Well, every time I’ve had to hire and fill a full-time children’s ministry position, God has opened up the door and provided just the right person… and usually in just the right time. The two children’s pastors I hired last year were already attending our church. The elementary coordinator I just hired I actually found on a website. So, let me share with you where I looked and what tools I used. I’ll wrap up this post with a personal opinion and kick it back to you for your thoughts.
One site I particularly like is www.churchstaffing.com. The thing I like about this one is the volume of traffic this site gets. I posted the position (I think it cost about $200 for 2-3 months) I was hiring here and got close to 40 resumes within 6 weeks. In addition to the emails I got from prospects, I also had access to the resume database.
Another great site is www.youthspecialties.com. It also has high volume. The only downside is that the majority of people who post for a children’s ministry job also posted for every other job available and for me that’s a turnoff (I know, I’m a idealist snob). This is; however, where I found my elementary coordinator.
Other decent sites include www.churchjobs.net, www.ministrysearch.com as well as www.kidology.org. There are others that you can find with a simple google search.
Okay, here is my opinion though. I realize that there may be some people who whole-heartedly disagree with me, but I’m open to a discussion. I feel that if you are hiring for a high capacity staff member, you best bet is to hire someone who is already plugged in and serving somewhere. I don’t think that it’s okay to start shopping for a staff person at all the churches down the street (that’s just too close). I know this isn’t always the case, but sometimes there are reasons that people are “looking for a new job” and it’s not the best. Initially I tend to think that it’s wrong to steal someone away from another church since we’re all on the same team. However, I know that if I was happily plugging away at a church, I would at least want to know if the opportunity of a lifetime is available and not be disqualified from the chance just because I’m already at a church. If I’m really looking for the best, more than likely the best aren’t sitting around looking for a new job… they’re out there doing it!
My brother is an international consultant. Two years ago he had the privilege of helping start Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, a multi-billion dollar startup. Part of his job was to place CEO’s CFO’s, COO’s for this new organization. I know that their strategy was to find the absolute best leaders in the business world by recruiting them away from their current post. I know that the business world can be a little more cold and… well… business like, but I feel the same strategy can be used when looking to fill a high capacity ministry position while being sensetive to the fact that recruiting a candidate may put another church in a bind until a replacement is found.
I’d be interested in your thougths? Did I cross a line? Let me know.
October 17th, 2007 at 4:40 am
As a missionary, we often run into the same problem here on the field. Nearly always, the best and most qualified national workers are already working for another ministry. There is often a reason why someone is unemployed or looking around (no experience, personality issues, etc..) I currently need to bring someone in for our “Give a Kid a Christmas” project and it is very touchy.
I recently met with someone who is working at a church and asked him to tell me about his vision for ministry and his call without telling him why I was interested. Then, I did not talk about money or any “perks”, just the vision, to see if it matched up, and I told him about the opening. I then asked him to get back to me if he was interested, to talk about the details. This way I didn’t feel I was manipulating.
It is a fine line, and I have seen it done the wrong way…