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Hillcrest Church Office
July 29, 2004
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Here is this week's
“The Three C’s of Staffing”
by Tom Goodman
This Sunday evening, August 1, we’ll have a special called business meeting to vote on a recommendation from the Personnel Committee. The recommendation is that we call Herb Ingram to be our next Minister of Education.
I’m excited about this step! Herb meets the three “C’s” that I look for in a staffing decision—character, competence, and chemistry.
“Character” issues include who a person is. Jesus leads those he saves, and a candidate for a ministry position should be someone who is yielded to that leadership. Our attitudes, our behavior, the way we handle
money, the way we react to disappointment or offense—it all has to please Christ. If you look at the qualifications for church office in 1\Timothy 3, you will find that almost all of the qualifications have to do with character instead of
skill.
Not that skill is unimportant. That’s the second “C”—competence.
“Competence” issues include what a person does. There’s an old saying among those who hire: “The best predictor of what people will do is what they have done.” When you’re looking for someone to staff a ministry
position, look at his or her track record. What are their successes? What have they learned from their failures? What kind of training have they sought out—in the past and more recently? Are they still learning and risking, or
are they just coasting on what’s worked for them in the past?
“Chemistry” issues include how a person relates. I’ve done a lot of staff searches over the years, and I’m glad to report that the kingdom has a whole of lot men and women with great character and competence. The
trick, however, is to identify that short list of candidates who will “fit” with the staff and the congregation. You can place a great minister in a great church and get not-so-great results if they don’t match.
I can tell you that Herb meets my three “C’s” of staffing decisions! I hope you’ll come out this Sunday night at 6:30 p.m., and raise up a hearty “yes” when the Personnel Committee makes the recommendation that we call him as our next
Minister of Education!
Tom