Pastor Search Committee Training Mobile Baptist Association C

Pastor Search Committee Training Mobile Baptist Association C. Thomas Wright, Ph. D www. mobilebaptists. org

12 Steps To Find and Call A Pastor The Ultimate Goal of this Committee is to Find God’s Man Through Prayer and Hard Work !

Elect and assign the Search Committee ® Determine what the congregation expects the search committee to do or not do. ® Process often takes 2 years ® Remember, Human will can subvert God’s Will. ® Develop a job description that defines your role and functions for you and the church

The church elects a Pastor Search Committee for the following purposes: ®To survey the congregation to determine a profile of the man and his wife to be sought. ®To receive and review resumes ®To search out God’s man by all means possible: Resumes, References, Audio/Videos, Personal Interviews of candidate and spouse, Personal Observation ®To recommend a candidate and family to be voted on by the church.

Job Description continued ®To make all arrangements for visits and the invitation to preach in view of a call. ®To work with the Finance Committee to jointly recommend salary and benefits for church vote before a candidate and wife is presented. ®To work with the new pastor and wife to make all arrangements regarding his move to the field and transition for a period including three months after arrival.

Step 1: Planning ® Discuss the kind of Pastor this church needs and create a profile ® Age range, background, education (SBC seminary Highly recommended) ® Have church vote on the income range (should be same as majority of members). Moving costs around 10 k ® Update and vote on pastor’s job description

Step 1: Planning ®Set a timeline, Maybe: 3 -6 months to collect resumes. 1 -2 months to pick the top 5 1 -2 months to pick the top candidate 2 months to contact references 1 month to schedule confidential visit 1 month to present to church 1 month notice to his current church

Step 1: Planning ® Develop a congregational survey to involve the people. ® What do they see as primary responsibilities of a pastor ® Include a question about how much time he should spend in each responsibility. ® Which is most important here? Administrator, Pastor, Preacher, Outreach

Step 1: Planning ® Agree what this church needs to look like in five years, ® do you want to grow by evangelistically reaching the entire community or maintain current size/membership? ® Building projects? Additional Staff? ® Before surveying the people, do the survey as a committee. Be sure the committee represents the church in age and ethnicity. Shouldn’t have more than one member of the same family on the committee.

Step 2: Gather Resumes ® Gather resumes from the MBA, ALSBOM, SEBTS, NOBTS, SWBTS, and from your people ® Let the people know to provide any resume they want you to have ® Advertise in state Baptist papers ® Number the resumes as you receive them for easy reference

Step 2: Gather Resumes ® Maintain STRICT confidentiality. A pastor rarely recovers when a congregation learns he is looking. ® Pray that God will raise up His man to your committee ® Set a deadline (3 -6 months) to wait for enough resumes before you seriously consider them

Step 3: Narrow The Field to 5 Set aside a special prayer time to review the resumes ® Separately grade each of the resumes as compared to your profile (this is in fact your first interview). ® Meet and record the grades you each gave each resume ® You will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit works through you to agree v

Step 3: Narrow The Field to 5 v You must eliminate some (or all) candidates from consideration v If no one fits the profile send out a new request for resumes. v Pick five resumes for further consideration, create a binder for each one (you will not be able to remember details about each one).

Step 4: Communicate With All Applicants ® Call the top 5 candidates to see if they are still available and want to be considered. ® Be prepared to describe your church and its situation, provide the URL, written info. ® Request 3 audio/video/CD messages ® Let them know your process, timeline, and that you are praying for God’s leadership ® Contact all others to let them know they will not be considered at this time

Step 5: Narrow Down To One Man ® Develop interview questions that are important to you and the church ® Determine strengths and weaknesses, leadership style, preaching style, pastoral style, visitation style, evangelistic style ® Interview the candidates by phone and record the answers ® Include questions about the wife’s call and her understanding/preference for her role.

Step 5: Narrow Down To One Man ® Then send the top 2 or 3 candidates a set of additional “Deal breaker” questions for a written response ® Evaluate the answers as a committee and pick the candidate that fits the profile ® Let him know he is your primary candidate and see if he wants to continue the process ® Provide the timeline and let him ask the questions he needs answered

Step 5: Narrow Down To One Man ® Provide him a copy of budget, constitution and by-laws, history, minutes, and his job description ® Contact all references ® Ask references for a second tier of references ® Investigate the background of the applicant for any financial, legal, or personal problems

Step 6: Visit The Candidate ® Pursue ONE candidate until you determine he is, or is not, the man ® Strict confidentiality is required so he can stay there if you do not call him ® Don’t go in the church van ® Don’t go in together nor sit together ® Don’t complete visitor’s cards

Step 6: Visit the candidate ® Don’t let the candidate know that you are coming ® Do confirm with the church office that the pastor will be preaching ® Take notes and evaluate as you travel back home, include the evaluation in their binder ® Vote to determine if he is still your candidate

Step 7: Invite for Field Visit ® Invite the ONE candidate, his wife and children to visit the church and meet with the committee. Confirm the wife’s role ® This should be “private” and confidential ® Give them a tour of the church and the area around the church including housing and school options ® This is a time for them to ask you questions as well. The questions they ask are very important too ® Vote to determine if he is still your man

Step 8: Involve The Church ® This needs to be done throughout the process ® The survey involves the people ® Give a report monthly in the morning worship service ® The financial package needs to be voted on in step one, now they need to approve the cost of a move

Step 8: Involve The Church ® Be sure to work in cooperation with the Finance Committee ® Discuss the pastor’s job description ® Discuss his philosophy of ministry and how he will be involved as pastor/leader ® Discuss the wife’s role ® Prepare them for church growth

Step 8: Involve The Church ® Vote on the financial package before he comes to preach ® Determine the per cent vote needed to call ® Get ALL agreements in writing to protect him and you

Step 9: Invitation To Preach ®Let the candidate know that you believe that he is God’s man and issue an invitation to come preach in view of a call ®Discuss any details on the job description, finances, and his pastor/leader role

Step 9: Invitation To Preach ®Tell him that you need to know if he will accept the call of the church on the day they vote to call him ®He needs to sense God’s call!

Step 10: Vote To Call ® Be sure that the church and the candidate understand the per cent needed to have a call ® The vote should be by secret ballot ® You should plan a weekend of activities to give people time to meet and get to know the candidate, his family, and his heart

Step 10: Vote To Call ® Plan a Friday night time with the main leadership of the church ® Plan a Saturday morning coffee time where he can share some of his heart with the church and answer some of their questions ® Plan a Saturday evening covered dish supper so that everyone can have a chance to meet him & wife

Step 10: Vote To Call ® After the sermon, have the candidate leave during the vote ® Only church members present vote ® Count the vote and have congregation sing while counting ® Go share the vote with the Pastor ® Bring him back into the service to announce his decision

Step 10: Vote To Call ® Celebrate God’s leadership with a brief time of worship and praise ® Let the people come by and welcome the new pastor and his family ® Finalize the timeline of when he will be on the field before he leaves

Step 11: Transition & Move ® The committee should be instrumental in helping the pastor move and get settled in ® Help with moving arrangements ® Provide a house-hunting visit ® Greet his family and the moving van when they arrive ® Arrange for some meals to be brought in for a few days

Step 11: Transition & Move ® Schedule some people to go by and assist with the unpacking if the wife wants or needs help ® Follow-through with everything you have said you would do! ® Provide written copies of agreements

Step 12: Continued Support ® You should be the greatest supporters of the new pastor ® You should be some of his best friends in the church ® You need to lend your influence to helping all the church members to accept him and give him a chance to prove himself

Step 12: Continued Support ® You should continue to serve for a period of at least three months after he arrives to be sure that he has a group that he can trust and come to with needs ® Stand by him unashamedly unless he proves not to be a man of God! ® Help him with church growth end