One of the most remarkable moments in my life was when Tree of Life Family grew beyond myself and my family. One of the tasks I now have I have never had before is to select and hire staff. Now I genuinely believe that I have the most remarkable pastoral and admin staff in all of Europe. I have seen several great ministers struggle so much because they hired the wrong staff. If your staff do not have your heart, and cannot work with you, you are never going to accomplish that much!
The only reason I can travel the way I do is my pastoral staff. The only reason I can grow the ministry as much as I can is my admin staff. Tree of Life Family is not a large ministry, we have nine staff, but they are remarkable. Anointed, loyal, some have been with me since nearly the first year of Tree of Life. They can work well together.
Right now, I am looking and dreaming of international staff, starting offices in other countries, that’s a big step forward, and again I need to think about how to do that.
This is an important job of a growing ministry, and you need to be praying about it now. Jesus had twelve staff and one of them stabbed him in the back, and if that happens to you, you are in good company.
You need to look for three things in good staff. The first is character. We are not a cut-throat business, we are not some company, we are the church of the living God. We need people who are patient, kind, not driven by the spotlight, who have a living relationship with the Lord through Bible study and prayer.
Secondly, look for capability – can they actually do the job. This is vital for both pastoral and admin staff. So essential!
Thirdly and finally, look for compatibility – in other words, can they work with you and your team. Someone might be exceptionally holy, and remarkably capable – but if they cannot work with you and your team, there’s an issue.
Selah.
Inspiring and Challenging Dreamers 