Those of you that read this blog on a regular basis know that I love the Red Sox more than a well-adjusted adult should. But something happened happened yesterday in Red Sox Nation that I believe can encourage us as Pastors and leaders to do something that we already know.

The new co-general managers of the Red Sox were hired from within the organization, even though the Sox ownership interviewed many people with tons of experience from other teams. Why did they stay in-house with 2 guys that are 31 & 32 years old respectively? Because “They understand the type of organization that is the Boston Red Sox.” This is so huge because sometimes we see someone who’s “Been around” and we think that they could take our church to the next level. They could also be the one who becomes your biggest headache. I know we’ve heard stuff about hiring from within from plenty of places, but what struck me is that a baseball team whose net worth is almost a billion dollars hired 2 guys from within to lead them. How much more a ministry that has much more at stake!

Church leader, are you SURE your next staff member isn’t already in your church? Can I challenge you to ask a few questions that we ask ourselves at Calvary:

#1 – If this is such a pressing need to hire someone, why hasn’t God already brought them?

#2 – If the new staff member isn’t in the church yet, does God want the position filled yet?

#3 – Is there a way to fill the need until that person shows up/ proves themselves faithful?

If it sounds like I’m fearful of hiring from the outside…you’re right! I don’t hear very much good about it. I hear that hiring from the outside is about a 50/50 gamble. I disagree. From what I have seen, the success rate is closer to 25%. That doesn’t make me feel more comfortable. The question is, “Does it make you feel more comfortable?”