Interviewing - round 2

Picking up where I left off, I'm going through 12 questions that are important in a job interview, geared toward those in ministry, and why you should look at them. So this series doesn't take a whole year, I'll tackle the next 3 questions quickly:

2) How was the transition from volunteer to staff/minster?
Transition is huge. And even bigger is how a transition affects the way you view yourself and your relationship to others. You may or may not have ever transitioned from being a volunteer to being a staff person or minister, but chances are you got your feet wet as a volunteer. What's important to recognize in this transition is that you now have more responsibility - you can't just not show up, you can't flake out, you can't make spelling mistakes or typos in published materials, because now, the buck stops with you. You're no longer "just" a volunteer, you are now THE (wo)/man. If you don't show that you get that, you'll be hard pressed to impress. On the flip side, if you take on an attitude that says you're now better than volunteers, you're equally in trouble. Leadership in the Church is about serving, not about position and authority. Make sure you reflect that.

3) What has been your greatest struggle in ministry so far?
This is tricky. Inevitably, you'll be asked this, or some form of this whenever you interview. And it's important to note this is an INTERVIEW. That doesn't mean you are not honest, you NEED to be honest. But it's a reminder, this is not a confession session. We all have sin in our lives that we need to own up to. If you don't have a healthy place for that (we'll get to that later), don't bother going through with the interview. But your potential boss is probably not the one you should be going to with this. But you can't give some throwaway line. Let them know what to expect because it will come as a greater shock if they thought your biggest struggle was spelling and it turns out you are afraid to talk to people. Answer this question as a way to prepare them to help you succeed. Essentially, pretend they ask "How can we assist you, in your areas of weakness, to be the biggest success at this position?"

4) Tell me about your faith journey? What are the 3 most significant moments in your walk with Christ? Who are the 3 most significant people who have shaped you & your understanding of your call to ministry?
The language of "faith journey" is translatable to "life story" or "testimony" (provided you include details beyond that 30 second prayer you prayed in 3rd grade @ VBS). How you understand your relationship with Christ, how Christ is weaved through your life to this point, how you've recognized God's hand is huge. If you can't recognize it in your own life, you'll be hard pressed to recognize it in others, or even care to ask. Even if they don't ask you about moments & mentors, this is an excellent way to relay the story. Significant moments act like place-markers on a map, for us and for others. People are significant to recognize because there are people who affect us positively and negatively and hearing this signals to someone how you could perceive their interaction with you. Does this person receive criticism well? Can they be corrected? Do they make friends? Is your call to ministry (desire to be here) all in your head, or do you take counsel from others? Do they play well with people? - These are the kinds of questions that you answer when you talk about your faith journey and the moments and mentors that shaped it...

1) Tell me about what you’re doing now – what do you enjoy & dislike? Why do you want/did you leave? (What have you been doing since you left?) What lead you there in the first place & how has that experience informed your view of ministry?