My goal when hiring someone is to get as much information ahead of time to help me decide whether or not I want to take the next step with them. I accomplish this by giving all candidates a lengthy questionnaire to fill out before we move to face-to-face interviews.
Part of the reason for giving this to people is to get actual information. I want to know everything that is asked. But another equally important reason for giving this to potential hires is to see how well they think and write. You should ALWAYS collect a writing sample before you get serious about a candidate.
A thorough staff questionnaire will accomplish both.
Here’s CCV’s Ministry Staff Questionnaire. Feel free to take it and adjust it as needed to meet the needs of your church.
CCV MINISTRY STAFF QUESTIONNAIRE
We want to thank you for your interest in working at Christ’s Church of the Valley. We’re excited to explore how God can use us together as a team to build a dynamic church that effectively “helps people far from God become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”
This questionnaire is strictly voluntary, but it is an important tool for us to get to know potential team members better. Below you’ll find a series of questions that will help each of us to discern God’s will as we explore whether or not God may want us to work together. Please keep your answers concise, but detailed. And, above everything else, please don’t think you need to show that you’ve “arrived.” What’s important to us is that you have potential, are teachable, and don’t take yourself too seriously. Please enter your responses under each question, save the file containing your responses, and send to the Executive Pastor.
Name:
Phone:
Address:
Email:
1. List every church you have attended since birth up until your present church (as much as you can remember). Please list the name of the church, the city and state, the church’s denomination, any ministries you were involved with in that church, and if you were paid to perform any of those ministries.
2. Describe your conversion experience. How did you come to know Christ?
3. Have you taken a personality test, e.g. the Myers Briggs evaluation? If so, what were your results? If you haven’t taken the test, let us know and one will be provided for you.
4. Are you married? How long? What do your spouse and family think about you possibly being a part of the church staff?
5. If you had to write an ideal job description for your position in our church, one that drew upon your personality type, spiritual gifts and God-given passion, what would it be?
6. What wouldn’t you want to do in our church? (Please be specific.)
7. What are your spiritual gifts?
8. Tell us about someone that you’ve led to Christ. How did you meet him/her? What did you do?
9. Take a moment and really brag: what are your best ministry accomplishments to date? What have you done to date that people would say: “Man … that was awesome!”
10. Take a moment and brag on your skills and abilities as an administrator: What computer applications can you use? How many words can you type per minute? What type of personal organizational system do you use? What classes or seminars have you attended to advance your skills?
11. Please give us short statements (2-3 sentences) on your beliefs in the following areas:
- The Trinity
- The Bible
- The Divinity of Jesus Christ
- Baptism
- Charismatic Spiritual Gifts
- Women Serving as Elders and Senior Pastors in the Church
- The Second Coming
- Universalism
- Homosexuality
- Abortion
- Euthanasia
- Pacifism
- Divorce/Remarriage
- School prayer
12. Take a moment and describe your personal life. What are the last five books you read? The last five movies you’ve seen? Your favorite TV shows? Your hobbies? Your last five vacations? Favorite foods? Favorite restaurants? Favorite secular music groups? Favorite Christian music groups? What radio stations do you listen to and what kind of music do they play? What kind of car(s) do you drive? Your ideal “night out?” Favorite internet sites? Favorite college and professional sports teams?
13. If you were to join the team, how long do you want to stay?
14. Tell us anything else about yourself that you think would help us to get to know you better.
If you are interested in learning more about the types of coaching I offer, you can do that here.
