A casual visitor to our church offices would notice nothing unusual at first. The staff of twelve-seven men, five women-consists of five full-time ministers, a full-time director, two part-time assistants, and four interns. We range in age from twenty to fifty-seven.

But there's one oddity: Only two of us were "imported" to Oxnard. All the rest are home-grown.

Growing a church staff is a serious commitment with us, stemming back over fifteen years to my days at Calvary Baptist in San Bernardino. A tough young high school junior named Scott began attending our youth group. He was a natural leader but also a fighter, with drug involvement. When he spoke, everybody listened; when he led, everyone followed.

To the delight of all, he received Christ and became active in the group. The associate minister, who worked with youth, made good use of his talents over the next three years.

Then came the associate's resignation. We began the normal process of reviewing resumes and conducting interviews. ...