PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE

When your Church needs a Pastor
When the Former Pastor leaves		Providing for PREACHING and PASTORAL duties
Guidelines for Selecting an Interim		ORGANIZING a PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE
The PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE at WORK		How to investigate
PRESENTING the Prospective PASTOR to the CHURCH		WHEN THE NEW PASTOR COMES:
Return to: PASTOR SEARCH Main Menu		Return to: MAIN BIVO MENU

INTERIM SELECTION GUIDELINES
SELECTION
DUTIES
COMPENSATION
PULPIT SUPPLY or INTERIM PASTOR

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

SELECTION OF AN INTERIM Among those who make excellent interim pastors are: retired ministers, institutional chaplains, denominational staff, seminary, university or college faculty and other ministers who for good reason are currently not serving a church. Although most churches: select a man as interim who cannot be considered as permanent pastor, there is "NO" rule against it, [several of our larger churches called an interim as pastor and God blessed the call] it should be determined whether an interim will be selected that could be a possible permanent pastor. Serious internal conflict is possible when relationships are developed (good and/or bad) with an interim that later becomes a candidate for permanent pastor.

TO INTERIM GUIDELINES

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

DUTIES OF AN INTERIM Interim pastor duties usually include: supplying the pulpit on Sunday and Wednesday, hospital visitation, serious home illness visitation, weddings, funerals, etc. When requested, interim pastors usually are willing to attend deacon meetings and/or key committee meetings. Interim Pastors usually are not asked to initiate long term programming or planning.

TO INTERIM GUIDELINES

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

COMPENSATION OF AN INTERIM The church should seek to fairly compensate the interim pastor for his services. A rule of thumb is that the interim pastor should be paid the base salary of the previous pastor less all benefits except housing.

TO INTERIM GUIDELINES

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

PULPIT SUPPLY Vs INTERIM Some churches prefer to have a different preacher each Sunday during the search period. In such cases it might be good to have a second committee enlisting these weekly supply preachers. After a few weeks the task of finding a fresh speaker for each Sunday becomes a time consuming and frustrating task. The search committee should be free to pursue its assignment of finding God's man to lead the church permanently rather than spending its time locating and enlisting a person to fill the pulpit each Sunday. Serious internal conflict is possible when relationships are developed (good and/or bad) with supply preachers that later become candidates for permanent pastor.

TO INTERIM GUIDELINES

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

When the FORMER PASTOR LEAVES: Accept the will of God for him to serve in another location Recognize him and his family at a church-wide function, such as a reception, party or fellowship Thank him for the contribution he made to the church and to the community Promise to pray for him and follow his ministry as God uses him in other places

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

Providing for PREACHING and PASTORAL duties: Determine who will be responsible for pastoral duties Arrange for someone to preach and lead the worship services Call an interim or supply pastor

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

ORGANIZING a PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE Elect the committee from the church Committee size should be from 3 to 9 persons, [5 to 7 persons is best] Make the committee representative of the church membership Either the church or the committee itself can select the chairman Provide from the church for all the expenses of the committee's work Train the committee for its responsibility Pray for the committee and its work

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

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The PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE at WORK Know the general characteristics of the church: -church size, -budgetary strength, -average Sunday School attendance, -community characteristics Prepare a profile on the proposed pastor: -age, -experience, -education -and any special qualifications desired Collect names of prospective pastors Sources of names of prospective pastors -Suggestions from church members -Recommendations from other pastors and ministers -Resumes from the Church-Minister Relations Division -Referral from seminary placement offices or professors -References from Directors of Missions Examine and evaluate all the resumes to determine the four or five persons in whom the committee has the greatest interest Consider carefully all the possible pastors in which the church might be interested -Check references -Investigate their background and performance -Inquire from people who know them Visit personally with any prospective pastor. It often helps to have an initial interview before hearing him preach Hear any prospective pastor preach

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

How to investigate -Talk with the Director of Missions -Write or talk with references -Contact persons in the community or other people who know the person, but are not listed as references -Visit with people on former church fields Have the prospective pastor visit the church field Some Do's for the Pastor Search Committee at work -Do thorough investigation -Do deal seriously with only one prospective pastor at a time -Do be honest and open with the prospective pastor concerning the church situation, the salary and benefits, and the congregational expectations Some Dont's for the Pastor Search Committee at work -Don't present more that one pastor at a time to the church for the church to choose between them -Don't make promises that can't be kept -Don't withhold any essential information

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

PRESENTING the Prospective PASTOR to the CHURCH Set a time for the prospective pastor to preach before the church Notify the congregation beforehand Acquaint the congregation -with the prospective pastor's personal information: -age, -experience, -education, -family Vote at another time: -either that evening, -the next Wednesday evening -or the following Sunday. A delayed vote would give the church time for reflection and consideration for that important decision Report the vote promptly to both the pastor and the congregation Communicate all the conditions of the call to the church and to the pastor, preferably in writing Provide an opportunity for people to meet the prospective pastor either formally in a meeting in which there could be questions and answers or informally in a reception or fellowship setting

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

WHEN THE NEW PASTOR COMES: Present the new pastor to the church Install the new minister as pastor of the church with both the pastor and the church making commitments of mutual support, loyalty and work Agree on the expectations of: pastor, congregation and community Have a time of fellowship to informally meet and greet the pastor and family Pledge to the Pastor: prayer, support, commitment to Christ and the church agreement to work and minister together

TO Search Committee GUIDELINES

Information taken from phamplet presented by: JAMES E. CARTER
"FORMER" DIRECTOR,
DIVISION OF CHURCH-MINISTER RELATIONS LOUISIANA BAPTIST CONVENTION DEAN DOSTER, Executive Director