We are forever looking for ways to help our clients optimize their work, and get the most out of the team they are on. So we listen to a whole lot of sermons, podcasts, and lectures. We read a ton. And every now and then, we run across an extra special nugget of wisdom.
Andy Stanley’s podcast from two weeks ago is one of those extra special lessons.
Andy lets us in on two secrets that he says took him forever to learn:
- The less you do, the more you can accomplish.
- The less you do, the more you allow others to accomplish.
Bullseye.
As your organization develops and continues to grow, your challenge will increasingly be to hone in on their strengths and delegate out their weaknesses.
Andy’s lesson is full of great action steps and points out 5 great learnings for leaders.
Rather than type more, we’ll do less, and just point you to the full podcast here. It’s 22 minutes worth spending.
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Mountain Lake Church of Cumming, GA has been in a growth spurt for a while now. Ten years old, and on the heels of moving into their new worship facilities designed by Visioneering Studios, the church is poised to go to the next level.
In preparation for that move, Shawn Lovejoy contacted William Vanderbloemen and Tony Morgan about helping staff for the future. That led to several key searches for Mountain Lake at once.
Shawn Lovejoy
The results have been good. Really good.
“God has really used William and his team in connecting people to our team with high character, capacity, and chemistry.” – Shawn Lovejoy
Shawn commented on the process, “God has really used William and his team in connecting people to our team with high character, capacity, and chemistry.” It wasn’t just about finding resumes, but finding the right matches for Mountain Lake’s DNA. Shawn continued, “William loves the Lord, loves the church, and is very connected to all the things God is doing in the church as a whole. He’s helped our church grow in all of these areas, because of our relationship with him. William and his team have even helped educate us on how to hire and lead high capacity teams and team members more effectively, during this process.”
The searches resulted in two key staff appointments from proven individuals with proven experience at nationally known churches:
Blake Stanley is filling a newly created position, Student & Teaching Pastor. Blake comes to the church with senior level teaching experience at Free Chapel, a church of over 10,000 pastored by Jentezen Franklin. Blake has taught before thousands, and led student ministries for years. His addition has already made a huge difference at Mountain Lake. He will oversee all Student Ministries, and be a regular teacher at main weekend services.
Mitch Corn has been named Executive Pastor for Children and Family Ministries. Children and family ministries has been a hallmark of Mountain Lake throughout its 10 year history. Now, that ministry is poised for an even greater future.. Mitch comes to Mountain Lake after a long run at Ed Young’s Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX, where Mitch most recently served as the leader over all Elementary Ministries.
William commented on the searches and appointments. “Watching this team come together was a real privilege for me. I just loved getting to know Mountain Lake, and believe in their ministry. It was also a blessing to get to know Shawn Lovejoy as well as I did through the process. He’s become much more than a client, and is now a dear friend. I believe that as the team comes together, you will hear more and more about the growth and effectiveness of Mountain Lake Church in reaching those far from God and bringing them to the Savior. Working on jobs like this is what makes me love getting to do what I do.”
William and the team at the Vanderbloemen Search Group have had the chance to help several churches with multiple hires and searches. The Vanderbloemen Search Group is a retained executive search firm that helps churches and ministries find their key staff. Should your church need help or have questions, please contact us.
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Who should you choose to be your reference (or call as a reference)? What will they/should they be asked? Here’s our experience, which should prove helpful to you whether you are hiring or trying to land a job.
- Your ideal list of references should be about four.
- Don’t just use people you used to work for. Include people who worked alongside you, and people who worked for you. We want a 360 of you as a person and a potential employee.
A great list of references will include:
- Previous supervisors
- Spiritual advisers or trusted friends
- Church members
- Former employees
Here are some questions we will likely ask your references.
- What was [candidate's] biggest contribution to the job while working for/with you?
- Have you seen [CANDIDATE] fail while leading a project? How did he/she address it?
- Tell me about [CANDIDATE's] top spiritual gifts.
- Have you seen [CANDIDATE] build teams? If so, tell me how.
- If [CANDIDATE] died today, how would his/her work be remembered?
- What is it like to work for [CANDIDATE]? What are his/her top strengths as a leader? Where could they be better?
- In what type of church he/she most effective?
- What do you think will be [CANDIDATE's] biggest challenge in the job they are applying for?
- What is [CANDIDATE's] prayer life and spiritual discipline like?
You might keep this list to prepare your references for calls, or to use for your own reference calling. And as always, our firm is glad to help you in your own search process. Feel free to contact us.
The Vanderbloemen Search Group is a retained executive search firm that helps large churches and ministries find their key staff people.
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Tammy Kelley - Ministry Partner & Project Manager
The Vanderbloemen Search Group is pleased to announce Tammy Kelley as the newest addition to our team. Tammy will serve as both a Ministry Partner and a Project Manager. Her expertise and experience will greatly undergird our firm’s ability to execute searches at an even higher level of excellence.
“I’m joining Vanderbloemen Search Group because their approach is unique. It’s a smart approach that delivers results.” – Tammy Kelley
Tammy brings 15 years of ministry leadership experience to the Vanderbloemen Search Group with a particular focus on people and talent management. She has served in key leadership roles where her overall goal was to assemble teams of high capacity, high performance, and high character people who partner together to advance the kingdom. She has a track record of developing and implementing strategy, improving organizational effectiveness, and getting the right people in the right roles.
Most recently, Tammy served for seven years on the senior leadership team of Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL. While at Willow ,Tammy spent much of her time leading People Resources – human resources, internship, and volunteerism. In addition, she also had the opportunity to lead and strategically invest in: communications, global/local compassion, and Casa de Luz.
Prior to Willow Creek, Tammy served on the staff team of Ginghamsburgh Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Ginghamsburg has a reputation of instilling positive community impact by aggressively serving the under-resourced and being involved in social causes. While at Ginghamsburg Tammy served as the Executive Pastor and was also directly involved with Adult Ministries and Volunteerism.
When asked about working in a search firm, Tammy responded by saying,
“I’ve been skeptical about search firms in the past – quite honestly because during my 15 years in church leadership I’ve tried using search firms to fill key open staff positions a number of times – and the search firms just didn’t deliver. I’m joining Vanderbloemen Search Group because their approach is unique. It’s a smart approach that delivers results.”
In addition to serving with the Vanderbloemen Search Group, Tammy consults with churches, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations helping them create sound plans for growth and health, with careful consideration to the unique values of each organization. She is also a member of Tony Morgan‘s new Ministry Strategies team
Tammy is the author of numerous articles and has hosted many workshops all focused on developing people and organizational structures. At the end of the day I believe it’s all about loving God and investing in people.
Tammy and her husband Mike live in the Chicagoland area and are the parents of three grown children.
Feel free to contact Tammy at tammy@vanderbloemensearch.com
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