By Marv Knox
Editor

LEWISVILLE–Can a headhunter replace a search committee?

Maybe not completely, but churches would do a better job of selecting ministers if they accepted outside help, David Lyons believes.

That’s why he founded MinisterSearch, a professional recruitment firm that specializes in helping churches find pastors and staff members who fit their needs.

Lyons, a lifelong Baptist and a corporate executive head-hunter, got the idea for MinisterSearch when his brother-in-law, a minister, began talking about changing churches.

“I already understood what churches do to find staff. They ask the seminary for a list of resumes, talk to the staff of their association, ask other ministers for recommendations,” he said. “And how does a minister look for a church? He activates his resume (with a seminary) and calls his buddies.”

That’s a disjointed process for finding God’s will–for a church and for a minister, Lyons reasoned.

It’s also not very successful, he added, citing a couple of problems.

First is the long time required to fill most staff vacancies.

“Church growth is inhibited, if not stopped, by a vacant position. A church often sees a decline in souls saved, and the vacancy often impacts the budget,” Lyons said. “This particularly is acute if it’s the senior pastor, but it also happens with other positions.”

Second is the short tenure of many ministers, often as few as two to four years.

“We don’t believe God calls a guy and soon ‘uncalls’ him,” he noted. “Our goal is to help the candidate and the church discern the Holy Spirit’s calling. We believe we haven’t sensed the Spirit’s call enough in the traditional search process. …

“Are we searching most effectively for our ministers? No. We need a process to develop candidates, to find the top candidates and match them with the churches, so they’ll minister more effectively and stay longer.”

After praying and talking with pastors he respected, Lyons started MinisterSearch, based in Lewisville, in late 2001, utilizing a process he implemented in corporate executive recruitment.

A staff of eight workers place 1,000 to 1,200 calls each week. They network across the country and across denominational boundaries to maintain a database of ministers who are doing the most effective ministry and who might be interested in moving to another church.

MinisterSearch’s recruiters store data in customized computer software, tracking such information as ministers’ interests, skills, experience and geographical preferences for service.

They work on behalf of client churches, comparing church needs with candidate abilities. About 30 percent to 40 percent of MinisterSearch’s open positions are with Baptist Churches, Lyons said, noting Baptists comprise the largest denominational group of clients.

Before a MinisterSearch recruiter starts a candidate search, the recruiter spends time with church leaders.

“We go through a discovery process that can be extensive,” Lyons said. “We get to know the pastor, staff and church leaders. We learn about the vacant position and why the previous staff member left. From Day 1, we want to ask the hard questions.”

The MinisterSearch consultant works with the church to develop a job description and a candidate profile. Then that data, plus intangibles such as “chemistry,” are processed by the recruitment software to seek suitable candidates.

Typically, MinisterSearch’s research compares the church profile with as many as 200 candidate profiles to provide a church with three to five possibilities whose skills and calling match the church’s desires.

“A typical church may receive five to 20 resumes for a vacancy, and they pick the best candidate from that small list,” Lyons said. “We don’t support that concept. Too many candidates are overlooked. What we bring to the table is the ability to look more broadly.”

“All too often, a church accepts whatever comes to them through the traditional means,” added MinisterSearch’s director of consulting. “That is not the universe of possibilities.”

“The top three or four candidates we provide will be better qualified than the church’s best candidate,” Lyons contended.

After the candidate profiles are provided to the church, MinisterSearch works with candidates and the church–either a staff member conducting the search or a search committee–through recruiting conversations, interviews and the calling process.

The MinisterSearch consultant can help mediate between the church and candidates, making certain all issues are discussed, Allen said. The most sensitive can be compensation, but MinisterSearch doesn’t back away, understanding that disagreement over compensation often is a factor in short tenures.

A MinisterSearch consultant even may urge the church and a candidate discontinue discussions if the match doesn’t seem right.

“We’d rather stop the process than see a staff member get hired and leave in six months,” Lyons said. “So, if there’s a reason to stop the process, let’s stop it now.”

The group also pledges not to provide churches with resumes of incompetent ministers. “We’ll love them, but we won’t recommend them to a church,” Lyons noted.

About one-fourth of MinisterSearch’s searches are for senior pastors. When other staff members are sought, MinisterSearch encourages the pastor to be involved, even if a search committee is leading the process.

They believe their method of recruiting ministers is at the front of a trend.

“We want to be able to minister to the church, to bless the church,” Lyons said. “Ten years from now, this will be a standard process.”

That’s true, said Todd Rhoades, president of ChurchStaffing.com, an Internet-based ministry-matching firm.

“MinisterSearch is an up-and-coming thing,” Rhoades said. “It’s a huge possibility for churches to consider. Something like that would look very good to a lot of search committees.”

Original Source: http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1138

We’re thrilled to offer a selection of bonus workshops this year that are open to ALL registrants at Orange. Whether you opt to join us for the Preconference or not, these bonus workshops should be on your radar!

No registration is necessary for these workshops—simply check in for the conference and then head to the topic of your choice. Check out these great options:

SECRETS FROM THE EXPERTS ON HIRING AND RETAINING THE RIGHT STAFF
Sponsored by MinisterSearch.com
David Lyons and Josh Whitehead

Join David and Josh to learn about the steps that must be taken before, during, and after the hiring process to ensure that you’re adding a great leader to your team—and that he or she is going to stick around. They’ll share the common mistakes church leaders make and some helpful hints and shortcuts on how to radically increase your church’s effectiveness in hiring the RIGHT staff.

CHURCH MARRIAGE STRATEGY: BECAUSE YOU NEED MORE THAN A SERMON SERIES
Sponsored by MarriedPeople
Ted Lowe

Since marriage is a process, we also need a process to help marriages survive and thrive. Couples need more than a once-a-year “hooray.” This session is chocked full of how-to’s as well as a tangible process that will help you empower couples all year long.

REDEFINING THE FAMILY EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST 30 SECONDS
Sponsored by Worlds of WOW
Reagan Hillier, Wayne Geer and Gina McClain

We’ve all heard that you only get one chance to make a first impression. The question is what kind of first impression are you making for parents and children? This session will help you learn about creating attractive and safe environment to put parents at ease and create fun and exciting spaces for children. See examples of amazing check-in and guest central, learn how to establish budgets for your space and understand why making your facility family-friendly starts in the parking lot! When you reach the children and attract the parents, growth will skyrocket!

START A CHURCH RELATIONSHIP WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS? REALLY?
Sponsored by Core Essentials
Elizabeth Carswell, April Bagwell and Shane Rayburn

If you’ve ever wanted to go outside your church walls and reach kids in public schools, we can give you a tool. Core Essentials is a secular character program used in public elementary schools that infuses the 252 Basics virtues in a public school’s culture. We want the chance to make you aware of the strategy and components within the Core Essentials curriculum. You will also learn in detail about our booth’s give-away and how it can single-handedly be the tool you use to start a relationship with schools in your community.

Original Source: http://www.whatisorange.org/orangeleaders/blog/?p=7080

The event is structured around the Orange Strategy of partnering families with the church to have a greater impact on the faith of the next generation. Orange’s foundation is that two combined influences are greater than each individually. “Thinking Orange” blends two vital, yet often unconnected worlds to reshape the current ministry model.

The Orange Conference is a great way for teams to grow closer while having fun together, learn from innovative leaders, and perhaps most valuable for long-term stability, leave with a shared strategy. Selected speakers include: Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Reggie Joiner, Lanny Donoho, Doug Fields, Jon Acuff, Mawi Asgedom, Craig Jutila, Sue Miller, David Kinnaman, Jim Wideman, Carey Nieuwhof, Kara Powell, Joel Manby. Numerous others are listed on the website.

There will also be over 125 distinct workshop and breakout offerings in 15 tracks offered to meet specific needs and address common ministry roles within churches. Additionally, International Network of Children’s Ministry and Youth Specialties will provide Preconference tracks to offer a two-in-one conference experience.

Networking has always been part of the conference appeal, and time has been set-aside on Thursday for senior pastors, special needs workers and leaders in preschool, children’s and student ministry to gather, have fun and meet people within their similar fields. And new for this year, a free bonus workshop will be available on Wednesday afternoon for all attendees. Options include: staffing secrets by MinisterSearch.com; church marriage strategy by MarriedPeople; redefining the Family Experience by Worlds of Wow; and church relationships with public schools sponsored by Core Essentials.

Original Source: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1005319375.html

A business search firm finds pastors for churches.

A corporate recruiter who cut his teeth during the go—go 90s is now helping churches be becoming a headhunter for the house of God. MinisterSearch of Lewisville, Texas, is offering churches the same professional recruiting expertise that big companies use to find high-powered executives—to help churches find pastors and other staff members. It’s the first, and so far, the only, search firm to offer this kind of service.

Founder and CEO David Lyons started MinisterSearch in 2000. The firm now has seven employees and has worked, so far, with almost 100 churches from more than a dozen denominations, including: Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, nondenominational and Bible churches. Clients range from small, rural churches to mega-churches with membership of 20,000 or more.

MinisterSearch operates on the assumption that using a professional recruiter saves churches time, money and the headaches that arise from a bad hire. “We have the ability to identify and attract better candidates than a church could ever do on its own, because this is all we do, all day long,” said David Lyons. Typically, a church might form a committee of staff and lay people and find candidates by word-of-mouth, and by making calls to seminaries affiliated with the denomination. Then they’d hope for the best. MinisterSearch offers churches access to many more candidates by networking with thousands of ministers. And that pool of candidates includes ministers who are happily employed – but who might be willing to move if the right position came along.

As in the secular world, Lyons says, “Typically, the best candidate is a ‘passive candidate,’ someone who is not actively looking for a job. Most churches would never connect with those candidates.” Ministers can confidentially inform MinisterSearch of their possible interest in other positions – with little chance of ruffling feathers at the current place of employment. Also, MinisterSearch conducts an “intensive discovery process” to help churches determine what they really need to make a good match.

MinisterSearch’s fee is 20 percent of the minister’s first year salary and they are paid by the recruiting church. Lyons says most churches have learned a bad hire can end up costing three to four times the minister’s salary – due to lost members, lost tithes, and lost momentum in outreach and ministry programs. Lyons says he made more money in the corporate arena, but considers the work of MinisterSearch a ministry – his way of “contributing to God’s kingdom.”

But there are some who say this is part of a move to a more business-like model for running churches. Some say a “corporate approach” to hiring a pastor isn’t appropriate for the work of God. Many churches consider a pastor someone who is “called” to the position rather than simply an employee, and thus are reluctant to move to a more secular approach to hiring. Some say the process risks diluting the sense of “calling.”

Some even say that a recruited pastor might face more pressure to perform – or get fired – just like a highly paid executive. When a church considers a pastor “called by God,” members might be more willing to stick with the pastor should he take an unpopular stand or otherwise “stretch” members in a positive way. If a pastor is just an employee, members might not be as committed to see the arrangement through ‘no matter what.’

David Kinnamon of the Barna Group, a polling organization that studies church trends, says that some churches are wary of business principles. “On the one hand, churches understand that you’ve got to have rules and processes,” he said. “On the other hand, what looks like success by the world’s standards may not be success by ministry’s standards or by God’s standards.” For example, the Bible is full of stories of “unqualified” people who were called for God’s purposes.

David Lyons acknowledges these issues, but says they exist whether a church uses a headhunter or not. He adds that his approach uses a technique that most secular headhunters don’t: prayer. Members of his firm pray every morning and urge candidates and clients to pray as well through out the search process. “We make sure we are always seeking God’s direction in every step of the process,” he said.

Original Source: http://acfnewsource.org.s60463.gridserver.com/religion/headhunter_for_god.html

“When houses of worship need an “executive pastor,” they often call David Lyons of Dallas-based MinisterSearch.”

Call it the apostle peter principle. great preachers bring in thousands of souls to turn ordinary churches into megachurches, but few of those preachers possess the business savvy to run the multimillion-dollar operations that spring up around them.

So, some churches turn to a higher authority: David Lyons of MinisterSearch, a Lewisville recruiting firm that finds senior-level staffers for places like Lakewood Church in Houston (the home of Joel Osteen) or helps relocate pastors leaving places like Saddleback Church in California (home of the famed pastor Rick Warren).

Locally, Lyons has worked with dozens of big churches like Grace Community Church and St. Andrew United Methodist, both in Plano.

“There was a time when the senior pastor ran the whole show,” says Lyons. “But now large churches hire ‘executive pastors’ to focus on the staffing, budgeting, and facilities management.” About half come with corporate experience on their résumés; some have MBAs as well as masters of divinity.

An executive pastor frees up the senior pastor to preach and cast the congregational vision. “Typically, a person who is wired to preach is not wired to run an organization,” says Lyons, who was a corporate IT recruiter before founding MinisterSearch in 2000.

Traditionalists may argue that pastors should be called, not recruited. But Lyons says he spends hours getting to know a church, helping leaders figure out what’s really needed from the new hire. He also relies on prayer in the process.

In the past, churches assembled search committees and placed want ads in seminary publications. But the best candidates often already have jobs, Lyons says, so MinisterSearch maintains a database of proven “talent”—church leaders who’d consider a move if the right offer came along.

“We can find candidates that churches would not find on their own,” Lyons says.

As they say in the business: That’ll preach.

Original source: http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/2009/07/03/How_God_Would_Hire_a_CEO.aspx