How to prepare for a ministry interview. Pray, pray, pray and...

Suggestions from The Ministry Group (www.theministrygroup.com ):

Adequate prayer, preparation, and getting into the right mindset is crucial to prevent any form of pre-interview stress at your next ministry. It is silly to attend an interview without getting to know the basic things about the church. It is flattering if you can show some form of interest for the church by having the right information ready whenever a question arises. Senior pastors, and search committees appreciate ministry candidates who are well prepared for the interview. Even if you are interviewing for the Children's Ministry position, make sure you are familiar with the youth ministry, college ministry, adult ministry, worship ministry, etc.


You can get the church’s URL and spend sometime browsing the pages and note down the mission, the goals, and the ministries its members offer. Even if you are pretty sure at the ministry interview you are not going to be quizzed on how the church came to be formed (and we hope that you are not), it will give you insight into how the church operates and their philosophy on ministry. You can detect a lot of clues from the questions they ask during the interview, they reveal a lot about the goals they have and what they are looking for. If they value team players within the ministry, then brainstorm all the times when you have clearly exhibited this trait and share it with them.


It is important to know about the different ministries of the church if you are interested in a full time ministry position. The Senior minister, the PPR, or hiring committee will be impressed you have taken the time to research the church and its many ministries and they will remember how you made a great first impression. Before you visit a church, list questions to ask the interviewer about the ministry position and the church if there are things you are uncertain of because showing interest is generally, if not always, viewed as a positive trait. It is a positive thing to do, and reveals the level of desire and interest you have for the ministry and working with the members of the church, it will definitely help you score some additional points towards your new ministry job.


Another way to prepare for a ministry interview is to complete a practice run with a friend or family member. We here at The Ministry Group will help you with this. Visualize being interviewed and practice the role until you feel comfortable. There are many questions that are asked in a typical church interview (what are your strengths and weaknesses) don’t let them come as a surprise to you – practice so you can answer with confidence. It is common for ministers and churches to ask for previous work situations where you display instances having the trait they are looking for. How you answer these questions on previous experience can make or break your chances at being asked back for a second interview or to join this ministry.