Finish Lines and Starting Lines: Three Questions When Moving from Residency to Full Time!
One of the huge benefits of a church leadership program is the idea of a two-year job interview. You get continued evaluations to determine chemistry, competence, and fit on your team. You get the opportunity to coach and influence this person from the earliest days of their ministry.
It’s that time of year…summer…heading towards fall and their internship or leadership residency is coming to a close and it’s time to make an offer for full-time ministry on to your team. Is this a finish line or a starting line? It’s both! And we should honor both of those milestones in this new leader's life.
Congratulations! They did it. You did it. What are the questions to ask to avoid the pitfalls of making a great situation potentially bad?
Here are three questions to ask:
// What changes Monday?Friday they left as a “leadership resident,” and Monday they walk in as a full-time staff pastor? How do we going to onboard them?
Potential answer with a question: Pretend like they moved cross country and you have never met them before. How would you be orienting them to this role? Assume nothing.
// What should we do to ensure that we view this person differently?Does everyone on your team now understand that they are no longer what they were, but they are now something different?
Potential answer: All rites of passage are designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles, and this ministry transition is no different. There needs to be something of a setting apart or a ceremony on the staff team. It doesn’t have to be grand, it does have to be stated in front of everyone. As the leader you will more than likely have to have some individual conversations with those who’ve been engaged in this process and align expectations.
// Do they have new expectations of themselves?Monday should be different in how they view their role.
Potential answer: Is there a new job description that clearly states 30/60/90/180 day goals? Their should be new expectations for them to step in to. If they’re awesome, they’ve potentially grown bored as a ministry resident and desire a new challenge. Remember every one should be just a little in over their head and should be pushing themselves towards growth.
If you find yourself in this transition this summer heading into fall, please reach out for help, OR join us for our first Thursday Webinar in July. Our topic of onboarding and beginning well will speak directly to your situation.