Bill Bright said often, “Everything boils down to leadership.” Nothing will deflate our ministries quicker than not having the right leaders.

If you ran a business, you would never promote someone because they said, “I’d like to be the vice-president of this company.” Why, then, would we give key leadership positions in the church to someone “just because they want it” or “just because they are available”.

One of the least strategic things we can do is to let people self-select themselves for leadership. Here are six characteristics developed over the last 30 years that we use for employment interviews, recruiting and selecting faculty, annual staff reviews, Bible study leader selection-everything, really…

• Charisma: Makes a good impression. Likeability. The “nice” test. Do you simply enjoy being around this person?

• Chemistry: Ability to get along with people. Does this person have good people skills?

• Character: Acts with integrity. Does this person have a reputation for keeping their word no matter what?

• Competence: Ability to get things done. Does this person have the skill set for the job?

• Contribution: Results or performance. It’s one thing to have competence but an altogether different thing to actually produce. Does this person have a track record for getting things done?

• Calling: Passionate about the mission. Does this person have a strong sense that God has gifted and directed them to pursue your vision and mission?

If you find a leader who passes these six tests you probably have a winner. Don’t wait for leaders like this to approach you (they are probably too busy responding to others smart enough to see they have what it takes). Recruit them to your leadership team.