The Rooney Rule
Tony Dungy’s team, The Indianapolis Colts, won the Super Bowl last night. (For those who might have missed that!) His team defeated the Chicago Bears coached by Lovie Smith. Two weeks ago, Lovie Smith became the first African American head coach ever to earn a trip to the Super Bowl after his team defeated the New Orleans Saints. Later that day, his friend and former mentor joined him in that historic distinction.
The presence of the first African American coaches ever to coach in the Super Bowl has introduced the question of whether the Rooney Rule should still be enforced in the NFL. For those who don’t know, the Rooney Rule mandates that every owner, when searching for a head coach, must interview at least one candidate who is a minority. Both Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy were asked whether this rule was still necessary given the success of their teams. Both of them supported the rule and it’s continued enforcement in the league to ensure that minority candidates get the opportunity to interview for positions around the league. I tend to agree.
But I think the discussion raises another interesting question. In their hiring processes, should churches seek to enforce something similar to the Rooney rule?
You have probably heard the statement that Sunday mornings continue to be the most segregated moments in the life of our country. Almost every part of American culture has had to deal with forced immigration, but sadly (I think), our churches have not. I bring up the question because my Senior Pastor and I have had several conversations about how beneficial it would be to bring some racial diversity to our staff. It’s only one step forward, but as we have seen in the NFL, it might take a step like this to begin the process.
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- The sorryness of the NBA
- Weighing in…
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You interview the people that seem most qualified for the job.
And you hire the one that seems best qualified for the job.
I would hate to think that even a church needs a rule to fight discrimination. I thought we were over the color issue.
Rules like that are dangerous. Just take a look at South Africa and the Black Empowerment policies.
Lauren,
I don't disagree at all with the statement that "You interview the people that seem most qualified for the job." I wouldn't support the idea of having a "quota" for church hiring, but I think intentionally seeking out candidates that are minorities doesn't preclude you from hiring the best candidate.
And while we're on the subject of best candidates, one of the things that I consider in the hirings that I have done for our church is the question, "what value can this particular person bring to our organization?" That includes their skills, personality, background, and their own ability to influence the culture of our church in a positive way. A voice that speaks a word of hope and truth from a different social perspective has the ability to create change that others can't, and the presence of a minority on a staff makes a strong statement about the culture of the church.
I don't mean to say that the only reason we would hire someone is because they are a minority. I am simply trying to be realistic about the positive change that could be realized.
In regards to the statement, "I would hate to think even a church needs a rule to fight discrimination," all I can say is that church is filled with people… people who are sinful… people who have been influenced by a culture that has harbored racism for hundreds of years. And for daughters and sons of American culture, we have to realize that this is our great sin… just as Anti-semiticism is the great historical sin of Europe.
Perhaps one day we'll be past that. I'm not sure it will be in my lifetime. In the meantime, I think we have to be pro-active in fighting the sin of racism.
All that being said, since you do come from a different background, I'd love to hear more about South Africa and how that country has tried to deal with this issue.