A few months after I was hired at Moon Valley Bible Church, my boss walked into my office with a thick stack of papers. He said, "These are the all the applications that were submitted for your job." Looking at the big floppy stack. And I said, "Dang. That's a lot of applications."
He smiled and said, "Yeah, a lot of really quality worship leaders tried out for your job. Do you want to know why you got it?" My eyes widened and I thought What was it that set me apart?
I imagined some outstanding character quality that I never knew I had. He said, "During your audition, you were one of only a couple people who prayed with the band, and you were the only person who put down your guitar and came out from behind the mic for your a Capella piece."
My eyes remained widened, only now from the simplicity of his answer. Praying seems like a foregone conclusion when it comes to leading worship. And 'a Capella' literally means 'without accompaniment'. However, my boss went on to explain that most of the applicants didn't pray, and he said that most of them tried to accompany their a Capella piece with an acoustic guitar.
Arrogantly, I was looking for some amazing character quality that set me apart from other worship leaders. In the end, my boss told me that all the applicants were good, and what set me apart were just a few basic things.
Obviously, when you are looking for the right ministry role, the most important part is looking for God's leading. But we also have to carefully prepare to meet each task that He puts in front of us, especially when it comes to looking for a ministry role. Whether you're interviewing for a voluntary role or a paid one, the position you're working to get deserves your very best.
Putting your best foot forward could also be difference between getting the position you wanted, and having to keep looking. My boss told me that there were a lot of qualified worship leaders who went after my job. But in the end, it was the simple attention to detail (and God's will) that got me the gig.
Over the last few years, I've gotten to counsel a few young church leaders on how to prepare for ministry interviews, and these are some of the things that I consider to be the bare necessities.
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| Photo courtesy of Tom Vander Well at Flickr.com |
I imagined some outstanding character quality that I never knew I had. He said, "During your audition, you were one of only a couple people who prayed with the band, and you were the only person who put down your guitar and came out from behind the mic for your a Capella piece."
My eyes remained widened, only now from the simplicity of his answer. Praying seems like a foregone conclusion when it comes to leading worship. And 'a Capella' literally means 'without accompaniment'. However, my boss went on to explain that most of the applicants didn't pray, and he said that most of them tried to accompany their a Capella piece with an acoustic guitar.
Arrogantly, I was looking for some amazing character quality that set me apart from other worship leaders. In the end, my boss told me that all the applicants were good, and what set me apart were just a few basic things.
Obviously, when you are looking for the right ministry role, the most important part is looking for God's leading. But we also have to carefully prepare to meet each task that He puts in front of us, especially when it comes to looking for a ministry role. Whether you're interviewing for a voluntary role or a paid one, the position you're working to get deserves your very best.
Putting your best foot forward could also be difference between getting the position you wanted, and having to keep looking. My boss told me that there were a lot of qualified worship leaders who went after my job. But in the end, it was the simple attention to detail (and God's will) that got me the gig.
Over the last few years, I've gotten to counsel a few young church leaders on how to prepare for ministry interviews, and these are some of the things that I consider to be the bare necessities.
Honestly, honesty is genuinely important. When I was interviewing at Moon Valley Bible, they asked, "What's your greatest weakness?" I could have named any number of a hundred character defects that wasn't damning to my character, but my greatest weakness has always been my addiction to sex and porn. It was uncomfortable, but necessary for me to tell them everything that had happened in my past.
If a church hires you, the leadership there is going to find out all your dirty laundry anyway. And if you want to have a long career, they'd better hear it from you.
While you're being honest, put your best foot forward. You have to be honest, but also remember that the interview and audition are your first date with a prospective church. So don't forget to do all the important stuff, like smiling and looking people in the eyes when you shake their hands. Your goal should still be to impress the people you meet.
Don't forget the basic God stuff. It blew me away that worship leaders auditioning at my church forgot to pray. It seems so basic, but it's a real problem. If you're auditioning with a band, you should pray with the band.
And if a church asks you to fill out a questionnaire, be sure to include references to Bible verses in your answers. It seems like a foregone conclusion, but it's not. I remember having to be reminded to include Scripture references to my answers in questionnaires before. It's such a simple thing, but if you don't remember to do it, it'll make a BIG and bad impression.
If a church hires you, the leadership there is going to find out all your dirty laundry anyway. And if you want to have a long career, they'd better hear it from you.
While you're being honest, put your best foot forward. You have to be honest, but also remember that the interview and audition are your first date with a prospective church. So don't forget to do all the important stuff, like smiling and looking people in the eyes when you shake their hands. Your goal should still be to impress the people you meet.
Don't forget the basic God stuff. It blew me away that worship leaders auditioning at my church forgot to pray. It seems so basic, but it's a real problem. If you're auditioning with a band, you should pray with the band.
And if a church asks you to fill out a questionnaire, be sure to include references to Bible verses in your answers. It seems like a foregone conclusion, but it's not. I remember having to be reminded to include Scripture references to my answers in questionnaires before. It's such a simple thing, but if you don't remember to do it, it'll make a BIG and bad impression.
It's essential to have a high quality video of you leading. This may seem like vanity to a lot of worship leader, but it isn't. A high quality video of you leading worship does more than just let a prospective church see your beautiful face in high def. It shows them that you understand the importance of quality.
Most worship leaders end up doing more than just worship. Unless you get hired at a mega church that has a thousand employees, or a Amish church that doesn't do video, you'll likely end up doing some video producing for your church. The video you submit will either show your future church that you're capable of creating a high quality product, or it'll show your not future church that you don't get it.
Come up with good questions before you interview. When I interviewed at my church, I actually googled 'questions to ask at an interview'. Not one of my prouder moments. But it is important to show up with some questions, and make sure they're precise.
These are questions that I wish I had asked in my interview: How far in advance does the pastor make sermon content available? Will you please explain the church's theological stance? Who is this church for? How will this church change over the next 5 years? What's this church's greatest strength and weakness?
Dress your best. This doesn't mean that you show up in a suit. Today more and more church's will look at your funny if you show up in a suit. When I auditioned at Moon Valley, I wore jeans and a collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I dressed like that because that's what I typically wear on a Sunday. If you're not sure about this one, you can call the church's secretary, or your interviewer and ask. People typically appreciate this as a step of respect.
Be able to answer this critical question. What value do will you add to a prospective church? Even if they don't ask you this, it's the question they want answered. And ultimately it's all that matters. When you join a church's staff, you'll inevitably change things for the better or for the worse. The hope is that you'll add value to the church as a whole, and being able to articulate that value might make the difference between getting the job, and missing the opportunity.
I know you've got some great interviewing experience out there, what is your best tip for young church leaders who are looking for a new role? Leave your comment below.
Most worship leaders end up doing more than just worship. Unless you get hired at a mega church that has a thousand employees, or a Amish church that doesn't do video, you'll likely end up doing some video producing for your church. The video you submit will either show your future church that you're capable of creating a high quality product, or it'll show your not future church that you don't get it.
Come up with good questions before you interview. When I interviewed at my church, I actually googled 'questions to ask at an interview'. Not one of my prouder moments. But it is important to show up with some questions, and make sure they're precise.
These are questions that I wish I had asked in my interview: How far in advance does the pastor make sermon content available? Will you please explain the church's theological stance? Who is this church for? How will this church change over the next 5 years? What's this church's greatest strength and weakness?
Dress your best. This doesn't mean that you show up in a suit. Today more and more church's will look at your funny if you show up in a suit. When I auditioned at Moon Valley, I wore jeans and a collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I dressed like that because that's what I typically wear on a Sunday. If you're not sure about this one, you can call the church's secretary, or your interviewer and ask. People typically appreciate this as a step of respect.
Be able to answer this critical question. What value do will you add to a prospective church? Even if they don't ask you this, it's the question they want answered. And ultimately it's all that matters. When you join a church's staff, you'll inevitably change things for the better or for the worse. The hope is that you'll add value to the church as a whole, and being able to articulate that value might make the difference between getting the job, and missing the opportunity.
I know you've got some great interviewing experience out there, what is your best tip for young church leaders who are looking for a new role? Leave your comment below.
I'm not entirely sure that interviewers for a church position do this, but it is definitely done in industry: Be prepared to answer an intentionally tough question designed to see how you would handle a very difficult situation. I have been put on the spot a couple of times by interviewing managers with questions posing a seemingly impossible problem for you to solve. They key is not to freeze or become overly nervous. Stop, take a deep breath, giving your mind time to race to a reasonable answer. Then answer the question. Usually those questions aren't seeking only one right answer. They're designed to see how you handle really tough situations and function under pressure.
ReplyDeleteThat's a brilliant idea. If I was doing it again, I'd have my wife grill me with questions like that. Thanks.
ReplyDelete