During this conversation, we will discuss how to begin your search, where to look for open positions, and the relational progression you will make in your search process.

Now Playing: Where To Look For Your Next Church Job​​

Key Takeaways

After you watch the video above, read through these key takeaways that will help guide and reinforce the main points you just viewed…

  • Start with your internal network. Who do you know?
  • Then your tribes. Denomination. Schools. 
  • Then publicly posted positions. Church Staffing, etc.
  • A word about Search Firms

Many times, you'll be tempted to apply for a job that isn't a good fit for you.

  • Do your homework. Are they REALLY a potential fit?  
    • Read the Entire Job Posting
    • Visit the Church's Website
    • Watch a Service
  • If not, give it a firm no and a hard pass. Then move on to find another opportunity

Don't try to fit somewhere you know you won't fit.  You'll be tempted (you need a job, after all). But a wrong fit will mean another probably move in another 12-18 months.

WORD OF CAUTION:

The longer your search goes, (and the more desperate you get), the more pressure you will feel about giving in on your non-negotiables.  Always keep that in check. If you need to widen your search, it’s not a crime, but be sure your spouse is on board and that you don’t compromise your values.

You want to continually search out churches with open positions that fit your profile and put them in the top of your funnel. As you start sending out resumes, some will stay at the top of the funnel (you'll not hear anything back from them, or they will turn out to be closed doors).

Some will work their way down the funnel by contacting you for more information or to schedule an interview.  Then comes the second interview, background, reference checks, and ultimately a job offer.

Your task is to keep working on your plan.  Keep putting new jobs at the top of the funnel and following up until you land your next ministry position.

We recommend that you have between five and ten jobs in your funnel at different points at any given time.

If you just work on one or two churches at a time, you could find your funnel empty, and you'll have to start all over from square one. This is the leading cause of job searches taking a long time.  You have to constantly prime the pump... adding new jobs to the top of your funnel as other jobs leave the funnel or work their way down.

Of course, with five or ten jobs in the hopper at any given time, it can get confusing... so you'll want to be organized. We’ve provided the Job Search Spreadsheet in this section to help you stay organized.

Are you on social media?

Consider this: One of the first things a prospective church will do is look you up on social media.

How do you represent yourself? Is your social media feed full of political posts? Are the pictures you post appropriate?

This is a great time to look at your social media accounts and read them with a fresh set of eyes (as a prospective church would). They may very well form their first impression of you from just one social media post from three months ago.

Additional Resources

We’ve assembled some great supplemental learning tools that will help you in your search for a healthy, long-term fit for your staff team.  All of these exclusive Chemistry Staffing resources are available for free download for you and your search team.

Your Presenters

Todd Rhoades

Co-Founder
Todd has invested over 30 years in serving churches, having served as a worship pastor for over 15 years, a church elder for more than a decade, and in various ministry leadership roles in both the business and non-profit sectors. As the original founder and developer of ChurchStaffing.com, Todd fundamentally changed the way thousands of churches search for pastors and staff on the internet. Todd served for over a decade as a Director with Leadership Network, providing him exposure to the innovative trends in today’s church and inside knowledge of how healthy churches operate. A graduate of Cedarville University, Todd lives in Bryan, OH with his wife, Dawn.
matt2

Matt Steen

Co-Founder
Matt has served the local church for over two decades as a youth pastor, church planter, and executive pastor. Originally from Baltimore, Matt currently lives in the Orlando, FL area with his wife Theresa, and has a B.S. in Youth Ministry from Nyack College and an M.Div. and MBA from Baylor University. Certified as an Urban Church Planter Coach by Redeemer City to City and as a StratOp facilitator by the Paterson Center, Matt has made a career of helping churches thrive through intentionality, clarity, and creating healthy cultures. He is convinced that a healthy church is led by a healthy team with great chemistry, and loves partnering with Chemistry’s churches to do great things for the Kingdom.

Need Additional Help With Your Search?

Check out these additional resources from our partners at ChurchResumes.com

Our video critique will take a look at your current resume and give specific recommendations to make drastic improvements. We’ll critique your resume based on our 20 resume benchmarks:

Ministry Stability | Ministry Experience | Current Employment | Employment Consistency | Education Level | Ministry Sustainability | Employment Timeline | Stage of Life | Family Dynamics | Online Presence | Picture Quality | Humbleness Quotient | Resume Presentation | Cover Letter | Video/Work Sample | Grammar and Spelling | Font Treatment | Contact Effectiveness | Resume File Format

We’ll compare your current resume against our 20 resume benchmarks. You’ll gain the knowledge to drastically improve your resume in 24 hours or less.

We’ll go over your Resume Self-Assessment step-by-step in our one-hour call together. We’ll discuss each of our 20 resume benchmarks along with specific recommendations to make your resume better. After you make the suggested edits to your resume, we’ll provided video feedback with any follow-up items

One-on-one mentoring during your transition will make a huge difference. You’ll have a trusted partner and confidant to work with your throughout the search process. We’ll dive into areas that are important to YOU…

Should I Say or Go? | Rediscovering/Clarifying Your Calling | Determining Your Best Fit | Resume Advice | Interview Preparation | Salary Negotiation
On-Site Visit Preparation | Family Health and Relationships | Literally Anything Transition-Related!