Healthy Churches Grow
I have many fond memories of second grade. It was my first year at St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School — it was the school to attend if you were a total goof (which I was) or if your parents had political aspirations for you (mine did not–they were just hoping I would graduate from high school).
The highlight of my second-grade experience wasn’t the uniforms, weekly chapel services, or even the Taco Bell catered lunches. It was a woman. Not just any woman, mind you. I was smitten by an older, married woman. Her name was Mrs. Ennis and she was my second-grade teacher.
Our one-sided romance didn’t last long, but the light didn’t fade until she taught me a thing or two about life. Mrs. Ennis was the first person to teach me that God, in His perfect plan, causes healthy things to grow.
How did she impart this significant and unassailable truth? Through three simple ingredients: dirt, a lima bean, and a Styrofoam cup. Also, she taught me that there was much more than the initial excitement of seeing the first shoot that made its way through the soil. Mrs. Ennis told me that my fragile bean plant needed my continued attention to keep growing.
That’s just how God made stuff: He left it to us to provide intentional and thoughtful care for His creation to ensure continued health.
A church, like everything else divinely created (Jesus instituted the church and is its head), will experience growth when it is healthy. As we read in the book of Revelation, God’s plan for His Church is growth, so that people from every nation, tribe, people, and nation have the opportunity to respond to the gospel (see Revelation 7:9).
I am similarly convinced that God’s plan for your church is growth. Not eventually, but right now. Growth is the automatic result of healthy and intentional care.
What healthy and intentional care does your church need? The team at JustChurchJobs.com has been on the front lines of ministry for decades and what we’ve noticed in our churches and the churches with whom we partner is that most of us are practicing unhealthy habits in our valiant efforts to introduce health into our church.
Where are we most guilty? It’s been our observation that many churches are understaffed and overextended. As one pastor told us, “the needs of our ministry are greater than our staff’s ability to minister.” That’s as frustrating as it is avoidable.
Does your church need additional staff to help you realize the vision God has given your church? That’s why we created JustChurchJobs.com.
Here are a couple of benchmarks to consider: healthy churches employ one full-time staff member (or full-time equivalent) for every 75 attendees on Sunday morning and designate 50–55% of their annual budget for personnel costs.
If the plans God has for your church require an addition to your staff team, take a few minutes to post a job description on JustChurchJobs.com. We’re committed to prayerfully connecting you with qualified candidates, you’ll save money (we’re much cheaper than the other guys!), we’re networked with ministry professionals in healthy churches (our team is made up of pastors and church planters), and your job posting will never expire until you fill the position.
Also, to help you in the process of hiring a new staff member, we’ll give you sample interview questions, a candidate questionnaire, interview evaluations for your hiring team, and reference forms — all centered around 16 character traits and competencies that are “must-haves” for pastors and ministry leaders. You get all of this for only $99 per job posting.
What are you waiting for? God is ready to grow your church and has brought you one step closer to providing you the help you need. Visit JustChurchJobs.com and get ready to grow!
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