Relational Chemistry 

You’ve done your homework on all the key hiring elements. 

Theology, culture, personality, and skills are aligned. 

On paper, everything looks good to go. But don’t pull the trigger just yet – you still need to assess relational chemistry fit. 

This is an area that can only be fully evaluated through direct conversation between your church and the candidate. 

We call it ‘boots on the ground’... sitting across the table from the candidate… sharing meals… and getting to know them and their families.

On-site visits are very important in hiring a great new staff member. This is where you start to discover the real potential of bringing someone on your team.

Why Chemistry Matters

Chemistry encompasses the interpersonal connections that determine whether a candidate will thrive in your specific church community. Beyond just liking someone, it’s assessing whether they’re a fit relationally at a deeper level. 

Chemistry involves envisioning not just what it would be like to work with them, but to do life with them. It goes beyond surface impressions to understand work styles, emotional intelligence, spousal dynamics and signs of coachability. Chemistry is a two-way assessment - not just if you'll enjoy their company, but if they’ll feel at home on your team.

Looking Beyond the Surface 

It’s tempting to focus on surface-level chemistry like humor, friendliness and shared interests. But you need to go deeper. Revisit theology, culture, personality and skills fits to prevent chemistry from overriding important gaps. Vibing personally can’t make up for misalignment in foundational areas.  

Powerful chemistry between a candidate and search team can also result in wearing rose-colored glasses. Ensure you are still objectively evaluating all elements of fit before deciding.

Key Chemistry Questions

Here are some chemistry questions we suggest considering before hiring:

- How would this candidate complement our existing staff dynamics?

- What relationships might take extra effort for them to build? 

- How open are they to coaching, development, and feedback?

- What excites them most about joining our church community?

- What questions or potential concerns can we address to ensure they feel supported?

Next Steps

At Chemistry Staffing, we specialize in thoroughly vetting the first four fit elements of a great, healthy, long-term fit so you can focus on ‘chemistry’. We leverage our expertise to deeply assess theology, culture, personality, and skills fit. This provides you with candidates already aligned on foundational elements so you can have effective ‘chemistry’ conversations.

Partnering with Chemistry allows you to efficiently prioritize chemistry after we’ve aligned the base criteria. We handle the legwork on the first four fits because we know chemistry matters most.

Let’s start a conversation. Schedule a free 30-minute call with our team. Ask us anything. We’d love to help you find candidates where chemistry is the only element left to evaluate. Getting your next hire’s chemistry right is too important not to get help on the first four fits.