The second breakout session that I attended was led by Jason Wilson, the Executive Pastor at New Spring… Staffing for Success.

Some highlights for me…

• Their staffing ratio is one staff person to every one hundred weekend attenders. The typical staff/attendee ratio in their area is 1/50.

• They follow Bill Hybels approach to hiring (we do too at Northgate – read more about it here). Hires are based on:
  • Character – is this a person of integrity who loves God?
  • Competence – can this person do the job that needs to be done and do it well?
  • Chemistry – will this person get along with the team and the church?

• When hiring they always look at their volunteers first!

• When you find someone you want to work on the team… go after them hard! It doesn’t matter what they’re doing or what they may have to leave… if God has laid them on your heart and they meet the requirements of the “Three C’s”… PURSUE THEM RELENTLESSLY!

• Performance evaluations – New Spring does them once per year, but is moving to a bi-annual evaluation format. (For the Northgate evaluation format click here).

• Vision, not need, drives the hiring process. This is HUGE! The reality is that there is SO MUCH that we could do, but that should not be what drives our hiring! We MUST hire based on where we are supposed to go and do! This means that some needs will go unmet. “Staff according to your vision.”

• The roles of the New Spring staff are always changing! As the church continues to evolve so must the roles of those serving her! The question that the leadership is always asking is, “Where is the best spot for this staff member in the current context of church life?”

• Currently New Spring has 55 full-time staff and 18 part-time staff. Do not underestimate the value of part-time staff. (We have awesome part-timers @ Northgate: Terri Noble, Kim Kibler, Mike McGrath, Traci Wells, Barb Ettinger, Sue Ellen Franclemont, Candy Gilbert, Carissa Helsdon, and John Dayton – I love you guys!)

• Staff development is a high priority for New Spring! They do it through personal accountability and an emphasis on continued learning (books, conferences, etc.). How do we do it at Northgate?
  • All staff lunch every Monday – all paid staff is invited to eat and laugh together from 12:30 – 1:30.
  • Learning together (Management Team) – monthly book studies; conferences
  • Laughing together (Management Team and sometimes other office staff) – every other month we leave the campus for a “Laugh Event”. Thus far we’ve done things like play laser tag, go ice skating, and eat lunch together @ Margaritas
  • Quarterly retreats – every quarter the Management Team takes off on a Sunday afternoon to discuss a “BIG” topic (e.g. core values; ministry strategy, etc.) and returns on Monday evening.
  • Monthly all day, off-site, worship planning with the Management Team.

This was a great session led by a great leader! Thanks Jason for the great work you do at New Spring!