It works for video dating services. And it worked for our church. Before inviting a potential minister to come meet the church, we asked for a video and got a much clearer picture of the person we were considering.

The usual hiring process involves gathering resumes and calling references. After a phone interview or two, the candidate is brought to the church for a meet-and-greet prior to a vote.

Hold it! Let's put the conventional process on pause for a few days.

Before launching into an "everyone smile" whirlwind weekend, try a creative intermediate step: swap videos. Our search committee recently used this approach in filling two ministry positions.

Ask the candidate to shoot short clips of his or her present ministry and interview a few core leaders. Then, with the camera running, the candidate takes a walking tour of his house and chats with the family or roommates. Finally, the candidate answers to the camera a short list of questions provided by the committee. We asked: "Tell us how ...