1. Hiring people too fast: One of the biggest things that make People's Church tick is our staff. I have an incredible team, but picking the right team has been an area I've grown in over the years. I've made the mistake of hiring a person without getting a reference from their current employer. I've made the mistake of having one interview and hiring a person on the spot. I've made the mistake of hiring people without letting some of my team interview them. I've made the mistake of hiring people without any input from my team. I've made the mistake of hiring people without testing them so I could know something about their personality type and skill set. I've made the mistake of hiring people when I had red flags in my heart about them. I've made the mistake of hiring people because I felt pressure to get the positioned filled. I've made the mistake of overlooking some negative things because a person was so gifted in a certain area. I've learned the hard way that one of the biggest things that will cost an organization or church time and money is hiring the wrong people. One of the biggest things that will keep an organization from moving forward is having the wrong staff or a lot of staff turnover because you've made the wrong hires. I have made this mistake more than once and have learned that the old saying is so true, "Hire slow and fire fast."
2. Doing too much: I've held on to certain areas of ministry too long, became fatigued and stopped the church from reaching its full potential because of it. An example of this is I directly oversaw the entire staff for too long, and it wiped me out. I'm no different from 90 percent of leaders. I like control, and it's tough to release things to others because I want things done a certain way. This is a huge mistake rooted in insecurity, pride and a lack of truly understanding what leadership is all about. Thank the Lord that I now have an Executive Team made up of 3 godly men who oversee People's Church. These three men are my only direct reports. My day-to-day work life is much more manageable, and these men have taken People's Church to a whole new level that I could never achieve by myself. We are also poised to go to the next level because I've released ministry and responsibility to these men. Doing too much is a huge mistake: Pastor, you can't do all the weddings, funerals, hospital calls, visit all the sick, preach 52 Sundays and 52 Wednesday nights, manage accounts receivable and payable, answer the phone, return all phone calls that come into the office and print the bulletin. Doing too much is a recipe for burnout, does not release others into their area of giftedness, and holds the church back from reaching its full potential.
