Diversity.
When it comes to building a great
ministry, team diversity is incredibly
important. But building a diverse
team, well, that is easier said than
done.
Intentionally or not, many ministries
find themselves going full speed
ahead in the effort to stay relevant.
As a result, they hastily commit
to hiring newbies who reflect the
qualities of their best leaders on
board. While there is nothing wrong
with hiring like-minded people
in certain categories, such as
candidates with a heart for God, in
order to thrive and move forward,
we need diverse teams.
Typically, when one hears the word
“diversity,” three things come to
mind: someone’s age, race and
gender. While those should be
considered when building a diverse
team, true diversity encompasses
so much more.
If you are seeking a more diverse
ministry, here are a few things to
keep in mind:
1. Involve your Employees
Making sure you have a diverse
team starts with the hiring
process. Many times, interviewing
candidates is done only by the HR
department, leaving the team that
will eventually be working with
this new hire completely out of
the process. However, in order to
have a diverse team, your current
employees should be involved.
Your employees are attuned to
their team’s current needs and may
have valuable insight based on
daily happenings. Also, assuming
you selected all team members
with care, you can have confidence
in your employees to help identify
a candidate who brings something
new to the table while fitting in
well with the personalities on your
team.
2. Think Strategically
To truly have a diverse team, you
need to think outside the box. That
means going beyond the traditional
definition of the term. In the same
way, you also need to look past
resumes, which can’t tell you
much beyond work history, to find
candidates with diverse knowledge,
backgrounds and experiences.
Take education, for example. If your
team is comprised of people whom
all went to similar colleges and got
the same degrees, chances are,
they all have like-minded thought
processes. Your team’s educational
backgrounds should be as diverse
as their work experiences. In some
“
To truly have a
diverse team, you
need to think outside
the box. Go beyond
the traditional
definition of the term.
Solutions • 27