What Lead Pastors Should Be Looking For In Creatives.
Hiring creatives can be a difficult task — especially when it comes to the local church context.
I’ve become a huge proponent of looking within for creative talent that is waiting to be recognized, encouraged and released but that’s not always possible. Moreover, the abilities and talents that creatives commonly bring to the table can be incredibly niche and can make it difficult for senior leaders to gauge whether or not that individual will be a good fit for their culture on other levels such as personality and character. Many churches end up compromising on traits that they would deem essential for other positions because they are looking for the results that a talented creative can bring to their culture.
At the end of the day, every hiring scenario is different; every candidate unique. Regardless of whether you’re looking for an external hire or looking to raise up talent from within, I think these 5 traits are essentials that creatives should already possess (to a certain extent) before they enter vocational ministry within your context.
DO THEY KNOW JESUS?
Not, ‘do they know things about faith, church culture’ OR ‘have they had past experiences with Jesus’… Do they have a thriving, personal relationship with the LORD? A genuine, personal revelation of Jesus is — and always will be — the foundation for effective ministry. Remember, you are inviting this creative into a position of leadership and influence in your church community. Yes, you are there to encourage their spiritual journey and health but if an active and intentional relationship with the LORD is already a part of who they are this isn’t the right next step for them.
How do you distinguish between a nominal Christian with creative abilities and a spirit-filled believer with creative abilities? I would be looking for evidence of their own devotional and prayer life. Ask questions about what they have been reading in Scripture recently, what the LORD has been revealing to them during their personal time with them. Senior leaders tend to be relatively good judges of character — you are, after all, in the ‘business’ of leading people. The real challenge will be to not compromise on this important trait. Many times, senior leaders will convince themselves that although they don’t see the individual as a seriously passionate follower of Christ they can change that. Maybe yes… Maybe no… Speaking from personal experience, I would want this box checked off before bringing this person into a position of leadership on my team.
ARE THEY JUST BUILDING A PORTFOLIO?
Make no mistake, resumes that include evidence of proficiency in one’s craft are an important part of the hiring process. But local church ministry should always be more focused on discovering, developing and deploying people to fulfill a unified vision. Discerning between whether a creative wants to work in your environment because they are passionate about the church’s vision and want to serve the people who call that church home OR are simply looking to enjoy the hard-earned influence of your platform and diversify their portfolio with impressive art is difficult. I’ve heard many pastors articulate after a creative leaves their context that it felt like they never really wanted to be a part of the church; they were just there for the opportunity of the job and not for the beauty of the community. How can you read the heart posture of the individual before they step into the role?
My encouragement would be to listen carefully to the questions that they ask and look for their interest in more than just the role’s creative opportunities. Are they asking questions about the healthy and vitality of the church that wouldn’t necessarily affect them on a day-to-day basis? Are they showing an interest in the discipleship and spiritual formation ministries? Are they curious about the community and what makes it unique?
ARE THEY EDUCATED OR EXPERIENCED?
In my opinion, real world, hands-on experience will always take precedent over theoretical, unpracticed knowledge. Practically speaking, I would rather hire a creative who has served in a local church environment and has experience in their craft that someone who sat in a post-secondary environment for 4 years and didn’t gain any experience serving in an active role within a church.
In ministry, there are lessons that must be learnt by doing. Things that no Bible College will ever prepare you for. Essential skills such as serving the vision of a leader with honour, interacting well within a complex staff dynamic and leading volunteer teams made of up real people — parents and families working full-time jobs and having other commitments besides volunteering at church — are great examples. In many ways, this is why so many Bible College graduates who step into ministry roles within local churches tend to move on to new opportunities within the first 1-2 years. Although they learned theoretical knowledge, they lived within a bubble of young adults who were — hopefully — passionate about Jesus and like-minded. Nothing in that environment could prepare you for some of the very real challenges of serving in a church that is filled with different age groups and life scenarios.
I’m a huge advocate for education; I think that the best of pastors are pursuing continuing education to one degree or another. But I also think that education paired with experience is an essential combo. That’s why I encourage most young people, especially creatives, who are feeling called into vocational ministry to join an internship style program and gain their education remotely. That was my experience and I believe that I’m better for it. As a leader, you should look for volunteer experience, internships or even previous ministry positions in addition to degrees or portfolios.
HOW DO THEY PRESENT IN PERSON?
Many creatives are probably at least a wing 4 on the Enneagram. What does that mean? It means that desiring to be unique in some ways just comes with the territory of being a creative. Their gifts have caused them to be highly-complex, perhaps even dramatic and high-maintenance (looking at you worship leaders…), and as such they may naturally present themselves and respond to others differently than other team members. For many of them, they may have learned to hide behind their craft — whether in front of a computer, behind a camera or with an instrument. But you aren’t hiring them purely for what they do.
“Ministry is not purely about doing, it’s about leading. If the potential only exists within your creative’s skillset, that will inevitably be the ceiling to your organization. Leading in a creative role is as much, if not more, building and investing in team than it is simply executing.” — Jonnathan Brownlee
I was talking with Jonnathan (aka, JB) about this recently. JB is the Creative Pastor at Experience Church in Calgary, AB and a wealth of knowledge in cultivating healthy creative culture in local church contexts. He went on to say, ‘a common trait of newer creatives is that they find identity in what they create. As leaders, we are called to duplicate ourselves; to shift from being the only creative to raising up a team of creatives. That can be difficult if your identity is completely founded in your position but it’s the only way to see longevity in ministry.’
I think he’s totally right! You need someone who can exist apart from their creative craft; who can cultivate a team of other creatives and thrive within a culture of real people. Pay attention to how they respond to in-person connection. Are they personable? Mature? Well-spoken and easily conversational? In addition, look for personal traits such as cleanliness, organization and punctuality.
DO THEY EXIST OUTSIDE OF THEIR CRAFT?
This is almost a continuation of what we were just talking about but I think it warrants it’s own point. Many times, creatives took their passions and turned them into vocational pursuits. It’s what made them successful and, probably, what made you interested. But understanding healthy work-life balance outside of one’s professional life shows maturity and sustainability that many creatives lack. Look for hobbies and interests that exist outside of their creative sphere and that can serve as genuine pressure releases for the hard and long hours that they invest into their vocation.
Additionally, I would watch for side-hustles or freelance work that they already have or are planning to pursue. It’s easy for creatives to find work; it can be much more difficult for them to find community. People are always calling them based on their ability but will rarely care for their emotional or spiritual health. Can you pay this person full-time to a point where they don’t need to take on addition work to pay the bills? Hopefully yes. If not, be prepared that freelance work can lead to emotional or creative fatigue and may begin to affect performance in their day-to-day local church position.
At the end of the day, culture is a fragile being — it demands to be cultivated and tended to. Just like the Father who regularly prunes our lives to ensure that we are bearing good fruit (John 15), so does culture need to be continually and meticulously worked on and cared for.
Agree or disagree with some of these thoughts? Let’s get a convo started right here on Instagram.
