Ever wonder how your “ad” for a ministry position might be viewed by potential ministers? One interesting post from what appears to be a former minister in the church of christ. Interesting and would like to know what you think. Perhaps it will spur some thought the next time you post an opening in your ministry.

Considering this bizarre ad for a minister, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I have copied it in its entirety. The only changes that I have made are to remove identifying information, put the ad in blocks, and clean up the text to make it easier to read.  I have also inserted my own comments (not indented) between the copious requirements made by the church in question.

The _____ Church of Christ, a new congregation, seeks a dynamic full-time minister to come and minister to us. The church started in the ______ area almost two years ago and now has 150 members. We are now at a point where we need a full-time minister to come and join the team. This will be our first full time staff position. We still do not own a building, so please send your resume via email. If you are interested in a rewarding and successful ministry, then please apply. Here are the qualifications we are looking for:

Okay, nothing too weird so far, except for the bit about being interested in a rewarding and successful ministry. Apparently, they want to avoid those preachers who are only interested in failing ministries.

Professional: Leadership – Training and/or Understanding of the dynamics of leadership and management. Past experience and success in organizational management is a plus. Self-Starter – The candidate should be a self-starter, not requiring supervision.  Visionary – The candidate should be a visionary, having a clear vision for the church and the ability to realize that vision. Musical Ability – Though not required, the ability to train or lead in the praise and worship team and the music ministry is a huge plus. Technological – Familiarity with technology is greatly desired. Computer and PowerPoint experience is a must. Presentation – It is desired that the candidate have a strong and polished public presentation with a good public speaking voice. Supervision – The candidate should be willing to work under the direction and supervision of the leadership committee that is temporarily in place until the appointment of elders. Track Record – The candidate must have a track record of church growth and experience in a medium and large church environments.  

First, I love that they give the option of having “Training and/or Understanding of the dynamics of leadership and management.”  What would they do with the applicant who says “I have been trained in the dynamics of leadership and management, but I don’t really understand them”?

Next, they say that the candidate should not require supervision. However, 7 sentences later they say that “the candidate should be willing to work under the direction and supervision of the leadership committee that is temporarily in place until the appointment of elders.”  This reminds me of that great scene in Raising Arizona where John Goodman and William Forsythe rob the bank and shout, “Freeze! Everybody down on the ground!” and the old man says, “Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Meanin’ to say, if’n I freeze I can’t rightly drop, and if’n I drop, well, I’m-a gonna be in motion…”

And don’t forget the last part about the track record. That will be important below.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.