Pastor Search Committee Protocol

Why do you want a taped sermon? I don't tape sermons, and I never preach a sermon more than once.

Don't trouble calling. I am not interested. I am more interested in the church in need, not in deed.

Cheers,

Jim

That would be my response.

 

I don't think the pulpit or search committee has the power to exclude any applicant. The one you eliminated may have been the sent Pastor. Unless the guy is homosexual, in prison at the time or openly living in sin, he should be brought before the members.

I've seen Churches use the one at a time method. Up to the people.

I also agree with Jim about tapes, Every Preacher has at least one good tape in the box. They'd be a fool to send you one where they went to flunkersville. Also, there is more to a preacher than can be captured on a tape.

It's like the Church reading resume's. What exactly are you looking for. Read Paul's resume;

I spent most of my life persecuting and killing Christians. Then I met Jesus one day so he sent me here to be your Pastor. I'm sure that resume would hit the round file... Peter would say I carry and knife and cut off a man's ear. Denied Jesus and lost faith and nearly drowned but here am I if you need a pastor.

Oh, and I preached one time and 3K came...

 

Show me in scripture where it is their church? It is the bride of Christ, not theirs to own as some husbands may treat their wives like chattle. The pastor is the overseer of Christ's local church. Anyone who thinks it is theirs, will soon find out it will be taken away unless it dies to self.

That is exactly the very reason why so many Baptist churches have so many problems. I remember well one church I came to and planned to stay there for many many years. They treated me as though I would only be there a short while. They even talked as though I had no voice and spoke of my stay as being a short time. We did not plan to stay only a short time but actually retire there. Their arrogance and lack of trusting God came through loud and clear. Even people in town asked why the pastors did not stay long. I understood that very well within a few months. They wanted an orator but not someone who would train them to make disciples. They always got what they wanted but little of what they needed.

 

I taped my sermons for a long time so that I could improve in my oratory skills and the sermon would flow better. Some people may have any easy time developing a sermon but not me. Taping the sermons taught me to better organize my thoughts so the congregation could understand as Eccl 12 talks about. Many times I went to the church and taped my sermons as I gave them without anyone there. Then I went home and listened to them.

 

Bishops, Elders and Overseer are one in the same. The thing you left off from verse 5 was the fact it was Paul who appointed Titus to ordain the elders. This cannot be a given for today, as there is no apostolic appointment today. Couple verses down, we see what the role of Elder is:

Tit 1:7 For an overseer, as God's manager, must be blameless, not arrogant, not quick tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money,

I don't know of one business where the employees select the manager.They are appointed from a higher position within. Christ is the head of the Church, and it is God who appoints and calls those who He wills to manage His Church. The congregation has no business in the daily, nor spiritual running of the Church.

 

Maybe this has worked somewhere at sometime, but it is a recipe for disaster in a local church. Do this and every church member will have their favorite and will be angry when he is not chosen.

 

I fail to see in Scripture where There should be only a single Elder. It is used in the plural, meaning more than one. You state that the congregation should be active in minesterial decisions within the church...but then state they should be under the authority of the Shepherd. I fail to see how it can be both, and furthermore where in the Scriptures the congregation has such a roll, and control of a church. There is a certain pattern Scripture starts with Adam and Eve, and continues throughout.

 

FBC,

Though the process for selection will vary from church to church I wish to speak on behalf of the candidates. I cannot not imagine a candidate who does not want the best possible leadership for each church and therefore desires the Lord to lead the selection process after all the wrong man in the wrong church will only do damage to everyone involved. I personally love the questionnaires and believe that it helps assure the candidate that should the Lord lead in that direction there was a criterion that was met in the selection process.

My only 'complaint' in the overall selection process used by churches is found in their failure to contact candidates after they have made their final choice. This is, in my opinion, rude and condescending and sends a message to the candidates not selected that their feelings and emotional integrity were not of great importance.

I have been told on three different occasions 'we will let you know one way or the other' never to hear from that church again. I must admit it is frustrating for most candidates want to be able to say with confidence 'the Lord has closed that door' to not have final feed back from the selection committee hinders that closure.

If a pastor has made it to the final selection list but not deemed to be the one you would have come let the pastor know he will appreciate it.

Thjplgvp

 

Just as a thought, if I was a new senior pastor coming into a new church and I had a music minister that just arrived who did not fit my ministry direction, passion, vision, and emphasis I would be in a bad place to let them go so quickly after having arrived. Keep in mind I would have no hesititations about doing so, but it would put my ministry in an awkward moment after arriving.

Yeah I really believe that the senior pastor is the key staff position and should determine all the rest. The senior pastor is (imho) the only Scripturally defined position on a church staff. All the others exist to supplement the vision, direction, passion, and ministry thrust of the senior pastor.

That means that if as a staff member if I am on staff at a church where a new senior pastor comes on the scene I serve at his discretion and at his pleasure. Further, that means that if I am on staff at a church and a new senior pastor comes on the scene and asks me to leave I am obligated to begin the search process for me (of course the sp is also obligated to allow me some time to look and/or proper severence.)

sounds like most baptist church, not being critical just saying this is a normal proceedure :smilewinkgrin:

that's cool, my home church does this...I grew up with this...I think this is wrong.

The search committee is expected to consult with the Senior Pastor in the search and call someone who will share the same vision, and ministry process that the church uses, something that the Senior Pastor hopefully has led the church in.

again I grew up with this, and think this is just simply wrong. We can convo about this if you want just understand there are other options :thumbsup:

fair enough, I just completely disagree with you. Lay people are supremely inadequate to go out and find future staff people...primarily because they don't understand a lot of what it takes to run an effective church. Hear me out: It's not that they are stupid or a bunch of incompetent people, that is just not their role in the life of the church.

Should the congregation be involved in the church life from day to day...sure. Should they, all of them, be involved with the administration of the church from day to day..no way. Should the congregation be involved with living the church where they live, work, and play...of course.

Really I respect and honor your coming to us to ask some hard questions. I appreciate the polity of your church because I grew up in a church exactly like yours (I suspect.) Do you thing your way. Just know there are other options. The key to all of this is open communication and allowing God to lead. I believe that God will bring His man for you church if you continue to petition His graces for your church. Thanks again! :1_grouphug:

 

I would agree that a series of questions presented at each step of the process would be helpful.

I have answered as many as 75 questions on questionaire sheet only to find that during the interview the committee was only interested in my stand on music or dress. Go figure.

I am glad that you respond to each candidate you will be amazed at how many good comments about your church and your leadership this will present to the public over the years to come. The smallest kindnesses will be rewarded openly by the Lord.

Thjplgvp

 

I know, I was trying to accomodate the fact that some Churches have men who are not Clergy which they call Elders... Glad you and Jim made this point. Having said this, where does this place the pulpit committee? Where do you see one group of members (who are not Elders) chosing the Pastor for the entire Church body? Are you saying the Pulpit committee is more capable of receiving God's appointed man than the Church body is?

You are bringing worldly views into God's institution. Besides it's non-taxable government papers, the Church is not a business, it's a divine institution. The Pastor is not an employee, he is the undershepherd who is supported by the ministry. When Christ sends the next Pastor, the hearts of the people will know, respond and he will get the necessary votes. The best part is the majority of the members will agree and be behind him from the start. It's when you leave it to a small committee that God's candidate may get left out.

Does your Church have business meetings? Do you vote on an annual budget? How can you say the congregation has no business in running of the Church? It is their Church. It's where they get married, burried and learn the ways of righteousness. Each member should have one vote the same as any other member. What you should not have is one member with more say than the others. I don't know how the Mega Churches do it, but I don't make too many decisions that are not discussed and voted for in the next Church meeting.

This is why you first vote the large pool down to two or three finalist. If your man doesn't get enough votes to make the last round, then the Body has spoken. Again, you don't want this member to be mad at just the few men on the Pulpit committee even if they had great reasons not to bring him before the people. They would have to be mad at the majority of the Church body. Now imagine that?

 

Yep, I forgot this part. You need to know where he stands doctorinally so there are the infamous questions. I saw a Church hand them out to the Church body and let members ask the questions as part of the meet the guy meeting. Nothing like being put on the spot in front of the body of believers. I moderated a meeting where a gy dug himself in good on eternal security and didn't bring his Bible. I slipped him mine and eventually cut off the questioning when I saw he was just getting in deeper. He must have been one of those guys that don't let you ask questions in Bible Study???

 

I have had only one experience with completing a questionnaire, but it taught me that the way a question is phrased can mean that there is no proper answer! I was in touch with a new congregation that thought maybe a retired pastor would be a good starting point, but their questionnaire contained an item, "Do you interpret the Bible literally or figuratively?" I could have answered Yes, No, Maybe So ... but instead attempted to do a short course in hermeneutics. I never heard from them again! The question as posed is not capable of a brief answer. And theological amateurs might either find any answer acceptable, if it sounds good enough, or might find any answer unacceptable, if it did not contain the buzz words they want to hear.

 

That is exactly the reason why I do not answer questionnaires. A few minutes over the phone gives a lot more information than answers to 100 questions.

 

A phone conversation is quite useful. More personal than an impersonal list of questions. One thing we ask of any candidate is to give a brief doctrinal statement. It doesn't take a long questionairre to determine if a preacher is biblically sound and Baptistic.

Any other questions can come in a face-to-face meeting if it gets that far.

On another subject, we have to remember that whoever makes up the search committee serves as representatives of the congregation is elected by it, and exists to do for it what it practically cannot do for itself. That is, the spadework that all search committees have to do.

Although the search committees in our church historically have brought before the church (trial sermon, meeting with congregation) the man it believes is God's choice. The congregation must vote as if this is the question. Is this God's man for us or not?

Bringing the three finalists before a church sounds good, but if I were one of the three, I really wouldn't relish being part of a dog-and-pony show.

Let the committee pray and seek God's light. Let the committee do its job.

 

I can understand wanting to get a healthy pastor but sometimes one who has problems can be a real blessing. I've been on two search committees (2 and 3 years long) can we were in a tough spot when the pastor the first committee picked who accepted the position decided to not show up. We changed our by-laws to allow calling the interim pastor who had Leukemia (in remission). He promised that he would try to stay for two years but ended up staying four. It was a blessing to see a man so committed to the faith.