Originally written for TonyMorganLive.com
We all know the feeling. You hired a rockstar leader with a proven record of ministry growth. This was the kind of person you could really build a church on. Then somewhere along the way, things took a bad turn. Today, as performance is low and tensions are high, you’re wondering if you made the right choice.
It’s hard to be 100% sure every time you make a job offer. But you can take intentional steps to avoid some common mistakes. Consider these 6 ways churches make hires they regret:
1. Hiring for where you are rather than where you are going.
Too often, churches develop new positions for their current state, not their future strategy. Doing so only makes change and progress more challenging. This is why The Unstuck Group’s process involves Strategic Planning before the Staffing & Structure Review. You have to know where you are headed tomorrow in order to build the right team today.
2. Searching for perfection rather than potential.
When a church lacks a leadership development strategy, its natural bent is to look for leaders who have already “arrived.” Many pastors would rather make a handoff than guide a new leader for a season. Instead of perfection, try looking for someone with the potential to grow. I’ve hired people with less experience because I knew they could be the leaders we needed within 6-12 months. A great benefit is that these leaders with potential are typically more adaptable to your culture.
