Before You Go - Questions to Ask the Leadership Team

This episode delves into the essential questions pastors must ask when considering a transition to a new church role. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the leadership dynamics, mission alignment, and support structures to ensure a healthy ministry fit. 

• Understanding the leadership team's role as a church's backbone 
• Assessing the church's mission and vision for alignment 
• Evaluating decision-making processes and their implications 
• Identifying the current challenges within the church 
• Clarifying expectations for your role in the new church 
• Analyzing conflict resolution approaches within the leadership 
• Defining metrics of success and your fit within those metrics 
• Importance of preparation and active listening during discussions 
• Seeking divine guidance in the transition process 
If you would like to get a copy of the book that we've been going through, it's Wade Hodges' book Before You Go, you can just send me an email. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. It's really a must read for pastors that are navigating any kind of transitions now or in the future.

Have questions or comments? Send to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com

Be sure to subscribe to The Healthy Church Staff Podcast wherever you regularly listen to podcasts.

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Is Your Church Hiring?
If your church is searching for a new staff member, reach out to Todd for a conversation on how he might be able to help.

Are You Looking for a New Ministry Role?
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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at Chemistry Staffing, so glad you're here today. And today we're going to dive into one of the most important parts of discerning any transition, and when I'm talking transition, I'm talking about leaving where you are in ministry and going to the next place in ministry, and that's the questions that you need to ask the leadership team of the church that you're considering. So you're interviewing with the church. You've not accepted the role yet, but you're still. Maybe you're going for an on-site visit. You're meeting with the leadership team. Here are some questions that you should consider. That's what we're talking about today.

Speaker 1: 0:37

This episode, as was last week's podcast, this week's podcast and next week's podcast, a three-week series we're doing, inspired by Wade Hodges' book called Before you Go, questions Every Pastor Must Ask Before Moving to a New Church, and we're going to start today with saying that honestly. The leadership team is often the backbone of a church. You know that. It's the backbone of the church where you are now. It's the backbone, really, of every church, and understanding how they operate and what they value and how they work together it's really essential for whether or not, the church is going to be a healthy fit for you. Now, chances are you know you've been at your church, you know how your leadership team works, but you probably know very little at this point about how the church the prospective church you're looking at maybe going to what their leadership team is like and how healthy they are. Wade emphasizes in his book, really, the importance of asking very direct yet thoughtful questions while you're having these conversations with the church.

Speaker 1: 1:41

Okay, todd, what are some of the key questions I should be asking? First of all, I think this is a good question. It's a 30,000 foot view question, right, but here it is. What's the church's, what is your church's mission and vision? And I tell you what. First of all, if they can't answer that, that could be a red flag for you. But really, what you wanna find out is, first of all, do they have an answer? And second of all, does their mission align with your calling and your values? Are they clear about where they're headed as a church? And then, if they're able to answer that question to your satisfaction line, the next question would be how are decisions made? Because understanding that decision-making process can really reveal whether the leadership team operates with clarity and unity or transparency, ask what are some of your church's greatest challenges right now? This question will help you to gauge whether or not the church is navigating manageable issues or if they're really facing systemic problems. Maybe that's why they're hiring a new pastor or a new staff member. Maybe they're really facing some incredible problems that could make your ministry, your next role, really difficult.

Speaker 1: 2:52

Another question ask them hey, what if I come on staff here? What are your expectations for my role? You need to have some clarity and sometimes there's a job description, sometimes there's not. If there's not a job description, there probably should be. But make sure, even if you've got the job description, that you ask them about what their expectations are, the more clarity you can get on your responsibilities and your goal and your reporting structure. All that can really help prevent a lot of misunderstandings and a lot of frustration down the road. Lot of misunderstandings and a lot of frustration down the road.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Another question how does leadership team, how does your leadership team, handle conflict? Every church has conflict. You're not asking them something weird. Every church has conflict. You know that. But it's the way that conflict is handled that really speaks volumes about the health of the team and the congregation. And then going back to the last question, where I told you to ask what are your expectations, this takes it even a little bit further.

Speaker 1: 3:53

What does success look like here? Understanding how the church measures success can help you determine whether your values align. Is it butts in the seats? Is it dollars in the offering plate? Is it baptisms? Is it community engagement? Is it small groups? Is it discipleship? How does that church measure success and how are you going to fit in to those metrics and what they're measuring and how, six months or a year in that, you're doing a good job. And then one other question I would always ask is how will I be supported? Ask about resources and mentorship possibilities, ask about accountability structures to understand how the church will help you be set up for success. Okay, so here's the bottom line for today. The questions you ask the potential future leadership team can really make or break as a matter of fact, it should make or break your decision to join a church.

Speaker 1: 4:50

So take time to prepare thoughtful questions. You can always re-listen to this podcast. Check the notes for the questions that I've included here. These are just a few of the questions and a side note you don't wanna go in with a thousand questions, right? You wanna go in with a handful of questions? If you go in with a thousand questions, it's like you're gonna be loaded for bear. Just pick I think I gave you five questions here Pick five or six questions and there should be a time during your time together where you get a time to ask those questions.

Speaker 1: 5:17

So take time to prepare these very thoughtful questions, that kind of dig a little bit beneath the surface. And how do you do that? First of all, you make the list right. Actually, I used to keep everything in my head until I turned 50, which was about 10 years ago and then I decided no, I can't rely on my head anymore. I got to write everything down, even if you're 39, write everything down, write that list down and make sure you tailor your list to the specific concerns and priorities that you have, but be thoughtful and intentional. And then, when you get an opportunity to ask the questions it sounds really stupid to have to say this but listen actively, ask some follow-up questions, pay attention not just to what they say, but it's sometimes it's just as important. You know how they say it. Sometimes it's just as important what they don't say Read the tone, read the body language. All that shows to their transparency.

Speaker 1: 6:17

And then after the interview, there's an opportunity to ask some additional questions or some follow-ups. Anyway, I mean, if anything feels unclear or concerning, don't be afraid to ask those follow-up questions. It's better to address those concerns up front than to face any surprises for later. And then, obviously, you know, pray for wisdom. You really do need to ask God to help you discern and give you clarity about what's next for you and specifically about whether he wants you to work at this church and with this team. So here's your action step today Draft up a list of five or six questions that you will ask, again, using some of the parameters that I've hopefully given you here today. Make sure that these are things that matter to you. These are things that are going to help you make a decision, and if you have any questions or anything, I'd love to grab an email from you. Maybe grab some time on a Zoom call with you. You can always email me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'd be happy to help you refine your approach when it comes to interview questions that you would ask a future church. Okay, and if you're enjoying the podcast, I hope you are.

Speaker 1: 7:26

Don't forget to subscribe so that you can not miss any episode. We're here every day, monday through Friday, for five to eight minutes. We're a little over eight minutes today. I hope you'll subscribe and join us. Watch here on YouTube as well. We're just adding this to our YouTube channel here in 2025. So, thank you so much. We're here to help you build a happy team. We're for you and we want to help you however we can. Finally, if you would like to get a copy a free copy of the book that we've been going through it's Wade Hodges' book Before you Go, you can just send me an email. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. It's really a must read for pastors that are navigating any kind of transitions now or in the future. So just pop me an email. I'd be happy to send that out to you right away. Thanks so much. Have a great.