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The ABC's of the On-Boarding Phase

ABC Blocks

Your congregation has just hired a minister, and it seems like they are the perfect fit. Congratulations! There is one more step to the process, though, and it is just as important as the process of finding the right minister. You might have heard people refer to how the “first hundred days” of someone’s job usually sets the tone for their entire career with that organization. The same is true with ministers. Just as your congregation is going through a major transition, so is your new minister. The first few months of a job are a stressful time, and it is the job of the elders and search committee to help your new minister through their transition.

We refer to this as the “On-Boarding Stage.” Since the “first hundred days” is so important to the rest of a minister’s career with your congregation, we believe this stage is one of the keys to reducing minister turnover in the church. In this post, we want to talk about a few of the things that a new minister needs from their congregation during this transition period. We will refer to them as the ABC’s of the On-Boarding Phase.

Assistance

Packing up everything and moving to a new town means your new minister has quite a bit of work to do, from finding a new home to unpacking their belongings. It can be hard for the minister to be completely focused on their new job when they are preoccupied with the task of relocating. Have people in the congregation pitch in and help with all these things. See if one of the members has a place where the minister and their family can stay temporarily while trying to find a new home. On the minister’s first day in the office, help them set up their belongings, clean the office, and make sure someone is there to offer technical assistance throughout the day.

The minister may not be very familiar with the town, so it may be good to give them and their family a tour. Help them find good banks, restaurants, and doctors. If they have children, help them find schools as well as sports clubs and other activities the children could be involved in. The minister’s spouse may also need a job, so make sure members of the congregation are on the lookout for job opportunities if that is the case. These small acts of kindness can go a long way with your new minister.

Belongingness

More than anything, your minister and their family want to know that their presence is welcomed in your congregation. Make sure they are included in congregational events. Invite their family to dinner. Find out what kinds of things they and their family members enjoy and offer to do those things with them, whether that be playing a game of golf on the weekend, going on a shopping trip, or going on a run. Introduce their children to other children in the congregation of their age. Make sure your congregation is a place where your minister and their family feel at home.

Connections

Make it as easy as possible for your minister to form relationships within the church and the community. If one is available, give them a picture directory so they can start placing faces with names. Make sure they are introduced to all elders, deacons, and ministry leaders and that they know who to contact for any specific need. If a member of your congregation is very active in the community, have them bring the new minister to events and meetings so that they can meet other leaders within the community. If there are other churches of Christ in the area, have a well-connected elder or minister take the new minister to meet the elders and ministers in those congregations. The more connected a minister is, the easier it will be for them to know what is needed in the congregation and the community and to coordinate events with their new congregations and others in the area.

Conclusion

The needs of a new minister are really not that much different than those of any newcomer to your congregation. The goal is really just to be as helpful to them as possible and to make them feel at home. A minister is much less likely to leave your congregation if they feel it is not only a work, but a blessing, to be a part of your congregation.

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them...” (ESV)

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Testimonials

We would like to thank you for your efforts to make the minister hiring process simple and well defined. The congregation here has not been through the minister hiring process in sixteen years and had little experience left for trying to do so. We ...
Jim Burdette - Elder, Frederick Church of Christ
Minister Match was kind to me, followed up really well, and tried to be as helpful as possible. I believe they give a lot of attention to the candidates and care about their part of the process.
Kerry Williams - Minister, Waterford Church of Christ
I strongly encourage ministers to take advantage of the expertise of the folks at Minister Match to help put together a high quality resume. They will help you identify strong points you didn't even know you have! I am extremely satisfied with the ...
Joel Shelton - Commerce Church of Christ
The Minister Match team was very professional. The entire process was very transparent. It was structured and organized, which made it a whole lot easier. I felt that the team also had a genuine concern for the Lord's church and His ministers. ...
Joshua Duboise - Family Minister, Mesa Church of Christ
We had a very good experience with Minister Match.  This was not the first time we had searched for a minister, but it was the first time we used a search firm.  Our experience with Minister Match was a complete success.  In previous searches, we ...
Jim Holway - Minister, Sunset Church of Christ
We would not have been exposed to the large number of qualified candidates without the resources and expertise of Minister Match.  The search process was very organized and accomplished very efficiently with the program and schedule provided by ...
Ken Fox - Elder, Mesa Church of Christ
The candidate pool for our need was something we had to work to develop but Don was insistent we wait for God's guidance and let it fill up when our human nature wanted to start right away. This served us well since our best qualified candidate ...
Jon Bouley - Family Minister Search Committee Chairman, Mesa Church of Christ
It was a great process for me. Minister Match did a good job of keeping confidentiality in collecting information, and the communication process was very clear. The staff was very easy to deal with and very helpful. Overall the experience was very ...
Joel Soumar - Youth Minister, Mesa Church of Christ
The process was well marketed and we were provided ample information to help explain the steps to the congregation.  The book that accompanied the information was very valuable and I referred to it often during the process.  As the search team ...
Bill Gaw - Search Committee Chariman, Waterford Church of Christ
Minister Match did an excellent job connecting me with a congregation that I would not have known about otherwise.  Don Viar did an excellent job representing my concerns to the search committee and did an excellent job communicating their concerns ...
Drew Baker - Preaching Minister, South Fork Church of Christ

Contact Information

Minister Match
410 South Lowe Avenue
Cookeville, TN 38501

ABC Blocks

Your congregation has just hired a minister, and it seems like they are the perfect fit. Congratulations! There is one more step to the process, though, and it is just as important as the process of finding the right minister. You might have heard people refer to how the “first hundred days” of someone’s job usually sets the tone for their entire career with that organization. The same is true with ministers. Just as your congregation is going through a major transition, so is your new minister. The first few months of a job are a stressful time, and it is the job of the elders and search committee to help your new minister through their transition.

We refer to this as the “On-Boarding Stage.” Since the “first hundred days” is so important to the rest of a minister’s career with your congregation, we believe this stage is one of the keys to reducing minister turnover in the church. In this post, we want to talk about a few of the things that a new minister needs from their congregation during this transition period. We will refer to them as the ABC’s of the On-Boarding Phase.