The 6 C’s to Hire Staff or Recruit Key Volunteers
J.R. Briggs
November 30, 2017

If you were looking to hire a staff role or recruit a key volunteer at the church how would you know if they were the right fit? Is it discernment in prayer? Is it by their experience in ministry? Their skill set and personality? The confidence of a search committee or elder team? A spiritual gifts inventory and enneagram assessment? A feeling in your gut? A combination of the above? If you are looking to hire someone as well, it’s essential to always keep in mind aspects such as workplace diversity importance. Additionally, promptly addressing incidents of workplace discrimination can help boost employee satisfaction.

As I look back on my ministry experience, I realize that sometimes I hired or recruited the right person. They were a wonderful fit and they (and everyone around them) thrived. But I also remember that there are many other times where I made the wrong decision and completely blew it. The leader I thought would be a good fit turned out to be a disaster – and I should have seen it coming.

So, how do we go about in the discernment process? I’ve found a simple and easy to remember guide of 6 characteristics (all starting with C) – along with a guiding question for each – helps the process. Several of the C’s come from other spaces (some even the business world) but I do believe they can be helpful in the church as well.

[1] Character: This character always needs to be first on the list. The leader must be full of integrity and honesty and possess purity in all areas of life. We talk about the need to surround ourselves with F.A.T. leaders – those who are faithful, available and teachable. Great leaders may possess the other 5 C’s below, but if they are not full of integrity and character, don’t consider having them join the team!

Question: Could I completely trust my children with this person?

(2) Competency: Certainly, God can use anyone with any skill set. This is not suggesting a corporate headhunter mentality in the church. People’s value as a child of God is not measured in their productivity or effectiveness. This is simply to make sure that they are the right fit – that their capability and proficiency matches the responsibilities of the job. I’ve seen too many wonderful people hired or put into key roles where they are just not capable of fulfilling the tasks that have been asked of them.

Question: Is this person capable of doing what we are asking them to do in this particular role (i.e. is this the right fit, based on their proficiency and skill set)?

(3) Chemistry: So much of ministry is relationships. Chemistry with those you serve alongside of is important. It doesn’t mean we have to be best friends with everyone we work with. But it is important for us to consider chemistry, both on a personal and an organizational perspective. On a personal side, is there relational and emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity exhibited in their life? Are they kind and caring, do they work hard and yet have a good sense of humor? Do I enjoy working and serving alongside this person and can we be both honest and honoring to one another in these roles? On an organizational side, is this person passionate about the mission of what we are doing here in our church – or are they simply looking to serve with friends or looking for any opportunity to lead?

Question: Is this person someone that could sharpen me and I could sharpen him or her, while also bringing out the best in him or her? And, is there a passion for and a clear alignment with the mission of our church?

(4) Consistency: Trust is built through consistency.  A leader must be responsible with big things (finances, people’s stories, relationships, etc) as well as small things (follow-through, showing up on time and when they say they will do something). Therefore, a leader must be full of trustworthiness and dependability.

Question: Have they exhibited consistency in all areas of their life and show themselves to be responsible? Can I trust them to do what they say they are going to do?

(5) Capacity: This C is related to Competency, but slightly different. This is not entirely about skill level; this also involves how much confidence people will be and how much trust they will put in the leader they are choosing to follow. Is there capacity growing or is there an evident ceiling? Those with high capacity have a tenacity to get their hands dirty and “figure it out.” They don’t give up easily. They trust, they persevere, they don’t give up and they push through when things are difficult – and others seem to notice.

Question: how confident will people be in following this person’s leadership, especially into new and uncertain areas?

(6) Calling: This is another significant C. In the secular world, you may be able to possess the first 5 C’s and be good at your job. But in the kingdom, we believe that the Spirit calls us into specific callings of vocation, especially in ministry. Calling is much more sacred and significant than a job or a fun ministry leadership role. Leaders with calling know that God have a confidence that God has brought things together in such a way that they can’t not respond to what He is asking of us.

Question: is this a simply a “good idea” or a true sense of being called to this position?

Certainly, discernment is important. These are not intended to be a formula or an equation; they are intended to be a form use with intention. Understand your context, your people and God’s specific call on your life as you use this tool. But next time you are recruiting or hiring for a key ministry position, utilize the tool of the 6 C’s and see if it is a helpful part of the discernment process.

The Magic Power of Encouragement

By Bob Hyatt • January 17, 2025
When I graduated from college, I moved to Alaska and took a job teaching middle school- a job I had zero business doing. I want to give props to those of you who are teachers- it’s a fantastically important job, but also a ridiculously complex one. You must balance pedagogical skills, HOW to teach so others learn, with sociological ones, classroom management, and so much more. It was classroom management where my ineptitude really shone, though. I thought managing classrooms full of middle schoolers would be easy- just call them out when they do something wrong- make sure there are consequences in place, and the place will basically run itself. I learned that year that you cannot punish someone into good behavior. You more often just punish people into stealthier ways of misbehavior. It wasn’t until years later that the light bulb came on for me. I was volunteering in my son’s kindergarten class, and I assumed I was going to be walking into a zoo. Contrary to my expectations, Mr. Waters, the teacher, had that place running like a well-oiled machine. And the most surprising way was how he did it. He called for reading time when all the kids were supposed to get up from their tables and sit on the reading circle. He made this call and like two kids responded. Oh man, I thought- he’s lost the room! Nope. He just stood at the front of the class and said “I see Billy doing what I asked. I see Sienna doing what I asked.” And every time he said that another few kids would look up, leave what they were doing and rush to take their place. In about 30 seconds, he had them all sitting quietly around the circle. Blew. My. Mind. It seemed so simple once I saw it done, but I had never realized just how big a gap there was between trying to motivate with consequences and nagging versus motivating with encouragement. Which is funny, because as I thought about it, I realized my wife had been using this tactic on me for YEARS. I married a woman who liked to dance- swing dance, even. I grew up a Baptist, so… But whenever I would do a little two-step with her in the kitchen or just play-dance with her to music in the living room, she would go OVER THE TOP. “Bob, you are doing that really well! Bob, you’re a great dancer!” I totally knew I wasn’t, but… I sure liked to hear her say it, and so I’d do it more. So, here’s the rule: What you criticize me for, I may stop doing. I may also just try to hide it from you. But- What you praise and encourage me in, I will continue doing. The Apostle Paul was a master at this- just look at 1 Thess. 5:11- ”So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” What is Paul doing here? Yes, he’s encouraging them to encourage each other by encouraging them for how they’ve already been encouraging one another! That’s a lot of encouraging. But he’s doing what he’s asking them to do- demonstrating how it works. I’m sure not everyone in the church of Thessalonica was good at encouraging others- but those who were doing it well were heartened by Paul’s words here, and those who weren’t yet, were… encouraged to be more encouraging. Paul uses the word “encourage” 7 times in 1st Thess. alone. This command to encourage each other is central in the NT. Hebrews 10:24-25 says this: Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Paul writes in 2 Cor. 13:11 “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” How long can you go on one compliment, or one word of encouragement? A few days? A week? Our words have so much power! I once had an orange t-shirt, that had a disturbingly deep V-neck. My co-pastor Dustin would laugh every time he saw me in it. But you know why I continued to wear it? Because it was literally the only shirt I ever owned that had been complimented by a woman I was not married or related to. A barista one time told me she really liked that shirt… So, what I’m saying is, you can get me to do just about anything, if you encourage me. BUT- With great power, comes great responsibility. Notice that these verses on encouragement come in the context of helping others become the followers of Jesus they could and were meant to be. “Encourage each other and build each up.” “Motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Encourage one another.” “Grow to maturity. Encourage each other.” There’s a growth mindset behind the biblical admonitions that we ought to encourage each other. The growth mindset says “I may not be good at this or have mastered it… yet. But if I keep trying…” Unfortunately, most of us get stuck in a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset says “I'm either good at something, or I’m not. So, I’ll give myself only to things where I can show I’m good. If I must work at it, it means I’m not good at it, or smart enough for it, so why try?” Studies have shown that encouragement has a positive effect on performance, while discouragement has a negative effect. Ok- that’s obvious. But… studies have also been done about how TYPES of encouragement affect performance. Encouraging effort, for example, has a positive effect on performance, while praising ABILITY has a negative effect. One study showed that when two groups of students were presented with difficult challenges 90% of the ones who had been praised for their effort embraced the difficult tasks- while the majority of those praised for their ability resisted tackling hard things. I probably don’t have to spell out the leadership lessons here. So, I’ll just leave you with this: I encourage you this season to be thinking about the people you work with and especially those who work under you. They are just as hungry for encouragement as you are. You have the power to give them not only what they need, but through that encouragement to spur them on to the personal and ministry growth you want to see in them. (By the way, while we’re talking about encouragement, if you need some this season, join us Feb 25-27th in Alexandria, VA for this year’s Ecclesia National Gathering . I guarantee you and your team will leave feeling encouraged, equipped, and empowered. And think about how encouraging YOUR presence would be to everyone else!)

Focusing the Gospel Around the Table is Still Important Today

By J.R. Briggs • November 26, 2024
“Food is just fuel for your body.” When the raw vegan enthusiast in my community said it I knew that wasn’t right. I thought of all the great meals shared with family and friends around tables for Thanksgivings, Christmas Eves, and Easter afternoons – among others. I recalled the verse: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” And I realized that if this was God’s vision for food, then he would have designed our bodies with built-in IV ports where we would hook up pouches of food to our sides and let it drip in slowly to our bloodstreams. And Jesus wouldn’t have given us the greatest experiential metaphor of communion around the table in fellowship with others if it was merely physical and transactional in nature. I get his point: what we put into our bodies matters. Food is for much more than just physical energy. It’s also about connection, bonding, and relationship. Storytelling and laughing and crying and interacting. Like former U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, all great change in America begins at the dinner table. But I’ll offer a rejoinder: all great change – no matter the country – begins at the dinner table. The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has declared loneliness as a public health crisis and an epidemic . 30 percent of adults say they feel lonely., with 10 percent reporting loneliness every day. 60 years ago the average dinner time was 90 minutes; today it’s less than 12. We are more connected to our devices and less connected to others. Almost twenty five years ago political scientist Robert Putnam wrote the popular book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community . Over the summer, the New York Times interviewed him , inquiring if he saw this crisis of loneliness coming. He stressed the idea of “social capital,” saying it comes in two forms: bonding and bridging. Bonding ties us to others like us and bridging ties us to people who are different from us. Meals together with others at tables have the transformative power to do both. They bond us to other people in our church; they bridge us to connect with others who aren’t yet connected to faith. As my next-door neighbor says when we’re trying to find a time to connect for a meal, “Everybody’s gotta eat.” Coffee tables, lunch tables, high top bar tables, card tables, dinner tables – all have the intent to bring us together with others over food and/or drink. It was Len Sweet who wrote in Tablet to Table that Jesus was killed for his table manner and his table company. Later he stated that the gospel message was Jesus eating good food with bad people. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find any gathering in the New Testament that didn’t involve some sort of table. And as Ian Simkins, lead pastor of teaching at The Bridge Church in Nashville, shared with me, the table is the centerpiece by which the gospel is expressed. The church has moved to prioritize the table by asking some key questions: What if we reclaimed the table? What if our tables weren’t for just feeding, but for forming? What if, at the table, foes became friends? What if, every time we sat down, we prayed, “at this table as it is in heaven”? What if we brought the gospel back to the table? These are the questions that must become front and center for the church in North America in the days ahead. In fact, you can view the church’s creative and compelling videos on Instagram here and here . Americans eat, on average, 21 meals a week. Think for a moment: how many meals did you share with others this week? How many meals did you eat alone this week? How many people did you share with those who weren’t your immediate family members? How many of those were with people who are not followers of Jesus? What if the greatest advancement of the gospel in the days ahead occurred not in our churches, but around tables?
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