Podcast Episode #095
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Finding a job in ministry can be difficult if you’re just sending out resume after resume to church after church. Not only can it be difficult, it can be downright discouraging and frustrating. So today, we cover 10 tips for finding jobs in a ministerial context as well as a few resume tips. Many of them also apply to finding jobs in a secular environment.
We also answer the question: When should I tell my boss I’m looking at another job?
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- You should make any employment change a matter of prayer.
- Don’t let your heart be in another job while you’re still in your current job.
- Pastors often don’t realize how much the church website personally reflects on them.
- If you include a picture with your ministerial resume, make it a professional one—not one with your dog.
- When you are leaving a church staff, be positive and focus on the blessings you received while at the church.
- Unfortunately in some churches, even looking for a new job can be seen a treasonous offense and might lead to firing.
The 10 keys for finding a job in ministry are:
- Make it a matter of prayer
- Don’t let the next position distract you from the present position
- Do well where you are
- Stay connected with others
- Remember the “big three”: your sermon podcasts; church website; social media
- Do your homework on other opportunities
- Ask someone else to recommend you (but don’t overdo it)
- Be highly responsive when someone contacts you
- Get coaching with your resume
- Leave well
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Great suggestions – thanks so much. It would like to share that I have been praying about leaving my present pastorate and going into secular employment (I have been in the ministry 30 years). However, I resolved with God’s help to do my utmost while still here. I have been praying more, preaching with greater intensity and passion, seeking to love and forgive some difficult people, and I have increased the intensity of my daily workouts. The Lord has recently been blessing the church in some tremendous ways. So, for the time being, I am riding this wave of blessing and seeing what the Lord does. Numbers 1 and 3 really are coming into focus for me. Thanks again.
I am praying with you, Dan.
My name is Tammy Reeves. I have a Bachelors’ degree in Leadership of Biblical Ministries. I did not return to school until I finished raising my children so I am older than the average graduate. I have been volunteering weekly at my church to teach children. I also teach at a drug rehab center ministering to men and women. I really need to start getting paid for my works. It takes money to live and my husband reminds of this daily. I cant bear to have my husband begrudge making the living anymore even though I work just as hard as he does. A woman who stays home and cooks, cleans, scrubs, shops, takes care of all the business of the home is not appreciated anymore. I am a very hard working woman and I take great pride in my abilities. Please, all I want is a chance to prove all I have to offer. I am a very good minister and I know my Bible. Prayerfully consider me.
I’m not sure many pastors grasp the significance of their websites even now, when the whole world is so tech savvy. I don’t consider myself to be personally, but the internet is a wonderful resource, akin to having a massive library in my home, and when visiting churches (or considering visiting churches), or looking up particular individuals running churches, or looking for specific programs at churches in our area, the first place I think of is a church’s website. Phone books never cross my mind anymore. If a church has no website, so be it, but if they have one that’s ill-kept, that says as much to me as anything else on it, and leaves me uncertain about showing up at that venue (for example, if this info on the website is wrong, or if this church’s calendar is this out of date, could their service times be also?) Maybe it’s not the pastor’s fault per se, buuuuut if he’s in charge, and some things are going uncared for, or are poorly maintained, like the church website, it’s just not a good reflection on the pastor or the ministry. If a pastor wants a website but doesn’t want to worry about the maintenance of it, then just put basic information that doesn’t change, and keep the special events and calendars off of it. Or pick specific weekly/monthly dates when updates are made or at least double checked. But take the internet/social media stuff seriously, cuz even older people are relying on it now.
Very well said, Louise.
After listing to the podcast one word sums it up is…. OUCH! Out of the 10, I have broken most of them. Even out of desperation I have applied for ministry positions in churches that I do not subscribe to some of their teachings. Just looking for the first ministry position, I have applied for most any opening without
asking God if this is what He wants.
Thanks for the eye-opener!
Thank you for your transparency, Mark. I know many more listeners feel the same way you do.
Thanks for the great info. I definitely know the feeling of divided affection and eyes when you are looking to go somewhere else. The best thing I did for myself at that time was to take a break from the search and focus back on where I was. That has allowed me to flourish where I am, but I recently put my information out there to see if God might open a door.
I also recently wrote a guide for a friend doing his search, and I thought it might give some practical tools/insight on searching. This isn’t intended to be “unspiritual” (you certainly need to pray and not go where you don’t feel led to be), but I hope it might be helpful to anyone looking (especially in the SBC ecosystem).
Seminary Postings
The six big SBC seminaries should link all of their postings into a single job search site. That, of course would be too helpful. They only allow their alumni to view them generally. (If you have friends who have attended other seminaries, see if they will allow you to utilize their ministry referral login). You can at least look at the postings, see the church, and easily look up their contact info. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary puts their postings in their online newsletter. Generally, the job postings for the seminaries are in the states surrounding them, but sometimes they are from all over the world. Again, you’ll have to find contact info through google, call the church, and find where to send your stuff (you might could email them as well if you can find an email address).
NOBTS currently posts their listings without need of a login. Find it here: http://nobtsgatekeeper.wordpress.com/jobs/
SBC.net
The Southern Baptist Convention has recently updated their job site. I need to check it out as well. You can find it here: http://www.sbc.net/jobs/
Search Groups
This is somewhat new in ministry placement (as far as I know). Rather than a church collecting resumes, they hire a organization or “group” to help find their next pastor/minister. The process of giving your stuff to these groups can be long and arduous, but I do have some friends who have been placed with them.
http://www.vanderbloemen.com/ (these guys actually make churchstaffing.com)
http://slingshotgroup.org/
http://ministersearch.com/
Baptist State Convention Job Listings and Individual Associations
Each state convention has its own website. These usually have a process by which you may submit a resume. This can also be time consuming and require a good bit of data entry. If you wanted to get super serious, you could mail blitz all of the association in a given state by getting their mailing addresses. These are usually available on the convention website. Some states have also begun using a “shared” system that actually gets your stuff out to several states. Louisiana’s resume system actually does 8 states now. I’d also try to at least do Texas stuff since the state is stinking huge!
Louisiana:
http://resume.louisianabaptists.org/home.aspx?sid=39529513-d386-48b9-9428-e4992068e6ad
Texas (Texas has two state conventions, and I can explain the difference if you want:
http://resume.sbtexas.com/
http://texasbaptists.org/ministerconnection/
Some Hints
Keep Everything:
Make sure you keep everything you write to search teams or other questionnaires. Answering these questions can be tedious, but once you have done it, you can copy/paste them into a million others. I’m attaching some questionnaires that I filled out and answered so you can see what I mean. A couple are from churches that I submitted stuff to, and one was the questionnaire for Slingshot Group. You will see that they are incredibly long, but again… you can use them over and over again in other stuff.
Get a website:
I can help you there if you want it (my minor was web design) You can check out mine at pastorjeremy.us (I need to do a little updating, but it is in pretty good shape right now.
Keep Networking:
I am going to send your stuff to some friends. Talk to anyone and everyone you know.
Don’t give up:
The US economy has actually meant that pastors stay put longer where they are (even if they are incredibly unhappy or God has called them to something else. I have friends that were in this process 2.5 years before they made a move. That is hard in your current situation, but you already know everything is in God’s time. So keep your chin up!
Very helpful, Jeremy. Thank you so much.
Right on time for us. We feel the call of God to step into ministry for the first time. I’ve been an assistant at my church for 5 years and my husband holds a secular job. Fortunately I still love my current job & I asked my boss to be praying into opportunities with us. She and our church leadership is amazing. We are excited to see where the Lord will lead us in the future!