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CFTROU 0084: The Business on Church Business: Hire Slow, Fire Fast

An integral component of the business of running a church is the people on your team. We discuss the relationship between having sound hiring practices in place and having to make the tough decisions to fire people when necessary. In this conversation, we talk about the useful idea of hiring slow and firing fast – the slower and steadier you are when hiring people, the less likely you will need to fire people. Unfortunately, situations do call for people to be let go and we suggest in those situations you do not stand on ceremony. Do not prolong the inevitable. There have been previous scenarios where a church has not handled these situations well and it can get quite messy and open yourself and your church to risk. A forthright and purposeful approach will serve you well. Being deliberate in the interview process is key. Conduct multiple interviews with new applicants, as this will help paint a clear picture of the person and their character. If the hiring is done well, you will avoid difficult situations in the future. When a parting of the ways is called for, we espouse the philosophy of transition without injury, where the employee that you have let go can find their way into another line of work and be fruitful in their endeavors. These are all principles of honoring God by being wise stewards of church resources.

Key Points:

  • The struggles churches face when needing to let employees go when the situation calls for it.
  • The ramifications of not having solid hiring practices in place.
  • The details of the hire slow, fire fast philosophy.
  • Chemistry, family background, and multiple meetings with different leaders are important aspects to consider when hiring an employee.
  • How important it is to gauge the character of the candidate. 
  • Getting through the difficult process of firing.
  • The gray areas of bad performance versus taking ownership of a bad hire.

Some of the worst hiring decisions have been made on a gut-feeling, without thoroughly vetting a candidate. Click To TweetHiring slow is difficult because we often find ourselves having to make up for that unfilled position. Click To TweetHiring decisions is where we see the benefits of collaborative decision-making. Click To Tweet

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Society for Human Resource Management

Scott Crawford on Twitter

Leslee Bennett on Twitter

Jimmy on Twitter

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