Every faith-based organization wants a staff full of people who are all aligned with their mission and vision and moving in unity towards the same goals. Having staff members who don’t match with your mission and vision can be frustrating for you and them and can cause you to either miss the mark or at least be delayed in accomplish what you envision for your faith community.
And eventually, you have to face the difficulties of letting people go who aren’t a match, potentially causing turmoil among your staff and community.
So how do you avoid that kind of situation in the first place? You have to hire well, ensuring that you bring people on board who are in step with your mission and vision from the beginning. Here are some tips to help you do just that, starting with preparation for interviews with candidates.
Before beginning the interviewing process:
1. Clarify your own strategic mission and vision.
You can’t hire someone for mission alignment if you don’t know what that mission is!
It’s crucial that you and your team agree on your mission and can all easily articulate it.
Remember, mission is not the same as vision. Vision is the outcome you want, and mission is how you get there. A mission is more short-term-focused, while a vision statement looks further into the future.
2. Assess your progress.
Once you’ve clarified your mission and values, truthfully determine whether your team is living out that mission and those values and whether it still fits your needs and goals. What is integral to your organization and the mission? What things might you need to change or let go of?
3. Ask for help.
Invite other staff members to speak into your interviewing and hiring process. They will have insights that you may not, questions to ask that you may not have thought of, and specific skills to look for in the next addition to your staff. Bringing others who will work both directly and indirectly with the interviewee is paramount, so you can get different perspectives and insights.
Once you begin the process of interviewing, keep these considerations in mind:
- Ask candidates specific questions of how and where they have pursued pieces of your own strategic mission. You’re looking for proven experience working towards a mission and vision that aligns with yours.
- Ask candidates what excites them about your mission and vision and look for genuine passion in their answers, as well as an understanding of that mission and vision.
- Also ask about candidates’ personal mission and vision to see if they align with yours. What do they prioritize in their own lives, both at work and at home? Do their priorities match your church’s?
- Ask them what kind of institution they’d feel at home in. Is it like yours? If they were to start their own organization, what would their values be for that community and team?
- How do they build relationships with people? Is that a good fit for what you need and envision for this role?
- Ask candidates about people, books, and ideas that have most influenced their lives. What are the tribes they follow and want to emulate? Are the more missional or fundamental? Social justice-focused or gospel-focused?
- Present a scenario where the candidates’ answers would show you how they would respond in real life to discover whether their approach is a fit with what’s important to you. For example, you could ask, “There’s a homeless guy who walks into the church, looking for help. What would you do?” Or you could present the following scenario: You hear rumors of a leader behaving in an inappropriate way for someone of any position of authority. How would you handle this situation?
Remember, every hire is crucial to advancing your mission. Do not feel like you have to “desperate hire.” Take the time to discern who is the best fit, and if you haven’t met them yet, be patient—the right person will come.
These tips should help your leadership hire the right candidates that will successfully further the Kingdom under your vision.
How can you begin to assess your organization’s mission and vision this week?
