How Do I Find A New Pastor?

There really is no way. Since the sizes of churches vary, and being in different economic areas, with varying salary ranges that affect giving, it should be prayed about, and based on the giving of the church the new pastor will be at. Some church budgets dont' allow for a full time pastor, some allow for 4...it all varies.

 

Well, what webdog said, it depends.

There are several ways you could get a starting place.

Start with your expectatons. Do you expect him to be bivocational and work another job or not? If you expect him to be a full time pastor you need to pay him full time wages?

How many hours a week do you expect him to work? He is working Sundays, does he get another day off? Do you expect him to make visits and do other work after normal buisness hours? Does he get comp time for that? What about overtime? What does that work out to as an hourly rate? How does that compare locally?

What do you expect him to have as far as education? Do you require a seminary degree? Dr. or Masters degree? How does his salary compare to other people locally with the same level of education?

What about the income level of the church itself? I don't believe that the pastor should be the highest paid person in a congregation but he certainly should not be the lowest. What is the average family income for your congregation?

Of course the financial condition of the church is also a consideration. How much can you afford to pay?

This information will help as you draft a job description as well as calculate a starting wage.

 

You can go to the 2008 SBC compensation study and it will give you averages for various ministry types like full time and bivocational. There are a LOT of different things you can look at in order to get the pertinent information you may need in regards to averages for minister age, education level, church size & budget and will break it down state by state. You can go to lifeway.com and look up 2008 compensation study. Even if you're not SBC, it should help.

Mike

 

Please permit a minor trip back to the past with regard to finding a pastor. In the church I serve, the business meeting minutes in the early part of the 20th century revealed that when an opening developed for pastor, they called a meeting.

The floor was opened, and preachers were nominated from the flood. After supporting speeches, they took a vote and the one who got the most votes became pastor (even though he might not even know he's being mentioned). A committee is dispatched to notify him that he's been elected pastor, and will he accept?

If he says yes, fine. If he says no, they call another business meeting and repeat the process. No search committees, no vetting, no interviews, no trial sermons.

I was amazed that only once could I find an instance where the nominee refused.

 

Just means that those guys knew how to network and to "inspire" a contact or friend in the vacant church to "feel led" to nominate someone. Then they could act surprised and graciously, humbly accept.

Pardon my cynicism, but I have been a part of pastor searches as participant, called pastor, and now interim pastor/consultant, and I know the games that some folks play.

 

Why the drama? You are in a Baptist church! Because Baptists vote on nearly everything, people begin to think of a Baptist church as a democracy--led by man, instead of a theocracy, led by the Holy Spirit

It is common in a church for long-hidden tensions to surface when a pastor submits his resignation. There were obviously issues between your pastor and the old deacon, whether you knew about them or not.

You need to get an interim pastor--look for one who preaches the Bible verse by verse, who has the same vocal dynamics as a shoutin' Baptist from the old days, who knows the word, has nothing to lose, and has no problem with "Paul vs. Barnabas" and "Paul vs. Peter," confrontations.

 

Go Indepenedent and folow the leadership of the Lord in searching for a pastor. candidate a few men of recommendation and don't be so easily accepting of their recommended status when considering other men who might fit the task and never had the ol' "pat on the back".

Most of all, PRAY!

 

I am a Southern Baptist. I actively serve our state convention and local association. With that in mind, allow me to offer a word of caution.

Consult your Director of Missions and the state missionary who is involved in church/staff relations. Listen to their advice regarding procedures and guidelines for calling a pastor. As you do, keep in mind that they are not the Holy Spirit, and that the guidelines and procedures they give you are not tailor-made for your church.

Your church is autonomous. You can employ whatever guidelines and procedures you wish. You may not need a long interim period, unless the church is conflicted. In this case, you might want to consider an "intentional interim." (If you are not familiar with this concept, consult your Director of Missions.)

 

Very Cool! Now don't quit praying for him!

 

Did you throw the other 2.4% out? :laugh:

 

That would be the Baptist way.

 

Let me just say that you sir, are the embodiment of a great interim pastor! Thank you for being willing to pave the road for a healthy church and a healthy pastor to be united...