wore tuxes as they served and loved on the support staff. It was a day for the leadership to say "thanks." This event made our support staff feel very special.

On another occasion, we put the support staff on a train for a 15-minute ride to the next town, where the ministerial leadership had prepared breakfast at the beach. There are countless things you can do to develop your staff into a fun, cohesive team of people.

Regular staff meetings are important as well. The larger your staff becomes the more isolated and self-focused they often become. We use our staff meeting times for teams to share what is happening in their area of ministry. Each week we honor a "hero" during the meeting. This is someone we can praise for a job well done. Another feature - because our staff is large - is a segment I call "Up Close and Personal." We give a staff member 15 to 20 minutes to share their life story. Getting to know others on staff will bring your staff closer together.

Your staff is the most important group of people in your church. They are the people who lead, support and guide your ministry volunteers. If your staff is chosen properly, trained and motivated, your church will accomplish great things for God's Kingdom here on earth.

Glen Kreun is the executive pastor of Saddleback Church.

This article is reprinted from the website www.Pastors.com. Copyright 2003 by Glen Kreun. Used by permission. All rights reserved.