A Shepherd Staff Training Guide When a church search team begins discerning candidates, the natural desire is to “get it right.” Out of that desire, many teams assume the safest path forward is to require unanimous agreement before moving a candidate ahead. But in healthy, well-led search teams, unanimity is not the goal; consensus is....Read More

When a church begins the journey of finding its next pastor or ministry leader, it’s natural to focus on the visible steps: job descriptions, résumés, meetings, interviews, assessments, and visits. These are important and necessary parts of the pastor search process. But no part of the search matters more than prayer. At Shepherd Staff, we’ve...Read More

A Shepherd Staff Guide for Churches Building Healthy Ministry Teams A strong job description is one of the most effective tools a church has for attracting aligned, high-quality ministry candidates. When crafted thoughtfully, it communicates vision, culture, and clear expectations. When written with too much detail or an unclear focus, it can unintentionally push away...Read More

Finding the right ministry leader is one of the most important decisions a church makes. It affects preaching, worship, discipleship, staff culture, vision alignment, and the spiritual health of the congregation. Yet most churches only hire a pastor or staff member once every few years. That’s where a trusted ministry search firm can make a...Read More

A practical guide for churches navigating the pastoral search process A strong and healthy search team is one of the most important ingredients in a successful pastoral hire. When a team is formed wisely, and functions in prayerful unity, the entire church benefits. Therefore, when it’s formed poorly, the process becomes strained, slow, or divided....Read More

There’s a moment every church hits when a position goes vacant, and the pressure rises fast. Sundays are still coming. Ministry needs are still real. Volunteers are already stretched. The inbox doesn’t slow down because a staff seat is empty. For many leaders, this is the defining tension of a church staff search. In that...Read More

Seminary taught me theology, doctrine, and the beauty of God’s Word. I am  grateful for every moment of it. But once I stepped into children’s ministry, I realized something quickly:Kids Pastors requires an entire set of practical skills that seminary never covered. Most kids pastors today are deeply called, deeply passionate… and deeply under-equipped for...Read More

What really determines whether church leadership transitions strengthen a congregation – or strains it? Greg & Ryan are guests on the podcast The People Who Help People. In this podcast episode, they explore what separates healthy church leadership transitions from harmful ones. You’ll hear real-world stories of churches navigating pastoral transitions, lessons from both successful and...Read More

When a beloved, long-serving Senior Pastor announces a transition, most churches respond by thoughtfully forming a Senior Pastor Search Team. These teams take on one of the most significant responsibilities in congregational life – they prayerfully discern, identify, and recommend the next Senior Pastor. Occasionally, however, we encounter churches include the departing pastor or current...Read More

Your church faces a problem. Maybe you know about it, or maybe you don’t. This challenge doesn’t belong only to your local congregation; it reaches across the “big C” Church and far beyond. Every movement, institution, organization, and business needs leaders who step up and lead well. If any movement on earth should excel at...Read More