if i filled in an app at cedar :)

brian's church (cedar ridge community church) is seeking a senior pastor. now i truly love brian and all his writings, so i thought i would have a bit of fun. when i first founded ginkworld he was quick to take the seven questions, and i truly thought that was great, and his voice is one of the voices i listen too. i found out of the opening via a email from a friend who suggested i apply - well, i am good, and i am looking, but i am not sure they would be interested in me. do you really think they would be open to a radical, shaved head, earring wearing, tattooed wild-man on staff? i love brian, i love what i think the church is doing, so i decided not to even send a resume, but i could not help but answer the questions in my own way, here is what i would have said: (questions in bold, my answers in "italic")

Pre-Screening Employment Questions
Please Submit with Resume
Position: Senior Pastor

Candidate's Name: John O'Keefe
Day Phone: yea, right so people could call :)
Evening Phone: that would be the same as the day phone
Mailing Address: Some where in Sacramento, CA
Email Address(es): jxpxus@yahoo.com (but you have to promise not to add me to any emailing list)

Please offer brief (one to five-sentence answers) to the following questions, which are arranged in random order and which vary widely in their relative importance. Wherever appropriate, include specifics (numbers, dates, results, etc.). These questions should accompany your resume and serve as supplementary information.

1. How did you find out about this job opening? someone told me

2. A. Have you _YES_ studied our website, _NO_ visited the church, _YES_ become familiar with our founding pastor’s books?

B. What about Cedar Ridge most interests and attracts you? What about Cedar Ridge most concerns you? what interestes me is that it seems to center on doing things a different, and seeks to know people for who they are, and not what others want them to be. what concerns me is the chance of losing the connection with people as it becomes too big - or too "traditional" in it's drive and function.

3. Describe your current position (i.e. title, direct report, organizational culture, responsibilities, etc.). unemployeed (is that a title?)

Why are you interested in a new position at this time? because i would have a job? not really, because i believe i have the mad skills to be right for it.

What about your current situation is unsatisfactory to you? what part of "unemployeed" needs explaining? :D

4. What can you tell us about your personality type and work style? (If you have recent results from common instruments -– MBTI, DISC, enneagram, etc. –- we would appreciate having those results.) ENFP, with a worped humor and twisted view of reality - and why would you want a copy of the results? what would you do with them? -

5. Tell us about your availability. When is the soonest you would be able to start? is "yesterday" too soon?

6. Please describe your demonstrated ability to recruit, train, support, motivate, reassign, and mobilize volunteers. i'm good at it.

7. Please describe your demonstrated ability to recruit, train, support, motivate, reassign, and mobilize paid staff. i'm good at it, too.

8. Have you ever worked in a growing and innovative church environment before? Describe your experience. yes, it was fun.

9. Describe the largest church you have worked with (or attended). What were its strengths and weaknesses? 8,000; the strength was that it had the money and people to do great things for christ. the weakness was that it never did great things for christ (that is, unless you call building a huge building a "great thing for christ."

10. Describe the smallest church you have worked with (or attended). What were its strengths and weaknesses? 50; the weakness was it never had enough money or people to do great things for christ. the strength was that it did not know that, and it did great things for christ anyway.

11. What is your desired salary range (please offer a range of $15,000)? since i am not making anything now, 15,000 sounds good, not great but good. how about doing better then most churches and offer enough to live in the area, and buy house, a cup of coffee for my wife or shoes for the kids.

12. What would be your desired vacation or other benefits? that would be nice, vacation and benefits - sweet.

13. Since this job requires considerable leadership and management responsibilities, please tell us about your leadership and management experience: How many people reported to you, did you do performance reviews, were you responsible for setting goals? How effective have you been in these roles? Why do you think so? wow, all that in only one to five sentences, not sure i can do that - yikes, i lose on this one - unless i use run-one sentences - but then i would be rambling, kinda like i am now...

14. What kinds of plans or systems or projects were you responsible for developing in your previous work? Did you have to design the plans/projects or implement them or both? Can you tell us about one of the most effective planning and project management processes you were involved with? Can you tell us about a system you created or improved that you are particularly proud of? sounds like "programs" to me, we just give them a different name

15. Do you have the ability to prepare and analyze annual budgets? yes. Tell us about some of your experience. What size budgets are you accustomed to working with? it was budgets, not exciting and not a great joy and it was only 12 million.

Have you ever raised money? yes, i was director of development and public relations before ministry

Can you read or create spreadsheets? yes

16. What is your exposure to "emerging churches?" not much, i planted a few ("the point" and "praxis"), founded ginkworld.net and do a bit of writing

17. How much experience have you had in evangelism, disciple-making, small groups, and leadership training? a grip on them all, but i beleive all "leaders" must be servants, and not "servant/leaders" - because we forget the "servant" part and always seek to be the "leader" part.

18. Because compatibility with fellow staff members is so crucial, could you tell us what characteristics you would be looking for in colleagues you could work well with? they need to be cool people, and ones i can be friends with - oh yea, they need to like to have fun and enjoy a killer bbq

19. Could you tell us what other people would say about your spiritual maturity and health? they would say i was ok, and getting "ok-er."

What adjectives would others use to describe your relationship with God? exciting, real, shared, connective, expressive, funny (not sure they are all adjectives, never was very good at english)

20. Tell us a little bit about your non-preaching communication style and ability. Do you prefer written communication over in-person communication? not into the "either/or" this projects - too linier

Telephone over email? there it is again, i am a both/and kind of guy

In public speaking, do you prefer extensive preparation or think-on-your-feet? both/and - not comfortable with the "either/or" thing

Do you prefer scheduled communication (monthly letters or meetings) or spontaneous, ad hoc communication (when needed rather than scheduled)? both/and, here is that "either/or" again :) (not too emerging) :)

Would you be more likely to be called "blunt" or "indirect?" both/and, here is that "either/or" again :)

21. What management tools do you use to organize yourself and your work? i live with my palm and cell - connections is the blood that holds us united :)

22. Computer skills: Could you list for us the software applications you know well? yes, i could list them

23. Preaching/Teaching: Give us a summary of your preaching experience and style, and the kind of feedback you receive from people – positive and negative. i get both kinds of feed back. i have been teaching for about 10 years, not everyone likes everything people say - if they did, i would not be helping them to grow and streach past the comfort zone of the livingroom

Will you be able to supply YES audio or NO video samples of your preaching?

24. Critique: Share with us three instances where you received substantive critique, your assessment of the validity of that critique, and how you responded to it. first, i would need a definitions of "substantive" and "critique" to make sure we were on the same page. second, are you sure you want "three" - sounds so traditional and "three points" to me.

25. References: Please supply us with six references:
A. Someone you have helped spiritually. that would be doug
B. Someone who has been a mentor/example to you. that would be shep
C. Someone who has been critical of you or an antagonist toward your leadership. that would be any modern thinker
D. A peer or colleague. that could be anyone
E. Someone to whom you reported and who had professional oversight for you. that would be jesus, one heck of a jewish carpenter
F. A friend or neighbor who does not regularly attend church. that would be most of the people i hang with.