The
Pastoral Search
One of the pivotal points in the life
of a local church is the departure of its pastor and the ensuing search
to find his replacement. For some, this can be a time of excitement if
the church has grown stagnant under the former pastor's leadership. For
others, it can be somewhat traumatic if he's been a good steward of his
gifts, loved his people, grown them in grace and seen many come to
Christ under his ministry. For a search committee to find
the replacement for such a man may seem nigh impossible. But
whether exciting or traumatic,
the task of finding a pastor must be conducted by a search
committee
formed to do just that. Few endeavors undertaken by a church have a
more far-reaching impact.
The six phases involved in the
pastoral search are set forth in this document. While they are not
carved in stone, they do represent a logical progression in the
process.
Forming a Pastor Search Committee
Church congregations, in their
Constitution and By-Laws (CBL), can specify the minimum-maximum number
of committee members in the event of a pastoral vacancy. It can
furthermore specify how many of this number will be deacons, board
members, men, women and members of the congregation at large. The size
of the committee may reflect the size of the congregation. A church
with one hundred members may form a committee consisting of five to
seven members. A church with a thousand members may have a committee
with a dozen members. In any case, the pastoral search committee should
consist of (1) a good cross-section of the adult congregation, and (2)
members of the congregation with a reputation for spiritual
discernment. To the extent possible, guidelines in the CBL should be
crafted in such a way as to ensure such an outcome. A church with no
specifics in their CBL regarding a search committee can nominate-select
committee members at the next regular business meeting or meeting
called for that purpose.
Finding an Interim Pastor
The first order of business for a
pastorless church is to ensure the pulpit is occupied each week until a
full-time pastor is called. In situations where a pastor has given due
notice of his departure, pulpit supplies can be lined up well in
advance. If a church has an associate pastor, that individual can meet
the need. If the associate has tenure and the people have come to love him, the
church may decide to extend a call to him.
An interim pastor is critical for a
several reasons. First, he fills the immediate need for the regular
proclamation of biblical truth. Secondly, he allows a search committee
to focus on its main job—finding God's man—and take all the time they
need to get it right. Thirdly, a seasoned man of God stepping in to
fulfill pulpit responsibilities can perform an important advisory role
for a search committee. Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, he is
in a position to address critical congregational needs to prepare a
church for its next pastor. If the former pastor left abruptly under
difficult circumstances, there could be latent bitterness and divisions
an interim pastor can help a church work through and get beyond before
calling another pastor. For this reason, an interim pastor is far more
than a pulpit supply. He's a bridge to the future. And if he does his
job well, that future can be a bright one.
Conducting the Search for Potential Candidates
There are two foundational tasks a
search committee MUST perform at the outset of their search. First,
prayer must be priority one. No one has as much at stake in the choice
of a new pastor as the Lord Jesus, the head of HIS church. Humbly
seeking HIS guidance and direction, knowing HE desires to guide the
committee to fulfill HIS will, is where any pastoral search must begin
and remain during the search process.
Secondly, the search committee must
identify the KIND of man for which they'll be searching. This can be
done by establishing two lists. In list #1, they can identify the
credentials a prospective pastor MUST have in order to warrant
consideration. In list #2, they can identify NICE TO HAVE credentials
that are not deal breakers.
Examples for list #1 would be (1)
doctrinal purity, (2) the gospel of grace in Christ, and (3) clarity
regarding his salvation and call to ministry. Other items might include
effectiveness as an evangelist and a commitment to the discipleship of
new converts. Examples for list #2 might be (1) seminary graduate, (2)
a contextual expositor of scripture, and (3) five years of pastoral
experience. I would personally put these items on list #1. But the
reality is God is not bound by these credentials. It's entirely
possible God could lead the committee to a man who's Holy Ghost
anointed, has no formal training and is looking for his first
pastorate. But this kind of man would be the exception rather than the
rule. A search committee MUST take seriously its stewardship and find,
with resources available, the best qualified man they can.
Men skilled in the contextual
exposition of scripture are harder to find than a needle in a haystack.
Most pastors fall into two groups—exhorters and expositors. Exhorters
are plentiful. The contextual expositor is a rare find and vanishing breed. While the
scriptures are central to both kinds of preaching, ONLY the contextual
expositor is capable of feeding the flock on a regular basis. Most
search committees will not prioritize the contextual expositor because
they've never had the privilege of sitting under expository preaching.
They are accustomed to exhorters, and will likely seek another exhorter
as a replacement. Let's
put this in perspective. The 'kind' of man the search committee
seeks should relate directly to the 'kind' of church they envision
being...or becoming. Many churches these days are Laodicean. There is a
distinct absence of Holy Ghost power even though the pastor sermonizes,
marries, buries, visits hospitals on a consistent basis--all the things
you'd expect a pastor to do. But the pulpit is powerless, sermons are
pablum and conversions are rare to non-existent. Would the search
committee be content to find a replacement that maintains that level of
lifeless ministry? Or is there a burning desire to transition to a
Philadelphian church? If so, the committee should be looking for the
'kind' of man they believe can get them there, clearly anticipating the
disruption of the status quo such a man will bring. Finding
a visionary
Philadelphian man to leave his church for a visionless Laodicean
church is a herculean task and well nigh impossible! For a search
committee to find a Laodicean man to replace another is a much easier
task. God have mercy on the church that calls a Laodicean Saul
believing they've found a Philadelphian David! That's why it's
important for committee members to envision the 'kind' of church they
want to be and vet pastoral candidates accordingly! Once the search committee has
identified the “kind” of man they want to pursue, there are any number
of ways they can solicit recommendations and gather resumes. In cases
where a prospective pastor is in close geographic proximity, a few
inconspicuous members of the committee might choose to visit a morning
service to observe his pulpit manner and rapport with his people. There
is no set number of candidates a committee must consider. God might
direct them to the right man in a matter of days from a few resumes.
But they could collect two dozen or more resumes and spend months
without sensing a clear direction from the Lord. In any case, they can
now go prayerfully through the resumes, identifying the best candidates
and eliminating those who fail to meet “kind of man” criteria. In a
real sense, committee members should be asking the Spirit of God to do
for them what he did for Samuel. Of the eight sons of Jesse, the Spirit
said concerning David: “This is my guy!”
Sending Confidential Letters to Candidate(s)
The next step is sending a cordial letter to your
top candidate, informing him he's being
considered as a potential pastor for XYZ Church and requesting a
response
either as an expression of interest or a “Thanks, but no thanks!” If
you send multiple letters, limit them to the top two or three
candidates. For
candidates who respond as an expression of interest, the search
committee should send a second letter that (1) thanks them for their
availability, and (2) includes a copy of your CBL. In a follow-up phone
call, a committee member confirms receipt of the second letter and
discloses to the candidate any church circumstances of which they
should be aware. It's called full disclosure. Remember, you are
soliciting a pastor who may be in a healthy situation. The committee
would dishonor God and do a great disservice to the candidate for
withholding from him critical information about your church that he
needs to make an informed decision.
In 1981, I preached in view of a call
at a Baptist church in Bainbridge, GA. I preached both services, met
with the pulpit committee in the afternoon. God was there in power,
especially in the evening service. The associate pastor invited me to
breakfast the next morning. As we talked, he told me the next pastor
was in for a tumultuous time. He said there were actually three
congregations in the church—one loyal to the long-tenured former
pastor, one that wanted to call the interim pastor, and one that wanted
a fresh face. It turns out I did not receive enough votes. But based on
inside information shared by the associate, I had already decided to
decline a call if extended and avoid the hornets' nest.
In the follow-up phone call, a
committee member will let candidates know they'll be contacted about
next steps. At this point, neither of you have made a commitment to the
other and no expectations have been set except that they're on your
radar screen and you're both seeking the will of God going
forward.
Vetting and Extending a Preaching Invitation in View of a Call
The policy of the church and search
committee should be to schedule one man at a time for consideration. It
is not enough to schedule several candidates to preach, then vote on
them one at a time. That would be like having one airplane ready for
take-off with six more on the taxiway, only to send those six back to
the concourse after the first has taken off successfully. If you
schedule multiple candidates and then cancel visits because you called
the first candidate, you have sinned against those men! This is where
the search committee MUST trust that the Spirit of God has directed
them to THE man.
Now a word about vetting. Once the
search committee has THE man in mind, the full committee should travel
to his church to hear and meet with him. You should (1) let him know
you're coming, (2) dress casual, and (3) scatter yourself among
the congregation. Nothing is more distractive to a church
service than several folks all dressed up, occupying the same
church pew. Members can ask general questions about his devotional
life, study
habits, philosophy of ministry, doctrinal positions. For example, if I
asked a candidate if he was a Calvinist and he answered “Yes!”, I would
disqualify him immediately. The search committee should avoid 'extreme'
vetting by delving too far into his personal life. If his public
ministry is being blessed of God, it's likely his private life has
God's approval as well. Some of the best
vetting is conducted by
observation. But
the reality is there are pastors who are addicted
to internet pornography, who have no business in a pulpit. But how
do you
vet that? The following generic question might be appropriate to ask:
"If it was possible for us to pull up your browsing history
for the past year, would we discover any website links that
might embarrass you?" If he expresses hesiation in
answering
"Absolutely not!", it might be a red flag. Another vetting
tool might be checking whether
he has a footprint on social media. If he does, the kind of content he
posts (or doesn't post) can provide insight into his general
attitudes about spiritual, social and political issues.
Consider this as a vetting device.
Send two of your committee members to his church field. Have them
randomly knock on thirty doors within a three-block radius of his
church. Ask residents if anyone from his church has ever knocked on
their door, invited them to church or told them the story of Jesus. If
the overwhelming majority of those surveyed answer “No!” (or 0 for 30),
you might want to question whether this is the man (despite other
credentials) you want leading your church since it would become
painfully obvious he has no vision for fulfilling the
Great
Commission. What if the candidate vetted your church in similar
fashion? Would he
disqualify you?
The search committee is responsible
for arranging lodging, transportation and meal costs. If his coming to
your church to preach in view of a call harms him in any way
financially, the church should compensate him for any harm he incurs.
For example, if his church refuses to pay his salary for the Sunday
he's away from his pulpit to preach in yours, your church should pay
him his salary equivalent. This compensation should come out of the
church budget, NOT from a love offering.
The church should arrange the
candidate's Sunday visit with him preaching both services. The search
committee chairman will introduce him as a candidate and announce the
date the church will vote on him. If the full search committee has not
yet had the opportunity to meet with him, lunch with them might be in
order. In the afternoon, the committee should schedule a Q&A
session with the entire church body so they can ask questions and
address any issues they deem important. In many cases, a vote to call
is taken immediately after the evening service. An interlude should be
allotted to give the candidate and family members time to leave the
premises before the vote is taken. The church will vote by secret
ballot or “Yea/Nay” vote per the CBL. Before the church dismisses, they
will know whether they've called a new pastor or if the search will
continue.
Finalizing the Call and Setting a Start Date
The church board, finance committee
may have already worked out a compensation package for the new pastor.
A designated committee member will contact the candidate with the vote
result and extend an offer with salary details. In the event the
compensation package is yet to be decided, the candidate can
tentatively accept the call pending a final compensation offer. It's
entirely possible the candidate observed things during his visit that
were “red flags” that cause him to respectfully decline the call. This
does happen!
The candidate and church agree on a
start date. He may be obligated by his current church to give as much
as thirty days notice before leaving. The pastoral search process you
are winding up will now become the business of the church whose pastor
you just called. Hopefully, he's leaving a healthy, harmonious
situation and walking into another one. The church should reimburse the
new pastor for all his moving costs. Some churches have a parsonage
into which the pastor can move. If not, the new pastor will have to
secure housing. The committee can be especially helpful in locating
prospective properties beforehand to make the transition as smooth as
possible. If he's local, housing may not be an issue. Any compensation
package should include, if possible, an allowance for housing. Smaller
churches may have to call a bivocational pastor. But that can be a huge
asset if they call the right man!
The last order of business for the
search committee is to contact (a phone call is a nicer touch) the
candidates you previously enlisted, thanking them for their availability, informing them you've called a
pastor and they're no longer under consideration. This is a
courtesy they'll appreciate and God will honor. The pastoral search
committee is an ad hoc entity. Once a call is extended and accepted,
the work of the pastoral search committee is done. It dissolves on its
own.
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