An Interview with William Vanderbloemen on leadership
Since the CEO at HubSpot found out that I was a pastor he has been connecting me with every HubSpot customer who has a Christian background. One such customer is William Vanderbloemen, who has been a successful HubSpot customer for many years. He was a Presbyterian pastor who decided to move out of leading a church and set up a business to help churches find the right staff. He is one of those guys who (a) knows everyone, (b) is full of energy and (c) is incredibly likeable.
He asked me to do a podcast for his show so in return I asked him if he’d do a blog-interview on leadership since he speaks with lots of leaders and we have both an Internship Program and a leadership course at Christ City Church so I am always looking for good material to share with those participating.
(1) Hi William! Who are you, what do you do and what is your most favourite thing about Dublin?
Hi Steve! Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your blog. I founded Vanderbloemen Search Group, a pastor search firm that helps churches and ministries find their key staff. Before that, I was a pastor for fifteen years. I love what I do because, like you, I’m passionate about helping churches apply business best practices to the nuances of ministry to help them do what only the church can do best. We have a team of 30 located in Houston, TX, and we have the honor of helping churches all around the world build great teams. My favorite thing about Dublin is its rich history. I’m a bit of a history nut.
(2) Who have been your inspirations growing up, who do you enjoying reading and what do you do on a day off?
John Maxwell spoke into my life as a young pastor, and I’m forever grateful for his wisdom in leadership development. I also highly respect Sam Chand, who has helped me think through key decisions throughout my vocation. On a day off, I soak up time with my wife Adrienne and our seven kids. We enjoy heading to the golf course. Adrienne and the kiddos are now better golfers than I am!
(3) Why did you stop being a pastor and set up Vanderbloemen Search?
I was 31 when I was called to be the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Houston. At the time, I was the youngest pastor to have ever been called to lead as the Senior Pastor. In my six years there, I experienced the joys and challenges of trying to bring innovation into a traditional context. As a young pastor, this was challenging, particularly in regards to team building.
I was looking for agile, creative problem solvers to join a more rigid context, and it was difficult to find the right DNA match. I even used a search firm during my time at First Presbyterian, and it wasn’t a good experience. I knew that my peers and I didn’t learn about hiring, firing, and team building in seminary and that the church needed help from someone who could apply the best practices of the corporate world to the sacred nuances of ministry. So I studied executive search for a few years before Adrienne and I felt called to bring my past experiences, ministry network, and search expertise together to found Vanderbloemen and help churches build great teams. We started the company on the Ides of March in 2010, and 5 and a half years later, we have over 30 full-time team members and have completed over 600 searches for churches and ministries around the world.
(4) From your experience of hiring church leaders, what are the key characteristics you look for?
The number one characteristic we look for in church leaders is a passionate calling to ministry and a love for the Bride of Christ. Beyond that, agility is a key characteristic that we believe an effective church leader must have. In fact, Ever-Increasing Agility is one of our team’s values as we serve our clients. Agility means being able to pivot and change to adapt to what your church and community needs. It means seeking innovation and avoiding the phrase, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Ultimately, when we’re helping our churches find their new team members, we’re spending time understanding their DNA as an organization so that we can match that DNA in the right candidate that God is calling to their team.
(5) How do you stop your heart from becoming cynical or despondent when you’re called in to hire a pastor because the previous leader had sinned and had to step away from leadership?
We talk as a team often about how we are called to love the Bride of Christ. Even when she fails us or when her leaders fail their followers, we’re still called to love the Church because Christ loves the Church. The Church is made up of sinners, which reaffirms the fact that we’re all in need of a Savior. It’s a humbling reminder that God can use “the least of these” to do immense work for His Kingdom.
(6) What do you think are the key issues facing the church in the west today and how do you think we can handle them?
With the rise of digital media, the world is noisier and more connected now than ever. With social media, email, and smart phones, everyone’s rolodex is at their fingertips. You would think this would make it easier for church leaders to find their key staff, but it actually makes things trickier. It’s never been easier for people to make themselves look great on paper. The real art to effective team building is getting beyond the resumé, beyond the happy Facebook posts, and truly understanding the person’s heart. This takes a lot of time and expertise, which is why in our extensive search process, our team interviews both our clients and our candidates face-to-face. This face-to-face time allows us to see the intangible aspects of the organization and the candidate as we discern the right fit.
(7) What are the 3 best books on Leadership that every young leader should read?
- What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
- QBQ! The Question Behind The Question by John G. Miller
- The Key to Everything: Unlocking the Secret to Why Some People Succeed and Others Don’t by Matt Keller
Steve Vaughan 