When building a team of employees or volunteers the pressure is on to fill all the holes. It is negligent to not hire any applicants; however, we often focus on filling the spots instead of finding the right people for the job. One way you can ensure you hire the right people in the right places is finding people who are genuinely interested in positions you wish to fill. This can be accomplished by talking folks out of a job.
This is a paradigm switch in recruitment. You tell the applicant the reality of the work, and you do not spend time overselling the high points. This tactic paints the job description warts and all. Make no promises about a perfect work situation and your applicant will have appropriate expectations. Consider the benefits of having someone say yes to a job where they clearly understand how difficult their position can be.
We know there is no shortage of challenges when it comes to children’s ministry. The volunteers you seek need to be bought into the mission of your children’s ministry. Their allegiance to this mission should make it where they cannot be talked out this job. No challenge should dissuade them from participating in children’s ministry.
Get specific as you outline some of the challenges. When interviewed for my current position Jeremy Echols gave me specific examples how working in the office is very different from what I experienced each summer at camp. We think about CentriKid Camp more than anyone else and our team culture demands us to year round do one more thing to make camp better. Jeremy simply told me if I could be talked out of the job I absolutely should not serve on this team. The more he pressed into me the more I was bought into the mission of our organization, which is to serve churches in their mission of making disciples. I could not be talked out of this job. I am now especially thankful for his honesty. It allows me to approach my work with the foreknowledge that I was committed to everything, not just the highlights.
Next time you recruit or interview keep this principle, “talk folks out of a job.”