Leadership: 4 non-negotiables

By Mark Hallock

I have been asked many times over the years what characteristics we look for in potential leaders (both paid staff and volunteer leadership) at Calvary Church.

Here are four non-negotiables I personally look for:

  1. A passion and hunger for God and, at the same time, a deep love and care for people. Jesus didn’t separate these two things, nor should we – especially as we look for godly leaders to serve God’s people in the local church.
  2. A humble, servant heart. Is this individual eager and joyful about doing the tasks no one else wants to do? Do they prefer being unnoticed for their service and good deeds, rather than being noticed and praised by others for them? This is a huge indicator of what is going on in the heart. True humility before God and people must be a non-negotiable.
  3. A hard worker. Ministry is hard work and requires much sacrifice – physically, spiritually and emotionally. If an individual is lazy or constantly making excuses (as opposed to faithfully and joyfully working “as unto the Lord”) not only does this create tension among other leaders, but the congregation will lose respect for them and, as a result, simply won’t follow their lead. A person must count the cost of ministry leadership and be willing to work hard for the glory of God and the good of the church.
  4. A team player who encourages others. Is this person aligned with the vision, mission, doctrine and values? Do they seek to humbly work alongside others, encouraging the heck out of them, instead of seeing them as a threat of some kind? As leaders, we must play as a team and lead as a team. We are not looking for Lone Rangers. A fun, loving, encouraging, humble, hard-working lover of Jesus and people is the kind of individual we want on our leadership team.

While perhaps others could be added, these four stand at the top of the list at our church. Hopefully this can be helpful to you, if you lead a ministry and are trying to figure out the non-negotiables to look for in leadership.

This post was originally published on Preach Lead Love.

Published May 12, 2023

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Mark Hallock

Mark Hallock serves as the lead pastor of Calvary Church in Englewood, Colorado. He also serves as president of the Calvary Family of Churches, a group committed to planting and replanting churches for the glory of God (thecalvary.org). His great desire is to see the gospel transform lives and neighborhoods through the planting of new congregations, along with the revitalization of declining congregations, throughout the city of Denver and beyond. Mark’s favorite hobby is hanging out with his wife, Jenna, and their two kids, Zoe and Eli.