Navigating Hiring Minefields: A Guide for Churches and Nonprofits
Interviewing candidates for churches and nonprofits can feel a lot like playing a round of Minesweeper. One wrong move, and you can set off a chain reaction of legal and ethical issues that ruins your momentum and throws you off your game. While the goal of the hiring process is to find the best candidate who aligns with your mission, stepping on an illegal or inappropriate question can bring your hiring process to a sudden halt—just like uncovering a hidden mine. While churches and some religious nonprofits may have a greater degree of latitude in what questions they ask, in particular with ministerial candidates, this doesn’t mean they should engage in asking these questions.
Stepping Carefully: What Not to Ask During Interviews
Just as in Minesweeper, knowing where the mines are hidden can save you from making costly mistakes. In the world of interviews, those “mines” are the personal, off-limits questions that could lead to claims of discrimination. For example:
Personal Background Questions: Asking about a candidate’s religious practices may seem like a good way to gauge alignment with your nonprofit or church’s mission, but it can be a legal minefield. Unless you have clearly outlined the necessity of alignment with a particular set of religious values as essential to the job and its function within the organization it is best to steer clear.
Family and Marital Status: Questions like “Are you planning on having kids?” may seem like small talk, but they’re one of the biggest hidden mines in the interview process. Federal laws protect against gender and family status discrimination, so asking about a candidate’s family life could blow up in your face later on.
Age and Health: Even if you’re concerned about whether a candidate can physically handle a role, questions about medical conditions or age are risky territory. Instead of asking “Do you have any medical issues that prevent you from lifting equipment?”, ask “Are you able to perform the physical requirements of this role, with or without accommodations?”
Just like in Minesweeper, it’s all about carefully navigating the terrain and knowing where not to click.
Playing It Safe: Consistency Is Key
One of the best strategies in Minesweeper is sticking to a system—working methodically and carefully. Similarly, when conducting interviews, you need to keep your process consistent. Ask all candidates the same questions, ensuring those questions relate strictly to the skills and abilities required for the role. This helps avoid favoritism, bias, or unintentional discrimination. Additionally, screening questions as part of the application process can help create consistency in understanding a candidate’s experience and can also be used to understand a candidate’s alignment with the organization’s mission, values, and sincerely held beliefs.
Just as random clicking in Minesweeper can trigger disaster, inconsistent interview practices can result in legal risks and damage your organization's reputation.
Avoiding Common Hiring Mines
Here are a few real-world “mines” that can sneak up on well-meaning teams in churches and nonprofits:
“Where are you originally from?”
It may seem like a friendly question, but this can imply interest in someone’s nationality or ethnic background, which is illegal to ask.“Will your family commitments interfere with your ability to take on this role?”
Asking about a candidate’s personal life, such as whether they have kids or what their childcare arrangements are, can trigger claims of gender discrimination.“What year did you graduate?”
A seemingly innocent question that can reveal a candidate’s age—another protected class.
Playing the Winning Game: Best Practices for Safe Hiring
In Minesweeper, winning means marking the mines while still clearing the board. In hiring, it’s about crafting questions that get to the heart of the candidate’s qualifications without crossing any legal boundaries.
Some examples of “safe” questions include:
“Can you perform the essential duties of this job, with or without reasonable accommodation?” This is a legally sound way to assess a candidate’s physical or mental ability to perform the role.
“What do you know about our organization’s mission, and how do you see yourself contributing to it?”This helps gauge a candidate’s understanding of your nonprofit or church’s work, without veering into personal beliefs.
“How does your past experience prepare you for this role?” This keeps the focus on professional background, avoiding any irrelevant or intrusive questions.
Conclusion: Clearing the Field
Just as in Minesweeper, where a steady, thoughtful approach clears the board without triggering mines, navigating the hiring process for churches and nonprofits requires care and consistency. By focusing on the role and avoiding personal or discriminatory questions, you’ll not only stay on the right side of the law but also create an inclusive and welcoming process that reflects the values of your organization.
Avoiding the “mines” in your interview questions will help you find the right candidate without setting off any legal or ethical explosions along the way—building a stronger, mission-driven team in the process. If you need help in evaluating your approach to hiring, let’s connect and see how Fortress can help keep you on mission by protecting your ministry and supporting your growth.