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What are five essential characteristics to look for in perspective employees?
There are five basic characteristics one must look for when screening possible employees. If this process is neglected there is a great chance that the person chosen for the position will not be a valuable long term asset to your church.
- Physical Character: In this present day culture physical character plays a more important role than it did in previous generations. Today’s culture is image focused. Because of these factors the perspective employee must project an image that speaks to holiness, professionalism, and personal hygiene.
In this present day culture physical character plays a more important role than it did in previous generations. Today’s culture is image focused. Because of these factors the perspective employee must project an image that speaks to holiness, professionalism, and personal hygiene.
- Ethical Character: As in business an unethical person can do much damage to your ministry. Having an unethical person on staff or in a leadership position for five years can create such a tarnished reputation for your ministry that it would have been better if you had not filled the position at all. On the other hand if you have a man with integrity and honesty you will as a team be better able to accomplish things for the cause of Christ because your people will rightfully have trust and faith in the leadership.
As in business an unethical person can do much damage to your ministry. Having an unethical person on staff or in a leadership position for five years can create such a tarnished reputation for your ministry that it would have been better if you had not filled the position at all. On the other hand if you have a man with integrity and honesty you will as a team be better able to accomplish things for the cause of Christ because your people will rightfully have trust and faith in the leadership.
- Moral Character: As with ethical character, much damage can be sustained when someone without moral character is placed in a leadership position. Serious psychological damage can be done by someone who is immoral yet has a position of power and authority. However, when a leader is a man of high moral standards he then becomes a great asset because he then exemplifies how others should live.
As with ethical character, much damage can be sustained when someone without moral character is placed in a leadership position. Serious psychological damage can be done by someone who is immoral yet has a position of power and authority. However, when a leader is a man of high moral standards he then becomes a great asset because he then exemplifies how others should live.
- Academic Character: Any man on your staff must be educated. There are several reasons for this but primarily because he will be leading others, and generally someone will not follow someone else who is not any more knowledgeable than themselves. This also helps in areas of delegation, the more educated your staff is the more you will be able to delegate tasks, which means there will be more getting done. An uneducated man is difficult to lead because rather than point him to a task and have him complete it, you must first teach him what the goal is and then direct him on how to complete the task.
Any man on your staff must be educated. There are several reasons for this but primarily because he will be leading others, and generally someone will not follow someone else who is not any more knowledgeable than themselves. This also helps in areas of delegation, the more educated your staff is the more you will be able to delegate tasks, which means there will be more getting done. An uneducated man is difficult to lead because rather than point him to a task and have him complete it, you must first teach him what the goal is and then direct him on how to complete the task.
- Spiritual Character: This may be the most important characteristic of all. Anyone held up as a staff member or in a leadership position is going to have to be walking with God continuously. Because God is leading the pastor, and the pastor is leading his staff, if the staff is also following God’s lead there will be much greater synergy in the team.
This may be the most important characteristic of all. Anyone held up as a staff member or in a leadership position is going to have to be walking with God continuously. Because God is leading the pastor, and the pastor is leading his staff, if the staff is also following God’s lead there will be much greater synergy in the team.
How do I formulate the right kind of team?
While there are several general guidelines, and volumes of literature on the subject, the process of building a team is somewhat individualized. Aside from the characteristics to look for listed above, there are some principles that will help when formulating this team. The first is make sure the prospective employee is someone with whom you can get along with. If this person is someone you will be working very close with, his credentials matter little if you loath being around him. Finally it is important to realize your own weaknesses and surround yourself with people who are strong in those areas. If a man has an issue with scheduling his time, he would be very wise to hire a secretary with good time management skills, in this way as you lead your team they can reinforce your weaknesses with their strengths.
Why is it important to put class A people in class A positions?
Very simply put you would not hire the former CEO of a fortune five-hundred company to clean bathroom stalls. In the same token you would not hire a homeless person to be at the helm of your church’s welcoming committee. There are various positions that a church may need filled. It is vital, especially in your class A positions that they be filled with class A people. In the ministry there is a little room for mistakes but it comes a high price. Having a person that is not a class A person can destroy your ministry, undermine your authority and cause division in the church. This is not to say that a class B person is intent on doing those things, rather that the pressures and power that comes with a class A position will be overwhelming to a person of lesser caliber.
What are the determents to formulating a poor team?
A poor team can ruin your church’s spirit. They can ruin your church’s finances. A poor team can simply ruin anything they are in charge of. That’s why it is vitally important to recognize when your team is venturing into this category. They can cause your people to loose trust in both the team and yourself. All is lost if your people do not trust you, the sheep never feed from a hand they cannot trust. In addition, if you have people that you are constantly having to watch over you will take much longer to reach your goals. If Christopher Columbus had to stop and board each ship on his fleet every ten miles to ensure they all had the same heading he may well have never reached his destination.
What are the benefits of formulating the right kind of team?
A well formulated team is like a well orchestrated symphony. Each team member will have a specific strength that will harmonize to the score that the leader creates. Each having his own specific areas of strength and weakness that is complimented by other members of a team. When one falls out of tune the others quickly adjust to help regain balance and harmony. A team made up of Godly men all with the same purpose of following the commandments of Christ and committed to the direction that the Lord is leading will be able to accomplish feats of Biblical proportion. The value of a good team far outweighs the ability of one great man.
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