Staffing for the Growing Church by Pastor John Nuzzo

Staffing for the Growing Church
by Pastor John Nuzzo

John Nuzzo is the senior pastor of Victory Family Church located in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.  Pastor John and his wife Michelle founded the church in 1993.  Under their leadership, the church has grown into a body of believers possessing the same vision—to reveal the love of God for all mankind.  Their belief is that an individual’s understanding of the depths of God’s love will cause every man, woman and child to rise above their circumstances, have an eternal perspective in life, and be moved beyond their own needs to the needs of humanity.  Pastor John’s teaching is delivered in a way that is relevant to the life and heart of every believer.  Pastor John and Michelle’s desire is to see people experience God in everyday life.

I have discovered that there are several key factors to successfully staffing a growing church.  The first is providing clear direction.  The second is finding the right people, and the third is managing the people with measurable and time sensitive goals.

Most senior pastors of growing churches have little to no difficulty in knowing their intended direction for the church they lead.  However, most “visionary leaders” often have great difficulty in effectively and consistently communicating their heart and vision to staff.  Most pastors that I interact with can clearly articulate the direction, focus and passion of their hearts for the church they serve.  They also typically possess the ability to share the vision with their congregation.  However, many of them have failed to acquire the skills and tools to effectively communicate to their staff.  We often “assume” that those around us understand things in a few short meetings, which have taken us a lifetime to develop.  Most conflicts that exist in the staff are a result of differing assumptions. Communication is the lifeblood of any organization and is the only remedy to the issue of differing assumptions.  Try this little exercise at your next staff meeting.  Take 5 minutes and ask each person present to write down the top 3 things that define the focus, passion and vision of your church and what the top three things are that they are doing that week to move toward fulfilling the vision.  You may be surprised at the answers.  How can someone fulfill a vision that they haven’t yet embraced or understood for themselves?  What does a “win” look like and can both you and those on your staff clearly articulate the intended outcome for their position?

Finding the right people is in my experience the most difficult part of the staffing equation. It is made easier when the following questions are answered before you ever interview a potential candidate.  Have you defined in writing the job description, its benefits, the top three measurable goals for the coming year, who the person will report to, who will report to the person, and the type of person you need for the position?  Before you look for a person, define the position and form your questions to a potential staff person based upon the documents you have created.  What is the person’s and position’s role preference and do they match?  A “role preference” is defining whether the person is a “designer,” a “developer,” or a “stabilizer,” or a combination.

Designer – Sees the big picture and thinks in headlines and finds details difficult.  A great leader, but poor manager.

Design/Developer – leans more heavily toward the Designer

Developer/Designer – leans more heavily toward the Developer

Developer – Likes to take a project that is defined and add the skin, bones, hair and clothes.  Can stay focused for 3 – 5 years on a given project or function.  A moderate leader, but a good manager.

Developer/Stabilizer – leans more heavily toward the Developer

Stabilizer/Developer – leans more heavily toward the Stabilizer

Stabilizer – Can stay with a task for years and years.  A poor leader, but a fantastic task person.

All seven types of persons are needed to effectively run the local church.  When you ask a stabilizer to do what either a developer or designer is gifted to do, you will cause a very good person to experience failure needlessly.  This process joins a faithful person with an inherent skill set and creates a greater likelihood for success.  For example, if you were hiring someone to oversee people or a project you would be looking for a “Developer.”  If that project was yet to be defined, then you would be looking for a “Design Developer” or a “Developer Designer.”  If you were looking for a receptionist, you would be looking for a stabilizer.  Ask questions that will help you define what role preference your potential staff person fits naturally.  You can also use this process with existing staff.  You will likely discover that you have some very good people doing jobs that cause them continual frustration.

Finally, you should only “expect” what you “inspect.”  Make sure that you have a weekly or bi-weekly meeting between the staff member and the person to whom they report.  Create a team report and ask the following questions:

  • What are the top three things that you need from me to proceed with your goals?
  • What problems are you encountering in reaching your goals?
  • What are you planning to do this week, month, and in the next six months specifically to reach your goals?
  • Who are you presently mentoring; update me on their progress?
  • How would you rate your personal happiness on a scale of one to ten?
  • What can I be praying about for you in either your ministry or personal life?

Keep a copy of each report and start a binder for each employee.  This will create a clear and concise record of each employee’s efforts.  This will help both you and your staff determine if their efforts are productive.  Remember to insist that they are honest and thorough in their answers.  For greater details and insight into this subject, I would highly recommend the book Masterplanning by Bobb Biehl.