Dear Pastor Search Committee,
I appreciate the time and effort you are devoting to this process. Your church has entrusted you with an exciting and daunting task, to find your next pastor. Most churches will only host a few pastor search committees in their lifetime. I know you are inwardly focused right now, pondering what is needed and best for your church; however, I want to offer some perspective.
Below are the heartfelt thoughts of a minister who is journeying a similar road from the other side.
- Be disciplined. Not just with regularly scheduled meetings, tasks and agendas, but also with spiritual practices. Pray together. Read Scripture together. Be silent and listen together. This is a spiritual journey, not just a practical one. This process should be bathed in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
- Communication with your church body and the candidates is imperative. The church needs to know the intended process and where the committee is in the process. The entire church does not need to know every detail, but trust is built through open, effective, efficient and honest communication. The future pastor also will benefit when the committee has healthy communication with the church. Also, the candidates need to know the intended process and where the committee is in the process. This process is often long and difficult, so the more communication the committee has with all candidates, the better.
“This is not the same as hiring at your company or local business.”
- Ask for help. As stated before, most churches will only go through this process a few times. Do not assume you know the best practices. This is not the same as hiring at your company or local business. There are some great resources, including people and organizations that can help you journey through this process. One of these resources is the Center for Healthy Churches.
- Remember that resumes are representative of people. You will review multiple pages of printed information on candidates. It is easy to view these pieces of paper as only about education and experience, but remember attached to these pages of information are people: ministers stuck in toxic settings, ministers seeking God for the next step, ministers seeking different settings for the sake of their spouses and children. There are people of God who accompany the resumes, so please treat them as such.
- Communicate. Did I mention communication? Be honest. Communicate openly if a candidate is not the right fit, the earlier the better. Be honest if your committee is at a standstill or needs more time. Communicate often and honestly with all candidates, as one of them may be your next pastor, and once again trust is built through open, effective, efficient and honest communication.
- Consider women. Please, fully consider all called to ministry in your search. When you are only open to male pastors, you limit God’s call and your church’s opportunity. When considering women, remember their resumes may not equitably align with men. They may have had fewer opportunities. This is not their fault, but the reality of being a woman seeking to serve in ministry. Therefore, they may not have the exact experience and path as men. However, I promise they are called by the same God and equipped by the power of the same Holy Spirit.
“Remember that while your committee works week by week, most of the candidates associated with that stack of resumes are thinking about this daily.”
- Take your time, but not too much. This is an important process that should be handled with care and time. However, taking too much time may be harmful to the church and painful for the candidates. There is no such thing as the “perfect” candidate because there is no such thing as a “perfect” church. This is a process facilitated and navigated by people, people who should be disciplined (see No. 1) and led by the Holy Spirit. Find a healthy rhythm. Remember that while your committee works week by week, most of the candidates associated with that stack of resumes are thinking about this daily. Be respectful of the time your church needs to navigate and be mindful of the timing of your candidates. For example, if you are seeking a pastor who has a young family, consider it may be easier for the family to relocate during the summer and be settled to begin a new school year.
- Communicate. Have you sent a follow-up email?
- Remember this is a dual relationship. Often search committees focus solely on the needs and wants of the church, forgetting the candidates are a part of the relationship. The result of this process will be a covenantal partnership between the pastor, the church and God. Therefore, the process should be navigated with all parties involved, equally.
I submit these words from a place of love for the church. The search process is difficult for the church but also for the candidates.
Sincerely,
A pastor who is waiting, seeking and discerning (and is still waiting for a follow-up email or phone call)
Editor’s note: BNG very rarely publishes anonymous opinion content. This is a real letter from a real pastor candidate to a real committee, with universal truths that are best heard without a candidate.