Advice written especially for
ministries students
By Amanda Drury and Keith Drury
WHAT IS A CHURCH RESUME?
A resume is a self-created job application. That is, instead
of answering pages of questions on an application form sent to you from a dozen
different places, you get to answer many of the questions on your resume. It is
the first step in getting a job, before a telephone contact, a preliminary
interview, or a committee/board interview. Your hope is that your resume will
get you a telephone call and an interview. Indeed, one might even say the
primary object of a resume is to get an interview.
A church resume is not your average resume. Churches employ people
on a different basis than business. So some of what you hear in standard
"Resume workshops" won't fit in a church situation. The major
difference is churches don't hire resumes, they hire people. Churches are more
interested in who you are, what you've experienced, what "your story"
is, and who influenced you so far in life than they are in your credentials.
Once you are older they'll be increasingly interested in your "track
record" -- that is, what you've actually done in ministry to date. In many
churches your credentials (licensing, ordination, college GPA, awards
and honors, graduate work) will be assumed or expected and they'll focus more
on you than your credentials.
WHAT SHOULD A CHURCH RESUME
INCLUDE?
1. WHO ARE YOU?
Your name, address, phone,
e-mail. Usually
at the top of the first page.
2. WHAT JOB YOU WANT?
Usually right off under your name you need
to tell them what kind of job you are looking for. This is traditionally called
"Objective" but sometimes church resumes use Ministry objective,
Ministry focus, Ministry direction, Calling or another more church-friendly
term. You pick it. District Superintendents and churches looking through a pile
of resumes often look here first to keep-or-cut resumes. That is, if they are
looking for a worship leader and your objective statement says, "I am
looking for a youth pastor job with either senior high or junior high
youth" you'll get tossed on the "cut" pile.
You can adjust your job preferences
depending on what kind of job you are applying for.
3. WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?
Churches hire people. Who are you? What is
'your story?" You might even call this your
"personal testimony." Some ministers start off with this (right under
the name) thinking that the first thing church people want to know is who you
are, even before they learn what you want to do -- what do you think?).
Most students try to put plenty of names
(people, events and churches) here so the reader has a good grasp of the
spiritual and people influence on you. But this is not a listing of what you’ve
done (that comes later) -- but who you are. In your interview
they’ll ask you to give it from memory, usually by a question like, "Tell
us about your faith journey to date." This section can be either a
paragraph or a list. Frequent titles for this section include Testimony,
Spiritual formation, Spiritual journey, Spiritual foundations, Personal sketch. Which sounds best to you?
Some students who can’t work it into their
testimony add a separate section called "FAMILY" to tell about their
spouse and children. Others tell if they are engaged or planning to be engaged
so the church will know if they are hiring a single person or not. (Again, here
is a place where a church resume differs.) A business can’t legally ask you
questions like this (or even ask for a picture, which might show your race or
how you wear your hair). However that does not apply to churches.
4. WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE?
When you are 30 you'll have a long list
here. If you are a student usually you'll list these in reverse-chronological
order (recent-to-old) and you'll have less. Some list experience from most
important and relevant to least relevant. (E.g. most churches don’t really care
as much about your work experience as an auto-mechanic before you came to
college but they do care about what you did in ministry-related tasks) This
list can include your part time church jobs, your Practicum experiences, your
volunteer-at-church work, internships, and campus leadership, plus other
"positions" of ministry you held. When using dates for summer most
folk forget the months and say, "summer 2001" (instead of
When you return to the
list to fill in the what-I-did descriptions (in paragraph or list format) use
lots of verbs. "Churches
hire verbs not nouns." Be truthful, of course, and do not exaggerate, but
favor verbs which show what you did. Consider verbs like, organized, led,
developed, planned, operated, designed, wrote, assisted, performed, attended,
sang, worked, decided, called, visited, preached, helped, mentored, taught,
delegated, recruited, supervised, counseled, invented. You don’t have to
list all you did, but reading this total list should give the reader a glimpse
of the kinds of things you have done. (And thus they assume you could do
again.)
5. WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATION AND MINISTERIAL
STATUS?
Where did you go to college? What was your
major/minor? What degree did you/will you get? When? Some add GPA. Some tell of
their do-it-yourself concentrations in electives or other areas. Some even list
individual courses they were especially good in -- whatever tells them who you
are and what makes your heart beat faster.
What is your status with your
district? Which district? Are you planning to be ordained? Some put these into
to different categories.
6. WHAT ARE YOUR SKILLS AND GIFTS?
A short list works fine here. Be careful to
not look too fantastic (a resume for a 20-year-old student listing six
spiritual gifts might be true, but probably will get chuckled at -- it looks
too-good-to-be-true.
7. WHO ARE YOUR REFERENCES?
Select people for references who know you of
course, but also consider a few who also are known by the pastors or district
leaders. (To be honest many will not even call your references. And, those who
do it right will call the references primarily to ask for "other names of
people who would know this person" so they can call these "secondary
references: to find out what you are really like.
Many students also list the
relationship of the reference (e.g. My home church
pastor" or "Professor in three courses" or "supervisor in
youth Practicum" so the reader knows the connection with you.
Four other decisions to
make about your resume:
1. How many pages: Usually 2-4. If 2,
try front-back of one sheet. If 3 consider a 4-fold with name on cover. If 4
think about starting on the cover or editing it down. If 5+ edit it down to 4
or less -- you're not that impressive yet.
2. You may want several
"editions" of a resume? If you are applying for a job somewhere as a
R.D. and somewhere else as a CE director, you should consider two editions.
3. Pick a quality paper stock... it is
the first impression you make. Some select "quality card stock" for a
2-pager. Remember they will photocopy it for a committee or board, so try that
yourself to see if you are satisfied with how it looks.
4. Will you attach or print a picture?
If so, that will be the first impression.
Church Interview
Tips
Interview Tips:
Tips for Telephone Interviews:
Revised by Amanda Drury (September 14, 2006)