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I have the privilege to talk to scores of young leaders. Many of them are just starting out in ministry and jumping onto the staff of a church. They come in with tons of energy and ambition and a desire to serve. I’ve been asked, “What does it take to be a great staff member?”

I’ve had the opportunity to work at Vanderbloemen as an Intern, a remote part-time employee, and now an in-house, full-time employee. While my roles have remained relatively consistent, the setting has varied quite a bit. I’ve concluded that this makes me the perfect guinea pig for a study on in-house vs. virtual employees.

The Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast brings you interviews from leaders across the theological spectrum of the global Church. Our goal is to bring you thought-provoking interviews that encourage you, challenge you, and help you build, run, and keep great teams.

In today's episode of the Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast, Sarah Robins talks with Josh Jones, Executive Pastor at Athens Church.

Church leaders and staff are some of the busiest people I know. A typical schedule for church leaders is six days on and one day off, so personal time is very limited. With only one day of personal time a week, it is important that you maximize your time in the healthiest way possible to enjoy it.

There is a lot of value in having team members of many generations on a staff. Multiple generations means multiple perspectives, which ultimately means a broader outlook on how to tackle a problem or get a job done. I came from a setting where I was one of a handful of millennials on a staff of many more Generation X’ers. I now work in an environment where I am one of many millennials on a staff with only a handful of Generation X’ers.

I wish I could say organizing volunteers is like asking a kid if they want candy. The truth is, in today’s fast-paced, convenience-driven economy, finding volunteers to freely give of their time to fulfill ministry opportunities can be challenging at times.

One of the biggest myths of church volunteer participation is that people don’t want to give their time. Pastors, your congregation will follow you into service simply out of obedience in their submissiveness to follow you as you follow the Lord. If they were not willing to follow you, then they wouldn’t be a part of your congregation. All this to say, typically a lack of volunteer participation doesn't have anything to do with the willingness to serve.

The Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast brings you interviews from leaders across the theological spectrum of the global Church. Our goal is to bring you thought-provoking interviews that encourage you, challenge you, and help you build, run, and keep great teams.

In today's episode of the Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast, William talks with Jeff Vanderstelt, Leader of the Soma Family of Churches and Pastor at Doxa Church in Bellevue, Washington.

One of the offerings that Vanderbloemen Search Group provides for churches is a comprehensive background, social media and credit check. By providing these services, we are behind hundreds of candidate credit checks per year, good and bad. 

While most candidates have great credit, and some don’t even have a credit card, other candidates have less than perfect credit. This isn't a dealbreaker in the hiring process necessarily, but certainly something worth noting. So what should an organization do when one of its candidates has bad credit?

Here are 5 things to consider. 

If it were possible to ban the usage of smartphones in your Sunday service, would you do it?

In our smartphone-dominated world, it's now harder than ever before to keep an audience’s attention. As a pastor, I'm sure it’s not uncommon to see your congregation stare at their phone for social media feeds, text messages, and emails in the middle of a sermon.