By Corey Buchanan, Executive Director
In ministry leadership, few decisions carry more long-term impact than who you hire. The people you invite into your organization don’t just represent your programs — they embody your mission. At Chicagoland Prison Outreach (CPO), we’ve learned firsthand that hiring for ministry requires a different lens than hiring for other types of work.
When I first shared my reflections in “What I’ve Learned About Hiring for Ministry“, I wrote from the combined perspective of both Executive Director and chaplain — someone who has seen lives transformed not because staff members had perfect résumés, but because they showed up with humility, patience, and presence.
The reality is this: ministry work isn’t efficient. It’s relational.
In the context of prison outreach and reentry ministry, many of the people we serve have experienced broken trust, deep trauma, and inconsistent relationships. Technical skills are important — but far more important is whether a staff member can build trust, offer grace, and patiently walk with individuals on their long and often complicated journeys toward healing.
The Challenge Every Ministry Faces
Whether you’re leading a church, nonprofit, or outreach ministry, you’ve likely faced some of the same staffing challenges:
- Candidates who have ministry experience, but struggle with relational depth.
- Staff who perform well administratively but struggle when people’s lives get messy.
- Burnout from team members who try to “fix” people rather than walk with them.
- High turnover when new hires aren’t prepared for the emotional demands of ministry work.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. These are common tensions in any ministry that deals with discipleship, restoration, or counseling. And that’s why we created this resource.
A Practical Guide: Hiring for Ministry One-Pager
To help other ministry leaders navigate these staffing decisions, we’ve developed a free one-page guide: Hiring for Ministry: A Relational Approach to Staff Selection.
In it, you’ll find:
- 5 Core Hiring Principles we use at CPO
- 5 Interview Questions to help discern relational capacity
- A simple prayer to center your hiring process in God’s wisdom
Whether you’re filling a chaplain role, hiring a program director, or bringing on volunteer coordinators, these principles can serve as a helpful tool to ensure you’re hiring people who are not only capable — but spiritually prepared to serve.
Download the Hiring for Ministry One-Pager here.
Ministry Begins with Presence
At its core, ministry is discipleship. And discipleship requires us to enter people’s lives with humility, patience, and grace. As you evaluate future staff or volunteers, my prayer is that you’ll not only fill open positions — but build teams who embody the compassionate presence of Christ.
If you haven’t yet read my original reflections on this topic, I invite you to read:
Leading with Presence: What I’ve Learned About Hiring for Ministry
