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OUR SEARCH PROCESS

process puzzle

Step One

Pre-Search phase

 

In the Pre-Search phase, we work through a Discovery process with you that includes an on site visit and interviews with you, staff and other stakeholders. We seek to learn all we can about your specific context, the nature of the position, and the desired qualifications for candidates. We also learn your process and commit to the specific process steps and lines of communication we will use to manage the search with you.

 

We Start With Discovery

 

Demographic Analysis

We do a demographic analysis which helps us better understand the context in which you minister.

 

On-Site Visit

We will come visit your church because it allows us to see your culture in action.

 

Interview Your Staff

It is important that we interview your key people (both paid employees and volunteers) in order to have more insight into what it means to be an effective member of your team.

Step Two

Search Phase

In the Search phase, we will work with you to identify all of the best platforms for promoting the opportunity. This could include websites, job boards, social media, church and parachurch organizations, seminaries, and other organizations. Based on the information that we gather from our search, we do a few things: we advertise the opportunity and respond to all inquires about it, personally contact possible prospects in our database, seek referrals, and continue to research new possible prospects, personally contacting them to gauge interest in the position. As candidates are identified, we begin to interview them, educate them on your opportunity, and introduce them into your process. We manage the logistics and keep you and the candidates informed on the state of the search. You are updated regularly on all aspects of the search.

 
 

Attract

We will work with you to choose the best platforms for promoting the job openings you are looking to hire for.

 

Engage

Possible candidates are identified through 3 primary sources:

 
  1. Inquiries from advertising efforts
  2. Our current pool of possible candidates
  3. Proactive research to identify additional prospects
 

Select

Regular “Pipeline” meetings will keep you up to date on the candidates that are being vetted.

Step THREE

PRESENTATION PHASE

Once candidates have completed our extensive vetting process, a web-based Presentation Portfolio is created for you to review with your search team. All information that we collect on finalist candidates is included in this Presentation and your entire team can review, comment, and rate each candidate being presented. This gives you a solid base of information as you begin your interviews with the finalist candidates. 

 

We Continue to Shepherd your team through the process!

 

Prepping Your Search Team

Prior to your interviews, we help prepare your search team to engage with each candidate in the most effective way possible. 

 

We Handle The Introductions

We are with your team on every candidate interview. We handle the introductions and observe your team as they interview each candidate.

 

Guided Evaluation and Discussion

Each candidate is different and you may feel that every single candidate that we present would be a great fit in different ways. We provide objective input and helpful decisioning tools to help you determine which candidate BEST meets the needs that you’ve identified. 

STEP FOUR

post-search phase

This phase continues until it becomes clear to you, the candidate and us that you have a true finalist candidate, at which point our effort goes to helping you finish the process. The Post-Search phase then begins. We help you negotiate all of the details of the formal offer and assist in clarifying transitional issues. We help you set up a clear plan for the first year in an effort to ensure long term success.

 

FINALIZING THE PROCESS

We walk you through the process of negotiating the formal offer as well as setting the formal start date.

 

365 – FOLLOW UP FOR 1 YEAR

We work with your new staff member in their first year with you as a way to ensure their long term success and to make sure that you both feel that the transition goes well.

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OUR PROCESS

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HIRING FAQS

HIRING FAQS>
"Start to finish, I thought it was very thorough with good analysis up front, consistent communication, and a team approach. It was a very effective and easy experience."
RichardExecutive Pastor
"We appreciated how well The Shepherd's Staff got to know us in order to find the perfect candidates for our senior pastor position."
MeganSearch Team Chairperson
"Start to finish, I thought it was very thorough with good analysis up front, consistent communication, and a team approach. It was a very effective and easy experience."
DavidSenior Pastor
The Shepherd Staff team are great at partnering with churches to find the best candidates possible and connecting candidates to those churches. What impressed our leadership was their relational approach to this process and their genuine desire to partner with us in helping to recruit and develop a healthy staff team for effective ministry. Their vetting process allows them to really get to know both the local church and the pool of candidates they are connecting with to help facilitate great partnerships. They found a way to come alongside us in a way that balances their role as a consultant while honoring the church leadership's process and final call in making the hire.
MatthewSenior Pastor
I just wanted to take a minute to thank you and your team for the awesome job you did in bringing Pastor John to Five Stones Church! We love him! He's such a great fit!
BarbStaff Member
It's been hard coming out of Covid to find candidates, let alone candidates that fit our unique constraints as a rural, multi-site church. Fortunately, our search consultants were not only inquisitive when it came to learning the nuances of our culture, they were diligent when it came to finding us great prospects. Each week in our live updates, they brought us compelling data and practical insights. We learned about the market, the candidate pool and how our search was progressing. Shepherd's Staff helped us upgrade our marketing materials, tap new pools of talent and, ultimately, find the right candidate. We will continue to partner with The Shepherd's Staff team!
Chris R. Executive Pastor
From the very first exploratory call with our consultant, we have been impressed.

The team at Shepherd Staff is the most thorough group we have ever worked with. They go out of their way to not only clearly define the role we were hiring for, but to learn about the church and the needs of the congregation. Several calls, a multi-day visit, and consistent weekly check-in appointments during the search.

Pete H.Search Team Chair
We thought we were making a wise investment in a search firm, but what we gained was decades of expertise, caring relationships, expert insight into ministry, coaching, and plenty of grace in areas that we didn’t even identify as potential roadblocks to the position we had open.
Pete H.Search Team Chair
The screening process, written communication and clarity that our committee and staff had about candidates before they were brought forward for the first round of interviews was beyond excellent.
Pete H.Search Team Chair
In just 4 short months from exploratory visit to a hired candidate, our church staff and hiring committee gained a new level of expertise from a caring, kind, and Jesus-led team at Shepherd Staff.
Pete H.Search Team Chair
Expectations, boundaries, and cost were all clear from the very beginning. No surprises, just dedicated support.

We can’t thank you enough for truly shepherding us through the process!

Pete H.Search Team Chair