Whether it’s a church, school, charity or business, every Christian organisation faces the same challenge: choosing the right people. And according to corporate psychologist Dr Ken Byrne, one wrong hire can undermine everything, and have far-reaching consequences. Not just for your team, but for your mission.
Ken has spent over 40 years helping organisations like ANZ, Disney and Christian ministries avoid hiring mistakes. He’s personally evaluated over 3,000 candidates and teaches Christian leaders through the Arrow Leadership Program. His book Hire Right, First Time offers a practical guide for staffing faith-based workplaces – and it’s full of stories, warnings and wisdom.
On this episode of 20Twenty, Ken joined us to discuss how to avoid costly mistakes when hiring staff in Christian workplaces.
One Wrong Hire Can Undermine Everything
Ken shared one example of what can happen when organisations let good intentions cloud their judgement. A Christian organisation gave a recently released prisoner a job as a caretaker. Later, without doing proper checks, they promoted him to bookkeeper – unaware he’d previously served time for white-collar fraud. He went on to defraud the church and was sent back to prison.
“Now did we do him any favours?” Ken asked. “He lost his family. His wife divorced him. He doesn’t see his kids. We tried to help, but we didn’t consider the risk.”
Common Hiring Errors
Ken said nearly every Christian leader he’s worked with has admitted to hiring someone who turned out to be a mistake. Why does this happen so often? Ken identified seven common errors, including:
- Hiring based on compassion rather than competence
- Not checking references thoroughly
- Rushing the process to ‘get it over with’
- Avoiding conflict instead of addressing warning signs
- Ignoring character in favour of credentials
“Christians don’t like conflict,” Ken said. “But avoiding hard conversations can lead to even harder consequences.”
Don’t Just Look at Skills
Even in trade roles where technical skill is key, Ken believes that character matters just as much.
“You want to know: can the person do the job? Will they do the job? Do they fit in? Will they stay? How will they treat others?” he said. “Someone might be great at fixing cars, but if they can’t work well with the team or speak respectfully to customers, they’re a liability.”
Use Wisdom
Christian employers often feel torn between showing grace and exercising discernment. But Ken encouraged leaders to develop a backbone.
“There’s a saying – we hire quickly and fire slowly. That formula should be reversed,” he said. “You are not being ungracious by asking the hard questions. Jesus didn’t avoid truth-telling, and neither should we.”
Ask Better Questions
Ken recommends interviewers go beyond the usual “what are your strengths and weaknesses” style questions. Instead, ask, “What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned in the past couple of years?” Then follow up: “How did you learn those lessons?”
“We learn through mistakes. These kinds of questions reveal how self-aware the candidate is – and what kind of character they’ve developed.”
Every Person Reflects God’s Character
Ken reminded us that every employee is a walking advertisement. Not just for your organisation, but for God.
“You hire a groundskeeper, and a kid runs across the lawn. If the groundskeeper yells and swears, people think, is this what the church represents?” he said. “Every person you hire reflects your values.”
The stakes are high, but help is available. Ken’s book Hire Right, First Time – along with a 120-page user guide – is designed to help leaders in Christian organisations avoid the pitfalls of poor hiring and build teams that reflect Christ.
As Ken put it, “There’s nothing more important than getting, maintaining and nurturing the right people. Nothing.”
Listen to Ken’s full interview on 20Twenty below:
