5 Essential Traits of a Stellar Church Search Committee Chair (Part 1)

Selecting the right leader for your church's search committee can make all the difference. Want to know the top five traits that can set your search committee chair apart? Join us in this episode of the Healthy Church Staff podcast as Todd Rhoades, co-founder of chemistrystaffing.com, outlines the key qualities necessary for effective church leadership. From objectivity and strong communication skills to organization, discernment, and diplomacy, Todd provides a comprehensive guide to finding the perfect fit for this pivotal role.

Todd emphasizes that a great search committee chair does more than just manage resumes; they evaluate character, ensure cultural fit, and lead a cohesive team. Learn why objectivity is paramount, how strong communication can bridge gaps, and the importance of being a skilled listener. Discover the organizational prowess needed to keep the search process on track and the discernment required to uncover a candidate’s true potential. If you’re aiming to optimize your church staffing process, this episode is a must-listen.

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

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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?
If you are open to a new church role in the next few months, add your free resume and profile at ChemistryStaffing.com.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff podcast. Today we're kicking off a two-part series on a critical decision that can make or break your church staffing process choosing your search committee and choosing the head of your search committee. In this episode we're going to dive into five essential traits that make for a stellar search committee share. So stay tuned. That's what we're talking about today on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Hi there, my name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over chemistrystaffingcom and I'm your host on the Healthy Church Staff podcast. As I said, today we're diving into five essential traits that make for a stellar search committee chair. We talk with churches every day that are talking about asking us to help them with their new hires, and many of them, by the time they've talked to us, have already put their search committee together. So maybe we're a day late and a dollar short on this, and maybe you're a staff member and you think this doesn't really resonate with me, but listen, because I think you'll get some valuable insight into search committees and search committee chairs that may benefit you maybe not today, but maybe in the future. So what should you be looking for for this key leader? Let's dive in. I've got five things here I want to share with you that you should be looking for in not only search committee members, but particularly your search committee chair.

Speaker 1: 1:38

Okay, first is objectivity. A great search committee chairperson is almost like the judge in a courtroom. They can put aside their personal preferences and biases and preconceived notions aside. They can put all those aside and focus on what's best for the church. They're not going to be swayed by charm or charisma or flashy resumes, but instead they're going to evaluate candidates based on their skills and their experience and their character and alignment with the church's vision and values. Now, you want this with every person on your search committee, but particularly if you have a search committee chair that cannot put those personal preferences and biases and preconceived notions aside, it's going to be a rough search, okay. So objectivity is goal number one. Number two strong communication skills. The search committee chair is going to be the primary liaison between the committee and the candidates and the church leadership, so they need to be able to be clear and articulate in their communication about the church's needs and their expectations and the culture of the church to all the candidates. They're going to be your point person, okay. They also need to be skilled listeners and be able to hear and understand the concerns and questions of both committees the committee that they're leading, but also the needs and concerns of the candidate. So strong communication skills absolutely a must for your church committee chair.

Speaker 1: 3:09

Number three organization and time management. A church staff search. If you've ever been on a search committee, you know that man, it is a complex process. You've got lots of moving parts and a great search committee chair is almost like a project manager. They're going to try to keep everybody on track, they're going to manage deadlines, they're going to manage calendars, they're going to make ensure that the process moves forward smoothly, efficiently, and they're also going to Be on top of that timeline. They're going to delegate tasks, hold committee members accountable. So that organization and time management and follow through is huge, particularly for your chair. If you have a chair that cannot run a meeting, a chair that misses deadlines or cannot schedule meetings, those kind of things, or they're just not organized, it's going to be a hard search, all right. So we've talked about objectivity, we've talked about strong communication skills, we've talked about organization and time management.

Speaker 1: 4:10

Two more Discernment Finding the right person for a ministry role isn't just about checking boxes on a resume. Matter of fact, sometimes resumes look really people, look really good on paper and when you talk to them there's no way they would fit. Other times there's no way you would think they would fit looking at their resume. But you talk to them and, man, they're a great candidate. It's more than looking at resumes. It's about discerning a candidate's character and calling and cultural fit. And a great search committee chair has a knack for reading people. They have a knack for asking insightful questions and digging beneath the surface to uncover candidates' true potential. So as they lead your team, the discernment piece is really huge as well.

Speaker 1: 4:56

And then, lastly, diplomacy and conflict resolutions. Now, disagreements and conflicts. It's a little secret here, but I'm going to let you in on it. Okay, just between you and me, disagreements and conflicts are inevitable in a group setting. A great search committee chair is going to have that kind of skilled diplomat gifting, able to negotiate disagreements, to address concerns, to build consensus. They create a safe space for dialogue and encourage respectful communication and foster a spirit of collaboration.

Speaker 1: 5:34

Now, these five traits may seem like a tall order, but I assure you they're essential for a successful search committee chair. And I tell you what, if you've been on a search committee and you have not had somebody that has these five qualities, that your search is almost doomed from the start. When you find someone who embodies these qualities, you're setting your church up for a smoother, more efficient and, ultimately, a more fruitful staffing process. So here's the bottom line Choosing the right search committee chair absolutely crucial in finding the right staff member for your church. By prioritizing objectivity and communication and organization and discernment and diplomacy, you'll be well on your way to building a dream team that will help lead your church into a thriving future.

Speaker 1: 6:19

As always, if you need any assistance at your church when it comes to staffing, hiring, firing, reassigning staff, those kind of things I would love to be a resource for you. You can reach out to me anytime. Just reach out at podcastchemistrystaffingcom Podcast. At chemistrystaffingcom, I'm here to help you however I can, and I hope that I can help you again tomorrow right here on the Healthy Church Staff podcast. I hope you'll join us again tomorrow. Tomorrow we're going to do part two of we're going to look at five red flags to avoid in choosing your church committee chair. So join us again right back here tomorrow.