4 Non-Monetary Ways To Attract A Great Church Staff Candidate

You may have heard the phrase “money talks” regarding the hiring and retaining of a new staff member. While I don’t disagree with the large role that a fair and competitive salary plays in hiring a candidate, there are also non-monetary ways to attract a great candidate to your church or ministry.

We know that people in ministry and non-profit jobs are some of the most hardworking individuals in the workforce. They are also usually supporting families on less than the average of someone in the corporate world. When seeking your next church staff candidate, I highly recommend that you consider the following 4 intangible currencies.

1. Compelling Culture

Here at Vanderbloemen Search Group, we know a thing or two about creating a great culture and its power to attract and retain a high capacity team. In 2015, we were rated the #1 top company culture by Entrepreneur magazine. What makes a compelling culture is different for every church or organization, so it is important to understand your staff and your desired environment. For instance, recent surveys show that providing free snacks improves the job satisfaction of millennials in the workplace by 25%. If a large portion of your staff is under the age of 33, consider this as one small way to improve your culture and motivate your teams.

Once you are able to define your culture, make sure to be intentional to build into it regularly so that staff are not only aware of your core staff values but are motivated to carry them out. 

2. Engaged Managers

It’s commonly known that people join organizations but they leave managers. Consider this quote by Travis Bradberry, best-selling author and talent expert, in his article on poor leadership and management practices:

“More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to balance being professional with being human.”

Great leaders who attract great people to their teams create staying-power. 

I have found that great managers have two key things in common:

1. They connect with the people on their team regularly through a weekly or biweekly meeting or 1:1. In this connection time they are checking in on both personal matters and business matters. They are concerned for the person and their family and also for the goals of the organization. The importance of having these regular 1:1 meetings cannot be overstated.
2. The best managers always have development opportunities front of mind. They know that when their team wins, they win. They look for ways to encourage and foster increasing levels of leadership on their team and are not threatened when members of their team rise to the occasion.

I knew of a manager who was supervising a facility team of people who cleaned bathrooms, scrubbed floors, and washed windows. While this isn’t a dream job for most, it was the highly-engaged manager that created an environment in which they all wanted to work, and his employees stayed for 3+ years on his teams.

3. Kingdom-Sized Vision 

Often, high capacity leaders are attracted to big Kingdom visions. I once heard it said that, “Great vision calls for great sacrifice.” In organizations where salary dollars can be lean in certain seasons, having a vision and the opportunity to be a part of something greater than themselves is often a valuable tradeoff for employees looking for purpose.

4. Ample Vacation 

I know many people that would be content with a slightly lower salary if they had sufficient personal days off every year and the capacity in their schedule to take them. Vacation time is a very common love language. Providing ample time for your staff to replenish themselves is vital to their ability to contribute to your team in the long run. The key to a successful vacation policy is giving both the time and the capacity. Some people hesitate to schedule personal days off because there is no adequate coverage for their job responsibilities. A successful manager knows how to help their people say “Yes” to rest so that when they return they can say “Yes” to reaching their goals.

What other ways can you add to the currency of culture and team?

If you liked this, you'll also enjoy 4 Ways To Attract The Best Talent For Your Church Staff.