A question posed to all pastors who read this blog: what do you look for when hiring a student minister, college minister, or kid's minister. What are your non-negotiables as far as the ministry aspect is concerned? Degree? License? Direct calling? Correct handler of the Word? Experience? Able to teach (and how do you gauge that anyway)?
I think this is an important question for us to discuss because so many times pastors have not considered what would be best for their culture and church. Instead, they just call the local Christian college to see if there is anyone willing to serve. I do believe that route can be helpful in a "getting the ball rolling" phase, but we must have some other criteria to go by. It is so easy to hire someone because they are willing. But this is not best. It is easy because it immediately takes a workload off of many pastors, but in the long run it can be damaging because you may not get the disciple production you would hope. Maybe that would be a good question to ask a candidate: What is your strategy for reproducing disciples? Here is another one: What do you want a student to know about Christ and the Bible after they have spent 6 years under your teaching?
Let's raise the standards of what we expect out of our ministers (pastors included). I think a good example of how lowering the standards does not help matters is in the questioning process of ordaining ministers or deacons. Can you find scripture to back up this practice? Probably not chapter and verse. Is it a good idea to know what they believe? Absolutely! How many of us experienced an arduous questioning before we were ordained? I know I wasn't. But that process could be very beneficial to a candidate. For one thing it drives him to scripture. It makes him think deeply about eternal matters and how to apply those to whoever his audience may be.
So anyway, let's raise the standards for ourselves and then call on others to follow us.
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Funny you write this. I almost posted something like this on my blog. We (our church) are/is looking for a man to be a music and youth minister. Entry level poisition, 100 bucks a week, low responsibility, we just need somebody to be there every Sunday and lead these ministries. As of now, our youth SS teacher is late every Sunday we have a three pronged music attack that is shared by three men. Bascially, we just need a man who will be consistent. We received three resumes, all of which just wanted to be youth minsters and not lead music. I am now pitching it as music position that might work with youth.
My dilemma is not an isolated case. Finding someone who is willing to serve is tough and finding someone who is capable and fits the qualifications is even tougher. I don't have any easy answers, other than to wait it out and see what God is going to do.
As for deacons: this whole deal is a mess. We have two deacons in a church of about 75 people. Only one, really fits the biblical guidelines. Both were ordained before I got there. Since I have been here, one of the deacons left (he was a third we had). He was ordained because "another deacon was needed."
It seems to be that the most commonly advocated charcteristic in ordaining deacons is that they not be divorced. Nevermind all the other stuff about temperance, leadership or biblical acumen. We have men in our chruch who have been divorced and they actaully display all the characteristics of a deacon except being the husband of one wife. We have other guys who have not been divorced but they are not good leaders are not faithful to worship, etc.
Another common practice in smaller churches is placing people in positions of leadership so that they will be faithful: i.e deacons, SS teachers, music leaders, etc. This is backwards. Faithfulness is to come before appointment.
My answer is that it is better to leave a position open than compromise integrity and biblical truth.
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