Chemistry Staffing is a new organization run by my good friends Todd Rhoades and Matt Steen. They help churches and potential staff members make healthy connections. Chemistry Staffing’s process has one goal: a long-term, healthy fit for both the church and the staff member. Great things happen when the right leadership is in place in a local church… lives are changed and churches thrive. If your church is looking to fill a staff position, I can’t recommend Chemistry Staffing enough. These two guys are as good as it gets. As a reader of this site, they are offering a FREE 30-minute consultation about your search for a great long-term fit. Don’t miss this! Click here to schedule a time.
The following is a guest post they have written about lessons from North Point Community Church’s job descriptions.
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Several years ago, while attending Catalyst, I heard Andy Stanley share the concept of the one-sentence job description. The idea is that a person, and an organization, is so clear on what one’s job is, that it can be stated in a single sentence. During his session, Andy shared three different examples of one sentence job descriptions:
To inspire our staff and congregations to be fully engaged in our mission and strategy. Andy’s job description
To create, implement and monitor systems that ensure our organization remains fiscally secure.
CFO of NorthPoint’s job description
To keep Andy’s path clear of nonessential tasks and decisions so that Andy can do what only Andy can do.
Andy’s Admin’s job description
There is power in this kind of clarity, for both your current and future team members.
When a church begins to look for their next staff member, it can be easy to begin listing out duties and responsibilities. We list expectations about which programs are to be led, age groups that are to be overseen, and relationships that need to be established. Often, these job descriptions can be pages long and typically end with the phrase “and other duties as assigned.”
While it is helpful to know the full range of expectations associated with a position, it can be easy to lose sight of something more important: why does this position exist?
At Chemistry Staffing, when we work with churches to help them find a long-term solution to their staffing need we push them to develop a one sentence job description for their opening. This description helps the church, and candidates, develop a better understanding of who they are looking for, and what kind of skills and abilities the right person will need. It also helps a church say “no” to incredibly qualified people who just aren’t the right fit for the position.
This doesn’t have to be a process reserved for hiring. Imagine the clarity and freedom that comes from knowing your purpose in the organization well enough to define it in one sentence. Knowing your purpose well enough to refine it into one sentence requires a significant amount of time and effort… but it is worth it! As you get started defining your one sentence job description, here are a few things to ask yourself:
- What is the one thing in your organization that only you can do?
- What is it that other people in your organization seek your help in?
- What is it that you are called to do?
- What are you passionate about?
These questions may be rather simple, but they are not easy… but the clarity that they can provide is priceless.
Are you looking to add a staff member to your team and have questions about how best to find a long-term fit? We’d love to talk to you. As a reader of Brian’s blog, we’d love to offer a complimentary thirty minute consultation about your search for a great long-term fit. Click here to schedule a time.