The Best Person for the Job

I believe that when churches are hiring for positions, they should be looking for the best person for the job. Sounds obvious, right? But some churches inappropriately use "grace" when hiring people, especially when they hire from within the congregation.
A church hired someone because "she needed a job" and "needed a pick-me-up" after her husband passed. The church had a position open (an assistant office administrator) and this person was available and needed something to keep her mind occupied. It was a win-win situation: The position would be filled and the church was extending grace by hiring her. She didn't even go through the traditional interview process because she was a long-time member of the church.
She was wonderful and lovable, but she didn't know how to do the things that were required for that job.
She had no grasp on the phone system (how to transfer calls and transfer to voicemails); the fancy copy machine intimidated her, so she avoided using it; she didn't know how to use the program to send out mass emails — all basic things for the job. What ended up happening was the church hired another person to be the assistant office administrator, doing all the things that the church member hiree couldn't do. And the church member basically ended up being a paid bulletin folder, as that became her main role.
I know another church whose choir director is way past the retirement age. He has a difficult time coming to rehearsals and often forgets things between practice and Sunday mornings. Everyone knows he should retire but because he is adamant that he continue no one says anything.
Or hiring the Chair of Trustee's grandson as the church's custodian simply because he's the trustee's grandson and needs the job to gain work experience. Never mind that he has no experience in that area, or the fact that even the trustee has complained many times about the grandson's laziness and inability to keep the room clean.
The common phrase that people say regarding situations like this is, "this is a church, and we should show them grace."
Perhaps.
I'm not a Star Trek fan, however, I can't help but quote Spock, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
I mean, yes. What a generous thing to do for those individuals. But at what cost? One church has two assistant office administrators where one isn't really administrating the office. I'd argue that's not being very good stewards of church resources. Another church's (once proud) music ministry is dwindling and suffering because the grace-filled thing is to let the director continue until, at this rate, he passes. The trustee's grandson? Doesn't do his job adequately. Often comes in late, if he remembers to come at all. Other church members have come and vacuumed, cleaned and restocked the bathrooms, etc. during their free time. And no one wants to say anything because they want to be graceful and help out this young man and because he's the trustee's grandson.
Isn't there a better way to show "grace" than offering someone a job? Someone recently asked me if I'd consider a certain person for our nursery job because he is lonely and needs things to do and that it would be nice for the church to do something like this for him.
I don't think hiring a 90 year old to watch 1-3 year olds is the best scenario. For anyone.
When a church is hiring, shouldn't we hire someone who's best suited for the job? Someone who can actually do the job? Instead of taking the next warm body available or hiring someone out of favor (or "grace")?
Of course there are stories where a church showing grace by hiring someone worked out perfectly and was one of the best hires ever. But that seems to be more of an exception than the rule. (Although I could just be a sucker for church "horror" stories.)
The church doesn't need to feel obligated to give someone a job out of grace. I believe the church can do far greater and meaningful things to help someone in the community out, to meet their needs, to show support, grace, and love.
The church should be faithful stewards and hire the best person for the position they are seeking to fill. That's the grace-filled thing to do for the entire community.
Joseph Yoo is a Ministry Matters contributor and pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara, CA. He is the author of Practical Prayer and Encountering Grace from the Converge Bible Studies series. He blogs at JosephYoo.com.