5 Hiring Mistakes You're Making

Hiring staff well leads to healthy and successful ministry, but too often churches rush the process.  Here are the five most common areas churches and ministries struggle with when hiring:

1. Too Narrow a Candidate Pool

It may feel easy and most natural to consider friends, friends of friends or congregants for open positions, but casting a wider net in the beginning of any hiring process could unearth rock stars you were unaware of. Having candidates referred by other staff, volunteers, and family members has a lot of upsides, but can also create hurdles that add to the stress of hiring.

  • By only considering a few options all personally connected to you or the church, you could end up in a sticky situation where the hiring committee feels obligated to hire a less than qualified candidate

  • The process could also leave a bad taste in the mouth of someone on the hiring committee or a potential candidate not given opportunity

  • You may miss out on the most qualified candidates

  • Hiring from outside your organization can bring fresh eyes and experience that will infuse your organization with new ideas and different approaches that can help you get to the next level

Your close contacts may end up being the best fit, but make sure to post your openings on job boards, promote them on the church’s social media platforms and website and, for higher level leadership or specialty positions, consider partnering with a ministry recruiting company like Chemistry Staffing.

2. Rushed Interview Process

When your church or ministry is missing a key role, everyone feels the pain.  This might cause you to hire due to desperation or extra pressure from those you serve.  However, hiring quickly creates a greater risk of a wrong hire which will cause you ten times the stress and fall out then waiting a little longer for the right candidate.  Because of this, we suggest that at least three interviews prior to any job offer:

  • An initial phone conversation to make sure they meet the minimum qualifications, understand job requirements, and get a feel for your organization’s unique culture

  • A meeting with their would-be direct report who can ask more in depth questions, make sure the dynamic is a good fit, and answer questions they may have

  • A meeting with a collection of peers or other staff members who can ask more diverse questions and help determine there are no any red flags requiring additional conversations 


3. Competence Assumed, Not Tested

The interview process is the time to make sure the candidate is the best fit for the role and your organization, but also to make sure this role is the best fit for them! 

  • Ask the candidate to submit samples of previous work highlighting their proficiency (i.e., teaching clips, writing samples, graphic portfolio, etc.)

  • Have candidates take specific skills tests (either created or purchased) to confirm their level of proficiency for key qualifications

  • You can also request they submit personality or behavioral assessments such as DiSC, Enneagram, Strengthsfinder, etc.

4. Skipped Background or Reference Checks

Background and reference checks are a necessary and non-negotiable part of the interview process.

  • Don’t run background checks until the final stage with your top one or two candidates

  • Don’t forget to have them sign the background check permission form

  • Per some state laws, background checks should be run once a candidate has been selected and an offer is pending

  • Have each candidate provide a list of professional references, but expand that list as needed

  • Phone calls are better than emails with reference checks because sometimes you can hear what the reference is NOT saying

5. Ignore Gut Feelings

A candidate might check all the boxes and pass all the tests but still not feel like a good fit. It could be a gut feeling, an interview response that didn’t sit well, or simply the Holy Spirit offering discretion and guidance. If you feel hesitant to make a hire, don’t ignore that feeling and make a decision out of desperation.

  • Make sure your reasoning is not discriminatory, such as age or race

  • If you need additional conversations with a candidate, don’t be afraid schedule them

  • Pray about the candidate and their potential on your team

  • Ask others involved in the interview process to join you in praying for wisdom

  • Ultimately, if the candidate isn’t right for you, then you’re also not right for the candidate

Poorly executed or rushed hiring practices don’t benefit anyone. They often lead to inevitable firings or departures that cost money, can damage team morale, or set back the success of your ministry even further than if you had waited to fill the position. Taking the time and effort to avoid these common hiring mistakes will help you make job offers with confidence and build a team to passionately carry out your mission.

Now after you check all the hiring boxes and find your next rockstar, you’re going to need a job description. Click below to learn more about our Job Descriptions Toolkit and let us help make your next steps simple.

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