equip the Church

The world hires for skill and hopes for character. The Church has always known that is the wrong order.

Skill can be taught but character is revealed under pressure, especially in the moments when no one is watching.

Publishing is essentially deacon work. We do not stand behind the pulpit. We do not teach or preach. We serve the people who do. We get the idea from the author to the reader, the resource from the publisher to the pastor, the truth from the page into the hands of someone who needs it. That is not a lesser calling. It is a specific one, and it requires a specific kind of person.

Paul knew this. When he told Timothy who should serve the Church, he did not list competencies. He listed qualities of a person. And then he said something worth sitting with: pay close attention to your life and your teaching, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Your life, not just your doctrine. The person behind the work is inseparable from the work.

Who you hire is a theological decision. Paul gave the Church a profile for this. Read it as a job description.

Dignified. Your ministry is known by the people who represent it. A person who carries themselves with honor earns credibility before they open their mouths, and credibility is what gets the book taken seriously.

Not double-tongued. You say the same thing to the donor, the author, the printer, and the pastor waiting on the shipment. There is no version of your mission you perform for an audience and a version you live when no one is watching. If your team is double-tongued, your ministry is too.

Not addicted to much wine. A person who cannot govern themselves cannot be trusted to govern a project, a budget, or a relationship with an author.

Not greedy for dishonest gain. Publishing staff handle contracts, royalties, print runs, and donor funds. A person who loves money will make decisions that reflect it. The mission will pay for it.

Holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. The people who handle your books should believe what is inside them. Your catalog is a confession of faith. The people stewarding it should be able to sign it.

Tested first, proven blameless. Do not hire for potential and skip the part where you find out whether someone is faithful in small things.

A wife who is dignified, not a slanderer, sober-minded, faithful in all things. What happens at home does not stay at home. A team member whose household is disordered will bring that disorder into the ministry. Paul is not being intrusive. He is being realistic.

Husband of one wife. Faithfulness in the closest relationship a person has is the most reliable indicator of faithfulness in every other one.

Managing children and household well. If a person leads their family well, they have already proven they can lead. If they cannot, no title in your organization will compensate for what is missing.

This is not a profile for your leaders alone. It is the profile for everyone, from the founder to the editor to the customer service team.

Your team is your theology. Hire accordingly.