Have questions about joining our staff team?  Here are some answers from Chad Brennan, the director of ReNew Partnerships…

• Why should I consider joining the staff of ReNew Partnerships?
• Would I have to move to Columbus, Ohio if I worked for ReNew?
• Do you offer employee benefits like retirement, health insurance, disability insurance, etc?
• What are the characteristics you look for in a staff person?
• Is it ok if I’m white?
• Would I have to raise my own support?
• I’ve heard it is often more difficult for ethnic minorities to raise support, do you offer them any special assistance?
• What percentage of the support I would raise would go toward my ministry?
• Can I work full-time or part-time?
• How much would I get paid?
• What should I do if I am interesting in applying?

Why should I consider joining the staff of ReNew Partnerships?

What could be a better job than one where…

• you play a STRATEGIC ROLE in advancing the Kingdom of God and building a healthy Christian church
• the main emphasis of your job is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS and HELPING PEOPLE
• you get to work with a WIDE VARIETY OF INDIVIDUALS from various ages and ethnic backgrounds
• you get to be a pioneer and BLAZE NEW TRAILS
• you get to spend hours STUDYING THE BIBLE and applying it to the current needs of our culture
• enjoying MULTI-ETHNIC customs, worship music, food, art, etc. is a part of your job!
• you work with a great staff team that is just as COMMITTED TO YOU and your personal development as “the vision”
• you get an all-expenses paid VACATION IN HAWAII every year (ok, not really – just wanted to make sure you were reading this far)

Would I have to move to Columbus, Ohio if I worked for ReNew?

Not necessarily.  There is a good possibility that you could stay where you currently live.

Do you offer employee benefits like retirement, health insurance, disability insurance, etc. to your full-time employees?

Yes.  We spent a great deal of time customizing our benefits program so that it would have the maximum benefit for our staff…

• A 403(b)7 retirement program through Vanguard which allows you to customize your investing however you like (no “four choices” employee retirement program here!)
• A health savings account program through Shawnee HSA – this allows you to pay all of our health insurance costs by credit card from a tax-free, interest bearing account.
• We allow our staff to select the individual health insurance program that best suites their needs – that way you don’t end up paying high premiums for benefits that you don’t want or need. Our family is currently insured with a wellness plan through Medical Mutual for a fraction of the cost that many ministries pay.
• We also allow staff to choose the disability insurance program that best suites their needs – my plan is currently through Northwestern Mutual.

If all of this seems a little confusing, don’t worry, we walk our new staff through the process of setting these programs up in a way that best suites their needs.

What are the characteristics you look for in a staff person?

They must…

• have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ
• share our beliefs
• be passionate about our purpose and building biblical, multi-ethnic community
• have a thorough knowledge of the Bible
• in most cases, we look for a minimum of three years of ministry experience
• be teachable
• be able to work effectively with people from a wide variety of ages, ethnicities, etc.

Is it ok if I’m white?

It better be – because I’m white too.  As you would probably guess by our purpose, we are VERY committed to “equal employment opportunity” for all qualified persons (see above) without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, marital status, physical handicap, medical condition, or age.  We welcome staff of all ethnicities – including those of the Caucasian persuasion.  It is very important for whites to be involved with building biblical, multi-ethnic community too!

Would I have to raise my own support?

Yes, our staff have the privilege (yes, I said privilege) of helping to raise their own support.  Why is it a privilege?  Because…

• it teaches us to rely on the Lord
• it allows us to involve other individuals and families in our efforts
• you get to see God provide for your needs – which is a great faith-booster and calling-confirmer!

The amount and percentage each staff person raises is dependent on several factors including their salary and the availability of outside funding (foundation grants, etc).

I’ve heard it is often more difficult for ethnic minorities to raise support, do you offer them any special assistance?

We recognize this reality and seek to do everything we can to help.  We have established an Ethnic Minority Staff Fund with the hopes that one day we can match every dollar that our ethnic minority staff raise.  Unfortunately, our limited funding prevents us from currently being able to do that – but, it is one of our top prayer requests and priorities.

What percentage of the support I would raise would go toward my ministry?

All of the support you raise would go toward…

• your ministry expenses (travel, materials, etc)
• your salary and benefits
• a 5% administrative fee which helps to cover the liability insurance, accounting expenses, etc. for our organization (this is well below the percentage that many ministries deduct)

Can I work full-time or part-time?

Yes, we have full-time and part-time options.

How much would I get paid?

Our Board of Directors would determine your pay (like they determined mine) by considering several factors… where you live, your ministry experience, etc.  To get an idea of what the range might be visit an “average salaries” website like www.salary.com and then enter “EEO Specialist” (that is about as close as you can get to what we do) as the Job Title and your zip code.

What should I do if I am interesting in applying?

Please contact us and let us know and we will contact you with more information.