Where do you find children’s ministry prospects? (Seeking CM Employment Part 4)
Posted on 10. Oct, 2007 by Kenny in Fresh Ideas, Leadership, Philosophy
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)Â 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 start-up. 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 sensitive 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 thoughts? Did I cross a line? Let me know.
One Response to “Where do you find children’s ministry prospects? (Seeking CM Employment Part 4)”
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Joel Hayslip
17. Oct, 2007
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…