Common Mistakes in Selecting Leaders
-by Dave Jacobs, a Church Planting Coordinator in the Western Region, and pastor of the City Vineyard in San Jose, California. Email -
dave@sjcityvineyard.com - Website - http://www.sjcityvineyard.com/plant.html
Introduction:
A. "It's easier to get them in, then to get them out." The cautious seldom make mistakes.
B. Where do you get them?
- It is best to get them from the Sending Church. They will all have the same "DNA." The difficulty is that many senior pastors are afraid to give them away.
- A group of churches willing to work together to plant, but it is difficult.
- The churchplanting couple or small team can gather potential leaders through outreach, not solely evangelism, when the come to the new location.
C. Common Mistakes
- Hiring staff prematurely. Wait till you have 100 adults, may even more.
- Buying a building too soon.
- Putting people in leadership who shouldn't be.
Common Personalities often Mistaken for Leaders
- Ex-pastors, ex-elders, ex-department heads. Why are they an "ex". As they heal they will want more and more leadership. Do you see a potential church split coming?
- People with a lot of Bible knowledge. This does not mean they have character or are mature. Ask them, "Are you enjoying God?"
- People with a lot of zeal. They may be excited about their faith, but are they mature? Do they have depth?
- People who have Christians for a long time. "It’s the miles not the years." Do they have depth?
- People with a lot of past ministry experience. They often come trying to find space for their agenda.
- People that flatter you with, "We visited all the churches and none of them are good but yours."
What you are looking for in Potential Leaders
- Do they buy into Vineyard values, especially if from other backgrounds?
- Does your wife feel good about the person? Pay attention to your wife's gut feeling.
- Do they seem humble and willing to support your vision and not push their own agenda?
- Do they come with a good reputation from a previous church? Call their former pastor.
- Do you like them? Do they like you?
- Always choose character over talent and ability.
- Do they share your theological convictions. If they are going to be leaders, you want to them to share your theological convictions.
At Our "Welcome Night"
- Have each person share their name and how they heard about the church.
- We share a brief history of us.
- Ask everyone, "What would you say we value?"
- We then go through the Vineyard Values.
- We share our expectations.
- Come and attend
- Give financially
- Get involved with a small group and ministry of some kind. We pass around a signup clipboard. If you can get people involved in ministry (not leadership) right away, they will be more likely to stay.