I previously wrote a post on the overall idea of Building a Great Commission Pipeline, but now we want to begin to consider the steps toward implementing those ideas. We’re taking many of our ideas about how we might be able to eventually build or create partnerships to see all of this, as described by Troy Cooper in this video, happen over time:

Here, we see that Troy starts with the idea of a Home Hub. However, that currently doesn’t really yet exist for us. Currently, we have a group of individual families from disparate locations and organizations, so possibly like other field-based groups who are trying to get organized, we are trying to determine the best way to bring in new potential teammates to our field-based team.

First Things First

So the first thing that we need to do is figure out what our requirements are for new teammates. To understand this better, we want to break down our evaluation of potential teammates into three essential areas:

1. Character
2. Chemistry
3. Competency

Character: At this point, while this may change in the future, we are primarily a receiving organization. We have people in the field and an initial structure through which we can receive new teammates and help them start their life in the field. Currently, we lack a significant home base structure. What makes that particularly challenging is that the home base is the primary location that would help us to evaluate someone’s character.

To work around this problem, Search Party will partner with other organizations who are willing to nominate their workers for field-based work. We will rely on the partner organization to evaluate and report on the character of the potential workers. Once that evaluation is complete, Search Party would receive a report from the partner organization on the Character of the newly nominated worker.

Chemistry: Through a series of in-person, field-based interviews with Search Party teammates, we will make a determination of the Chemistry mix for this person with the rest of the team. We will evaluate base on these criteria:

• Does the nominated worker desire to fill a role that has been created by the team?
• Based on their personality, can you imagine yourself working closely with this new person on a regular basis? Are they enjoyable to spend time with?
• Does their work ethic fit that of the team?
• How well does the person communicate? In person? In writing?
• What type of experience does this person have in working in autonomous situations? In team-based situations? How well would their experience fit the role that they will be filling in the field?

Competency: Search Party will evaluate a potential new teammate’s competency based on their experience in disciple-making. We will expect that, prior to arriving in their new role, the new person will have:

• Completed the Gospel Conversations training
  • Generational Maps
  • 4-1-1
  • Three Circles
  • 3/3rds Group
• Completed a Four Fields training
• Completed a demonstrable minimum of one year of evangelizing and discipling of others using the tools noted here.

You can learn more about the Gospel Conversations and Four Fields training events on the NoPlaceLeft website.