Without question, getting the "right seats on the bus and the right person in the right seats" in ministry is a challenge (as Jim Collins says in Good to Great).

Evaluating Candidates

The second greatest piece of advice I ever heard regarding how to select a staff member or volunteer is a now often-repeated equation by Bill Hybels. When looking for good paid and unpaid workers in the church, he said you must look for three things: character, competence, and chemistry.

A lack of character always manifests itself. When you sense some character issue in an interview, you had better pay attention. You are seeing that individual at their very best. Most often, where there is a hint of a character problem, you will find a definite problem.

Obviously, a person needs competence to do the job. It is possible to take a risk on someone who seems to have potential. Depending on the responsibilities involved, this is often viable. But to place someone in a position where they have limited ability or potential to do the job is a disservice to them and a disaster for you.

Relational chemistry is also vital. If you don't like each other, it's hard to work together! Hiring people who differ from you in gifting is valuable, as it complements your weaknesses. But there must be enough good chemistry with the prospective individual and your team to be workable.

The Essential Element

But the priority of character, competence, and chemistry is the second greatest piece of advice I've received. The first I heard from one of our wise deacons several years ago. While we were having lunch and talking about a certain man's potential to serve in the ministry he led, my faithful deacon leaned across the table and said, "I believe the single most important quality for usefulness in ministry is brokenness."

I've never seen it, and I've certainly never done it, but I've watched a few John Wayne movies and read a Louis L'Amour western novel or two. A horse taken from the wild is very self-centered, accustomed to having its own way. It eats, runs, and sleeps whenever and wherever it wants.

When the cowboy brings that horse in, he puts it in the confines of a corral. He then places increasing levels of pressure on the horse—first a bridle, then a blanket, then a saddle. Initially the horse will resist, but it ultimately accepts these constraints.

Eventually the cowboy mounts the horse, and the fight is on! It is a serious battle for control, but finally the horse is "broken." By this we mean that it is now willing to be ruled. Its will has become surrendered.

The more well trained the horse becomes, the more obedient it is to the slightest touch of its master. It is still powerful, but its strength is under a higher control.

Regarding this trait of brokenness or meekness, the great English pastor G. Campbell Morgan said, "The meek are those who are obedient to the rule of the King; meekness is the submissive spirit, the spirit of true humility." It is the spirit of "the man who is willing to be governed."

An unbroken servant is a contradiction in terms. Self-will manifests itself constantly. You can call it by many different names, but the reality is that if a man hasn't yielded to Christ's authority, he is certainly not going to yield to human leadership. His unbroken pride causes him to think he always knows best, always has a better way. And he'll be a continual thorn in your side.

Character, competence, and chemistry are vital. But don't underestimate the essential element of brokenness.