 |
| Credit: Creative Commons (spDuchamp) |
This is the step most youth pastors neglect or skip over. Many youth workers are good at "gathering" and getting people to be on their team. Many are good at caring for and equipping their team once they've got their leader in place. However, far too many leaders are added to our teams without so much as an interview or even a background check. If you're going to build a good team, you need to make sure you've got the right people on your team. Once you've got someone who wants to be on your team, how to you get to know them so you know they'll be a good fit?
They key to interviewing and screening potential volunteers is having a clear process for doing so. Even if you're at a small church and have five volunteers, you need to have a set process for bringing a new volunteer onto your team. Who reviews the application? How many references do you require? Who oversees the background screening? Who ultimately "signs off" on the potential volunteer and allows them to officially become a leader? It's important to have these details in place so that interviewees will know what to expect of the process and how they become a leader. In our ministry, the process goes like this:
1) I ask a potential leader to consider applying for a volunteer position on our team (covered in yesterday's post).
2) Review the application and conduct a background screening, including calling references. Even in a short application, you can usually get a good idea about a person's interests, personality, and experience with teenagers. And whatever you do, don't skip the background screening, even if you feel like you know the person very well. Use a reputable company that specializes in non-profit volunteers. Not all background screening companies have access to the same court records online, so make sure you know what your screening includes. For instance, some county or state records aren't available electronically, so an "instant" online search by a company won't catch convictions in those areas. For the record, we use Secure Search at our church, but good companies that cater to church volunteers are becoming more prevalent, so make sure you find one that works for you. You may already have a church or denominational policy on this, so make sure you check with your denomination or your church's lawyer, especially when needing advice about a red flag on a criminal background check.
3) Conduct a face-to-face interview. Usually, the interview occurs in my office and lasts about 30-45 minutes. I ask them about their walk with Jesus and why they are interested in working with teenagers. I also describe in detail what their potential role would be, and what their responsibilities and expectations are. This is usually a laid-back time where they are able to ask their own questions of me as well.
4) Extend and invitation to join your team. Or, explain why being on your team isn't a good fit for them at this time, and find them a place they can serve in your church. When you do extend an invitation to be on your team, make sure you give a start date and outline their next steps, which we'll cover tomorrow. It may not be a paying job, but chances are they're excited to get started, so don't leave them hanging or be unclear about what they need to do next. And if you do need to say, "no" or "not at this time," do it lovingly and give clear reasons. It's okay to say "no" to someone you don't think will be a good fit or would make a good mentor for the teenagers you serve. You don't owe everyone a spot on your team, but you do owe potential volunteers at the very least a phone call and a concerted effort to make sure they know they're appreciated and that there is a place for them to serve somewhere.
5) Get them started on the right foot. For that, you'll have to tune in tomorrow. UPDATE: You can find the post on getting leaders started off on the right foot here."
QUESTION: Do you have a process for interviewing potential youth leaders?
