What Staff Member to Hire Next and Other Listener Questions

Podcast Episode #102

The listeners of the podcast help us shape the content and topics with their questions and comments. So we always enjoy episodes in which we can touch on several questions that have come in. Today, we tackle everything from mentoring to building vision to connection cards to staff hiring.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

One of the first things a new pastor should do is to develop relationships within the new church.
When seeking a mentor, find someone with whom you can connect and trust.
What makes music in the church worshipful are the lyrics, so they must be understandable.
After pastor and worship leader, the “next hire” for a church is now becoming a children’s minister.
Kids can’t drive, so if you’re going to offer robust children’s programming, have the same for adults as well.
Bringing people in the right way through the front door of the church is the best way to shut the back door.
Building a vision should involve buy-in and collaboration.

Questions Covered in This Episode

Kris asks:
One concern I have in pursuing pastoral ministry is my ability as a millennial to shepherd an established church and make changes without getting burned out by resistance. What would you say would make this less scary—and what does longevity in a pastorate contribute to being able to make major changes as a senior pastor?

Dennis asks:
How does a new pastor or someone fairly new to ministry leadership select mentors? Is it important to stay within your denomination, or is it possible to glean knowledge from those outside your denomination? Would this lead to being seen as ecumenical or compromising?

Joel asks:
We have seen an increase in Connection Cards turned in, but we are still only collecting about cards from 1/3 of our guests. As a church we do not want to have everyone fill out connection cards every Sunday, but we do encourage everyone to use it to share prayer requests or change info or give new info to staff. What are some strategies we can use to increase our percentage of guests filling out the card and turning it in?

Phil
Our music director says that the excellence of the music comes first; if the words are incomprehensible, tough luck. Possible solutions?

Ron
For a church of 225 adults, what third staff member should a church consider to enhance growth?

Tim
I have heard it said that those who leave are likely to never come back. Should we try to visit them and try to get them to come back?

Don
How do you build synergy, focus, and vision within a church staff?

Episode Sponsor

The Cross Church School of Ministry is a one-year residential ministry experience hosted by Cross Church and Dr. Ronnie Floyd. It uniquely designed to prepare leaders for life, ministry, and Gospel advancement globally. For more information about the Cross Church School of Ministry visit: www.CrossChurchSchool.com.