Pastor
Referral Network
Connecting Search Committees and Pastors
Seeking a Godly Pastor
A guide to finding Godly leadership for your church
Dear Search Committee,
What an awesome privilege it is to be entrusted to seek a Godly leader to be the pastor of your church, and at the same time what an intimidating responsibility! Where will you look? How will you know? What questions should you ask?
It will help if you begin with two matters of confidence. First, that the church belongs to Jesus Christ alone. The second is that God has a person in mind and has already extended the call. You have only to discover the mind of God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This means your team should start its search with an extended period of personal and group prayer. Search the scripture together in laying a foundation for a common understanding and vision. You might begin with the epistles of I Timothy and II Timothy, Acts chapters 1 and 2, Philippians 2:1-18, and Psalm 23 to recommend just a few possibilities.
Review the history of the church together including a careful rereading of the church’s statement of faith and covenant. Lay aside, as best you can, stereotypes based on your previous experience or personal agendas of various kinds. While a church may have someone in mind with a special gift in a particular area, most churches will do best by choosing simply the most committed and capable person God sends.
Pastoral leadership in our culture and time requires a multi-dimensional person with many skills, high integrity, and profound commitment. Ministry is not an easy job. Most dynamic and healthy churches, therefore, look beyond the limitations of one denomination or seminary to seek capable leaders with ecumenical experience and vision. The most dynamic seminaries turning out capable pastors today are inter-denominational. Most younger pastors today have a “post-denominational” view of the church in which the ministry of the local body in cooperation with a diversity of churches in your immediate area is more important than denominational labels and loyalties. Diversifying your search to consider leadership with wider backgrounds and training will prove both a blessing and a challenge.
To find a person with an authentic faith and love of Jesus Christ, who is gifted in pastoral leadership and is compatible with your history and setting will require insightful questions and discernment. Ask, don’t presume. Understand that your differences may be greater than you think. For instance, will your candidate with a Baptist background baptize infants? Will that dynamic young leader with a heart for youth even know how to visit with the sick or shut-in?
Before you get too apprehensive, however, and are tempted to say, “couldn’t we just call somebody in the office and order the usual?”, remember that God called you to this task and time, and you are more than up to it.
The prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ that “we might all be one” is coming to pass in our generation, and it is exciting to be a part of it.
Steps in the Search Processref Steps in the Search Process"
ALL STEPS INCLUDE PRAYERref ALL STEPS INCLUDE PRAYER"
1. Write a description of your church
This is often preceded by a survey of the congregation about what they think is needed in terms of pastoral leadership and the future direction of church’s ministry. Changing pastors is a good time to evaluate these things. A sample survey form is in Appendix A.
What to include in description
√ Brief introduction to the church
√ Statement of faith, mission statement, church covenant
√ History of church
√ What you want in a pastor and where you envision church heading in future ministry. (e.g. growing church spiritually, outreach more to community and world, development of youth program, discipleship of members in practical Christian faith, Bible studies.
√ Worship, Christian Education, youth and other groups
√ Current ministries - in community and missions beyond
√ Membership - ages, education, professions
√ Government - boards - staff
√ Physical facilities, main building, parsonage, other?
√ About community (population, location, schools, occupations of residents, nearby to ______ , etc.)
√ Often included is estimate of salary and benefits package.
The finished “profile” can simply be the UCC or other completed form. But it can also be creatively enhanced with pictures of the church, parsonage, other facilities, people, etc. Sometimes churches also create a shorter descriptive flyer or booklet for general distribution and send the longer, more extensive profile only to candidates that most closely match the “wish” list. A good church description for illustration purposes can be found on the web - www.atkinsonucc.org or www.parkwayucc.org
2. Distribute church description to organizations advertising church openings
Because it is helpful to look at candidates from a diversity of experience and vision, we recommend you search both within the UCC and outside the denomination. The UCC has affirmed many ecumenical agreements to make it easier for exchange of clergy between denominations. The leading U.S. seminaries are mostly inter-denominational and their most outstanding graduates are less likely to be tightly identified with one denomination as in the past. There are fewer than 275 ordained pastors under 40 in the UCC. You are limited only by your own local church by-laws to whom you can call as a pastor.
Where to Advertise for a Pastor:
¨ Your local UCC Conference Office
¨ Your own web site
¨ The Pastor Referral Network accesses the resources of the Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches (EA), and Biblical Witness Fellowship. Call the Evangelical Association National Minister at 1-877-424-1472 or BWF at 1-800-494-9172
¨ Seminaries (See list in Appendix B)
¨ Christianity Today
¨ Other denominations like Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (tel: 651-739-1474) or Evangelical Free Church (tel: 612-854-1300) or those in covenant relationships with the UCC (Disciples of Christ, PCUSA, Reformed Church of America, ELCA, African Methodist Episcopal, AME Zion, ICCC, United Methodist, and Episcopal Church)
¨
Web employment search sites. Among
the many are:
www.ministrystaffingsearch.org
various seminary sites (See Appendix B)
Using the internet in the search process is a relatively new phenomenon, but is fast becoming more common and can be highly successful. The Windsor Locks (CT) Congregational Church Search Committee reports that in their use of the web, “We simply posted our position on a couple of sites and let pastors contact us, as opposed to looking through the list of pastors ourselves. The web-based search resulted in an enormous number of inquiries (over 250). The quality of the inquiries can vary widely, but we have gotten our best candidates from these sources.” They also advertised on their own web page.
A church’s home page website, instrumental in a successful pastoral call for the First Congregational Church (UCC) in Atkinson, NH, was featured in FORTUNE Magazine.
3. Search Committee reads profiles of ministers who have shown interest.
As profiles of prospective candidates arrive, it will be helpful to have some kind of system for evaluating the candidates. The committee needs to agree on the criteria being used. Some churches have used a check list or a point system to help narrow the field. Even so, all profiles should be read. An otherwise qualified person could be eliminated solely on the basis of age or gender. Be careful in your reading - a long elaborate profile may not indicate greater qualification than shorter, simpler resumes. Life experience is also a consideration for new seminary graduates who may have answered a call later in life.
This is the time to contact the references for your top choices. You may also review audio or video tapes that candidates have submitted together as a committee.
4. Choose and interview candidates that closely fit what you are looking for.
This is a very important step. The top candidates are contacted for an interview. This is the time to discover personalities, ask questions raised from the profile, and probe more deeply into your potential pastor’s skills in ministry and views of theology. The candidate will see the church and community firsthand and can ask questions of the committee about the church and its vision. Have the person open or close in prayer.
If candidates are distant, phone interviews with speaker phones work well. When you find a distant candidate you really like, you can arrange a personal visit for a second interview.
Many times a spouse comes to the interview. While it is nice to meet the rest of the family, be sure to interview the candidate for some time alone. Politely ask the spouse to step out of the room or have a committee spouse provide hospitality.
A test interview is helpful in preparation for the real thing. A seminarian or pastor of another local church might be the interviewee. The booklet “Shopping for a Godly Pastor” can help you in this evaluation. It includes good questions to ask.
Generally transportation costs are paid by the church if travel time is over an hour. This can be a flat amount for car travel or the whole airline ticket. If the person has come a long distance, an overnight can be arranged in a search committee member’s home.
5. Arrange a “Neutral” Pulpit
Either before or after the interview, the Search Committee arranges to listen to the top candidates preach, usually at a church not related to either the pastor or the searching church. This is done because the pastor’s church may not know he or she is looking for another position and the search committee needs to evaluate candidates without congregational input.
Contact an area church to find out if they have a time when their pastor is away for vacation or might want a visiting preacher. Use the time to talk again with the candidate and get impressions from that local church’s congregation. Distant people can provide an audio or video tape.
6. Decide on one candidate to propose to congregation.
After interviewing and listening to a number of candidates, the committee will prayerfully choose one to introduce to the congregation. This includes having a possible second interview, an offer of the call, and acceptance of call on part of candidate.
Decisions can be a unanimous vote, a majority, or consensus. But the method of vote needs to be agreed on well in advance. A divided search committee probably indicates you have more work to do.
7. The final candidate comes to your church.
Once the call has been issued by the Search Committee, and accepted, the Committee arranges a time for the proposed pastor to preach at a Sunday worship, followed by an official congregational meeting for a vote to call. Get to know your new pastor events are often part of this weekend.
Advice (from personal experience)
Your Search Committee will probably be at various stages with a variety of candidates at the same time. Candidates are at different stages of the search process with different churches, too.
Don’t get discouraged. God has the right leadership in mind for you and will be faithful in bringing that person in His perfect time. Don’t let yourself make compromises under the pressure of time. The real selection and call is a work of the Holy Spirit and for which your team is simply the faithful agent.
Published by the
P.O. Box 323
Georgetown, MA 01833
Qualities We Are Seeking in a Godly Pastor
Mark with Y all qualities you sense vital and any with N those you think not important. Rank the top 10 Y qualities. This is a tool to assist your search committee team in developing a consensus about the key strengths a candidate should have.
____ 1. is a compassionate and caring person, sensitive to other’s needs
____ 2. reaches out to inactive members
____ 3. has a strong commitment to the Christian educational ministry
____ 4. works well with committees and officers
____ 5. is a person of prayer
____ 6. is a mature and emotionally secure person
____ 7. plans and leads well-organized meetings
____ 8. is an inspired and compelling preacher
____ 9. is effective in planning and leading worship
____ 10. maintains confidentiality
____ 11. loves the Lord Jesus Christ
____ 12. grounds decisions and ministry in Biblical perspective
____ 13. is a capable administrator
____ 14. challenges the congregation to stewardship
____ 15. encourages others to assume and carry out leadership
____ 16. makes pastoral calls on people in hospitals and nursing homes and those confined to their homes.
____ 17. encourages diversity of race, ethnicity, economic status and traditions
____ 18. inspires confidence in their leadership
____ 19. is active in ecumenical relationships and encourages the church to participate
____ 20. is a gifted teacher
____ 21. handles conflict effectively
____ 22. encourages people to apply their faith in daily life
____ 23. is a good team player
____ 24. strongly encourages support of denominational outreach programs
____ 25. continues to grow in knowledge and skill
____ 26. enables people to solve problems together
____ 27. works well with children
____ 28. leads by personal example
____ 29. mobilizes the congregation to act on social and political issues
____ 30. has strong commitment and loyalty to the denomination
____ 31. is Spirit filled
____ 32. builds a sense of community among the people with whom he/she works
____ 33. disciples people to spiritual maturity
____ 34. ministers effectively to people in crisis
____ 35. has a vision and passion for global mission
____ 36. organizes people for community action
____ 37. enables people to develop their leadership abilities
____ 38. works well with adults
____ 39. makes pastoral calls on members
____ 40. is a capable counselor
____ 41. regularly encourages people to participate in denominational activities and programs
____ 42. works at bringing new members into the church
____ 43. is effective in working with youth
____ 44. writes clearly and well
____ 45. plans and organizes programs
____ 46. __________________________________________
____ 47. __________________________________________
Please include any other comments about expectations here or on separate sheet.
SUGGESTED SEMINARIES TO CONTACT FOR SUPPLY, INTERIM OR PERMANENT PASTORAL PLACEMENT
Seminaries generally provide information on employment opportunities to both students and alumni. Some have websites listing church openings.
Alliance Theological Seminary
350 N. Highland Ave.
Nyack, NY 10960
1-845-353-2020
Asbury Theological Seminary
204 N. Lexington Ave.
Wilmore, KY 40390
1-800-2-ASBURY
Ashland Theological Seminary
910 Center St.
Ashland, OH 44805
419-289-5161
Beeson Divinity School
Samford University
800 Lakeshore Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35229
205-26-2374
Bethel Theological Seminary
Campus Locations:
3949 Bethel Dr.
St. Paul, MN 55112
651-638-6180
116 Arosa St.
San Diego, CA 92115
619-582-8188
Bethel Seminary of the East
1605 N. Limekiln Pike
Dresher, PA 19025
1-888-TheEast
Located in Auburn, MA; Flushing, NY; Dresher, PA; & Baltimore, MD
Biblical Theological Seminary
200 North Main St.
Hatfield, PA 19440
1-800-235-4021
Columbia International University
Columbia Biblical Seminary
P.O. Box 3122
Columbia, SC 29230
803-754-4100
Covenant Theological Seminary
12330 Conway Rd.
Saint Louis, MO 63141
1-800-264-8064
www.covenantseminary.edu
Dallas Theological Seminary
3909 Swiss Ave.
Dallas, TX 75204
214-824-3606
Denver Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 10000
Denver, CO 80250-0100
1-800-343-2482
Dubuque University School of Theology
2000 University Ave.
Dubuque, IA 52001
1-800-369-8387
Evangelical School Theology
121 South College Street
Myerstown, PA 17067
1-800-532-5775
Fuller Theological Seminary
135 N. Oakland Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91182
626-584-5576
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Main Campus
130 Essex St.
So. Hamilton, MA 01982
978-468-7111
14542 Choate Circle
Charlotte, NC 28273
1-800-600-1212
(704) 527 - 9909
www.gordonconwell.edu/charlotte/
North Park Theological Seminary
3225 West Foster Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625-4895
1-800-964-0101
Reformed Theological Seminary
3 campus locations
2101 Carmel Rd.
Charlotte, NC 28226
704-366-5066
1231 Reformation Dr.
Orlando, FL 32765
407-366-9493
5422 Clinton Blvd.
Jackson, MS 39209
601-923-1600
Regent University Seminary
1000 Regent University Dr.
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
1-800-723-6162
Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry
311 Eleventh St.
Ambridge, PA 15003
724-266-3838
Trinity International University School of Divinity
2065 Half Day Rd.
Deerfield, IL 60015
847-945-8800
Western Theological Seminary
101 East 13th St.
Holland, MI 49423
1-800-392-8554
Westminster Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 27009
Philadelphia, PA 19118
1-800-373-0119
Westminster Theological Seminary in California
1725 Bear Valley Parkway
Escondido, CA 92027
760-480-8474
This page was last updated on
Monday, November 06, 2006